A lilting union of instruments

HYDERABAD: The sounds of piano, violin and cello come together in a harmonious trio in Hyderabad-based musician Vivek Venugopal’s latest release ‘Reveries, Op. 7’. “It is a set of five pieces that I wrote for piano, violin and cello. The album features some accomplished musicians — Shantanu Patel on piano, Tomasz Pajak on violin and Tatiana Kritskaya on cello,” says Vivek.

The album released on March 21 on all streaming platforms. Talking about one of the the compositions, ‘An Affective Crossroad’, Vivek said: “This piece is about contemplating the consequences, specifically the emotional ones, of a choice that lies in front of us. The piece has three distinct sections that intend to create particular emotions and thoughts. The first part is neutral and I try to communicate to the listener that she is at a crossroad, only providing a rough picture of how each path will affect her.”

Vivek is a self-taught composer, guitarist and producer. He started his music project Visita in 2014. “My compositions feature sophisticated harmonies and unconventional rhythms. I am influenced by a melange of genres and traditions of music including western classical, jazz, and ethnic music traditions of India, Brazil/Latin America, Andalusia, Mali, Armenia and Persia, and Celtic music,” the composer shares. 

In the past, he has composed 2-String Quartets, a Wind Quintet, a set of pieces for Piano Trio, a set of wordless choral pieces for SATB choir, and another piece for Soprano, Alto, Piano, Guitar and Cello, among several other projects. He is currently working on his 13th album, ‘A Suite for Strings and Winds, Op. 13’, featuring 10 instruments.

Shantanu Patel is a professional concert panist conductor. He began his journey in music from age of seven, learning Hindustani Classical Music. Tatiana Kritskaya was born in Chishinau and took up the cello at the age of six. She shifted to Mumbai in 2014, where she started a career as a soloist. Tomasz Pajak from Poland is a violinist in residence at the Delhi School of Music.