April 7-13, 2005

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Shivkumar Sharma

world

Shivkumar Sharma's hands, each gripping a delicate, flexible hammer, are like hummingbirds. You know the wings are moving, even if you can't see the motion over the strings of his santoor — ancestor of the hammered dulcimer and precursor to the piano. The details of his elegant handiwork are lost in a blur of activity, but it's easy to make out in the quivering showers of notes what makes him one of the great masters of the instrument.

Sharma comes from a family of Indian classical performers. His father, renowned singer Uma Dutt Sharma, convinced his son that the santoor could make the move from folk instrument to classical staple. Sharma has spent the last 50 years proving that point, adapting the instrument along the way to widen its range.

Tabla player extraordinaire Zakir Hussain will join Sharma at the Bride on Saturday. Live recordings of their previous collaborations are riveting interchanges between masters. The notes from the santoor spill in shimmering cascades, breathtaking in their speed and complexity, while the tabla rings with the controlled finesse of Hussain's fingertips. And, yes, the pieces go on long enough to guarantee meditation for musicians and audience.

Sat., April 9, 6 p.m., $15-$30, Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine, 215-925-9914, www.paintedbride.org.

—Mary Armstrong