A celebration of Indian flutes

VENU NADAM: A FESTIVE TRAIL Vamshika Quintet The Arts House Chamber Jan 18

- Chang Tou Liang

Vamshika Quintet is an ensemble, part of the 10-year-old Brahmastra Arts House, that celebrates the culture and sounds of Indian bamboo flutes, the bansuri and venu.

Established by Niranjan Pandian, the quintet - also comprising Logindran Govindarasu, Vishnu Veluri, Sabapathy Tirupathi Ramana and Ravindra Kumar — presented a 100-minute concert with seven works showcasing the breadth and depth of these instruments.

There are few sounds as haunting or beautiful as the Indian flute, which has a mellowness in timbre that eludes its Western and Chinese counterparts. When heard as a group of instruments with varying registers, the pleasure is multiplied manifold.