A young boy on the front row waved his hands in the air like a conductor, lost in the flow of the music that filled the room. It was a new kind of sound for many, but the dexterous pianist had the audience under his spell. In an exquisite recital, Anand Seshadri took the audience on a journey with the Four Bs of Western Classical Piano – Brahms, Bartok, Bach and Beethoven.
He opened the recital with Brahms, playing pieces from Op. 117 and Op. 118. The first one was solemn, and even intriguing, taking you to an unsettling space. In contrast, the second one was joyous and you could easily imagine couples dancing to it. The next B was Bartok and Seshadri played pieces from Suite Op. 14. These pieces had an underlying agitation, which suddenly dipped to soothing murmurs. Next came Bach whose playful and vibrant notes sat easy on the ears. The fourth to be played among the giant Bs was Beethoven, whose music cascaded over the senses, with melody and intrigue taking turns.
When asked about how he managed to memorise such long compositions, Seshadri said: “I practise internal spirituality and don’t bother much about criticism. My focus is only my music.”
Speaking about his future plans, the musician said: “I want to use Carnatic ragas in Western classical music and create my own sound. Bollywood is not my cup of tea.” Revealing that it was his third performance in Hyderabad, the pianist said: “Appreciation for Western classical music is growing in Hyderabad, and I enjoy the response from the audience here.”
Seshadri, who studied engineering, said that music had always been his passion and he chose to follow it.
He started at a time when there were few places to learn Western classical music. “I started playing at the age of 12. I began with Carnatic music, but somewhere along the way, the shift to western music happened. Maybe it was divine intervention,” he said.
After his initial training in Chennai, Seshadri completed Grade 8 in practical, theory and then LTCL in 2010. He found his way to the Birmingham Conservatoire in the UK, where he completed Master of music in Piano Performance with distinction under pianists David Quigley and Katherine Lam. He also studied in Franz Liszt Academy of Music at Budapest in Hungary.
“Focus on the positive and everything will fall into place,” Seshadri told the budding musicians among the audience, before signing off for the evening.