Variations for Piano and Sitar

Sitarist Ricky Romain has long been a stalwart of the South Asian music scene in the UK, working with musicians across a range of genres from classical Hindustani performance to jazz and folk. Here he teams up with composer and pianist Andrew Goldberg whose influences include Steve Reich and Philip Glass. The result is a series of ‘variations’ on traditional North Indian ragas and talas which are underpinned by suitably static Western harmonies. The cyclical and meditative nature of much of what is on offer here perhaps shows the influence of the American minimalists but without the restless rhythmic inventiveness of Reich. Although the playing is sensitive and attractive, the disconnect between the Indian modes and the tempered tuning of the piano at times leads to a feeling of queasiness (raga ‘Malkauns’ is not normally G minor, nor is ‘Yaman’ D major!). There are some lovely moments, such as the piano opening to ‘Variation III’ and the subsequent entry of the solo sitar, but the combination of the two is sometimes an uneasy fit.