When Alexandre Jurain, 44, met Sukanta Bose, 43 in Shantiniketan nearly two decades ago, little did the duo know that their meeting would result in the forming of Azarak — a coming together of two different people, countries and kinds of music. The duo married and continue to create music, most of which is inspired by Nature.
Alexandre Jurain
Alexandre was born in a village in Champagne, France surrounded by forests and ponds. Passionate about nature and music, he learnt the piano, discovers jazz, and listens to Bach, John Coltrane, Keith Jarreth, Magma, Bartok and Stravinsky. Increasingly interested in Indian music, he arrived in Shantiniketan at the end of 2000 and met Abir Singh, a fantastic musician playing one of the rarest stringed instruments in the world, the esraj.
It is at Shantiniketan, that he met Sukanta, who became his companion, in life and in music. Born in Chandernagor, West Bengal, her parents, passionate singers, introduced her from a very young age to Indian classical music and to the interpretation of Rabindra Sangeet. While studying painting at the University of Shantiniketan, created by Tagore in the early 20th century, Sukanta took singing lessons from two masters, Vikram Singh and Mohan Singh.
Alexandre reminisces about their early years and says, “We met a long time ago and our music has changed over the years. Initially Sukanta used to sing Rabindra sangeet and I used to accompany her, but after I learnt playing the esraj, we started touring and composing together.”
Sukanta Bose
The duo were in town recently for the Dhi Collective and Alliance Francaise of Hyderabad event A Performance by Azarak which saw their dexterous talent mesmerise the audience. Sukanta shares their story when she reveals, “Alex composed many tunes during his childhood walking in the forests amid moon light and when he learnt the esraj, he used those tunes to compose the music which we have improvised upon.”
The 300-year-old esraj is a bowed stringed instrument which is a combination between sarangi and sitar. The base of the instrument is like sarangi while the neck and strings are like sitar. It gives a sound very much like sarangi without being as difficult to play. Remarking on his association with the instrument, the musician shares, “When I was a child, I used to play the piano, so I was used to playing an instrument. When I came to Shantiniketan, I started playing the instrument and never looked back.”
The duo who enjoy performing pieces like ‘Orphee and Eurydice’ and ‘Wïsso Waï’ admit that theirs is a confluence of different styles. “There is a lot of similarity in our thought process and ideology even though there is a difference in our musical styles. Both of us find harmony in nature and like to be in sync with it. It was this philosophy which brought us together.” As the interview comes to a close, they sign off full of praise for the city, “We didn’t explore the city as we were tied up with the concert but the people were good listeners and it has been a great experience.”