The Silkeveien concert in Gamle Aker Church on Saturday was magical. A full house and the church’s acoustic setting provided a unique atmosphere for this beautiful and deeply heartfelt music from the Indo-Persian repertoire. 

Violinist Harpreet Bansal, santur player Javid Afsari Rad, tabla player Sanskriti Shrestha, and vocalist Reshail Mansoor formed an extraordinary quartet. Together, they took the audience on a journey through evocative Indian ragas and Persian melodies inspired by the great poets Rumi and Amir Khosrau. Blending improvisation with traditional compositions, they conveyed a deeply rooted musical heritage within the nearly 1,000-year-old church.

Did you miss the concert? Don’t worry! You have another chance at Holmlia Church Saturday, March 15th, at 6:00 PM.

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The concert was part of the Klassisk Samspillproject, which aims to open more doors for classical music traditions beyond the Western European repertoire. The evening’s experience clearly demonstrated the importance and enrichment of creating meeting points between different musical cultures.

All photos by Amanda Iversen Orlich.