A long time ago in a previous life as a physicist sharing a house with 3 electrical engineers, two from India and one from Pakistan, I was exposed to a completely different culture including food and music. At three to one, I had no choice
I learned the basics about Indian classical music. One of the most interesting insights was that Indian instruments, among others of the region, actually are intended to freely substitute for and blend with voice vocalization and much is improv. Those small insights opened up a world of better understanding for my ear. Appreciating the music, like the food, could be called an acquired taste but of course maybe not for everyone.
The Canadian composer and musician, Loreena McKennitt, uniquely incorporates much non-Western instrumentation and style, including some Indian classical elements, into some of her work. That international, cultural blend is one of her trademarks. First link, McKennitt has incorporated an interesting mix of North African- Middle Eastern- Indian/Asian.
The next two links are Indian classical. The second link is of an older performance by Anoushka Shankar, daughter of the famous sitar master Ravi Shankar. Last link is of performance of another sitar master, Roopa Panesar. The percussion/tabla work and sympathetic, sometimes variable pitch of the sitar strings, IMO, help reinforce the concept of instrumental voice vocalization.
Chloe Chua and Singapore Symphony performing Bruch finale.
