Reid Chamber Concert

Improvisation is the principal ingredient in all performances of traditional Indian music whether it be in the unmetered Alapana - the slow unfolding of the notes and characteristic melodic patterns of the chosen raga - or in short compositions known in southern India as kritis.  In the latter the few lines of text set to a particular raga and tal (metrical scheme) form the basis for much improvisation and musical interplay between the principal performer and his accompanists.