Grammy-winning musician L. Shankar joined forces with Malaysia's top musical talents at Istana Budaya on Saturday, marking the venue's first international concert since its reopening. The event, titled BEYOND WORDS, celebrated both global and Malaysian musical mastery, featuring a unique collaboration that highlighted cultural exchange and creative equality.
The concert, presented by E2R Ventures with support from Solara Group of Companies, showcased a formidable Malaysian ensemble led by Samuel J. Dass, known as the "Sultan of Sitar." The ensemble included Prakash Kandasamy on tabla, Shawalnaz Hussin on keyboard, Muhardiman Ismail on seruling, Hadi Maswardi on bass, Paavendran Langkadran on percussion, Eliezer Enan on guitar, and Marco Alonso as a multi-instrumentalist.
Throughout the evening, the musicians performed pieces such as "Last Chance," "New Day," and "Malaysia Dream," blending Indian classical traditions with Malaysian musical textures, jazz, and rock. The performance also featured distinctly Malaysian compositions like "KampungKu" by Samuel J. Dass and "Lenggang Dara" by Muhardiman Ismail.
James Isidore, Executive Producer of BEYOND WORDS, emphasised the event's aim to create a stage where musicians could meet as equals. "L. Shankar brought decades of international mastery to the stage, but our Malaysian musicians stood there with their own musical identities," he said.
The concert was attended by notable figures, including Dato’ Shaharuddin bin Abu Sohot from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia, and Hitesh Rajpal from the High Commission of India in Malaysia. As Istana Budaya embarks on its renewed chapter, BEYOND WORDS leaves a lasting message: international and Malaysian artistry can meet at the centre of the stage.
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