Kailash Kher at an evening with the Symphony Orchestra of India

In an evening that brings together the rich culture of orchestra with the heritage of one of Mumbai’s most famed landmarks, the Royal Western Indian Turf Club (RWITC) with National Centre of Performing Arts (NCPA) presents for the first time ever an evening with the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) on 12th February 2011.

The showstopper will be a Grand Finale by the inimitable Kailash Kher, accompanied by the SOI. This breathtaking concert designed and managed by Ashvin Gidwani Productions will be conducted under a canopy of stars with the Mahalaxmi Race Course as a spectacular backdrop.

A Special Preview was hosted on the lawns of the Mahalaxmi Race course on Monday 7th Feb wherein Mr Vivek Jain announced the details of this magnificent event along with Ashvin Gidwani. Present to everyones delight were Mr Marat Basengalier, COnductor, Symphony Orchestra of India and Kailash Kher both of whom said they were excited to perform together for the first time. Also present was Mr Khushroo Suntook, Chairman OF NCPA along with Mr Tarun Kataria, CEO, Religare Capital and Mr Michael Perschke, Head of Audi India, both of whom are presenting this show in Mumbai.

Seen chatting with these heavyweights was Suchitra Pillai who will be seen as the compere for the evening on 12th February.

The evening with Symphony Orchestra of India is for connoisseurs and people who appreciate classical music in an unmatched ambience of heritage and class. The guests will enjoy the performance from the members stand. This will be followed by a culinary experience created by Master Chef Farrokh Khambatta of Joss.

According to Mr Vivek Jain, Chairman, RWITC “It is an honour for us to host such a prestigious event with the Symphony Orchestra of India. Being a heritage structure of Mumbai, an event like this lends itself beautifully to our lawns and we are happy to give music connoisseurs of Mumbai such an opportunity”.

The Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) has worked with internationally renowned soloists, including Michael Collins, Raphael Wallfisch, John Lenehan and Andrei Gavrilov. It has also collaborated with eminent conductors including Adrian Leaper and Alexander Annisimov. In the last Seven Seasons, the SOI presented great masterworks including Strauss’ Don Juan and Stravinski’s Firebell Suite and the Beethoven: symphony No. 9 in D-minor showcasing the virtuosity of the Orchestra.

The NCPA and the SOI have also presented large-scale productions including Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Karl Jenkins’s Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary.

“This partnership further reinforces Audi’s philosophy of Vorsprung durch Technik: which is an expression of sportiness, sophistication and progressiveness. This event perfectly complements and reflects these core elements of Brand Audi. In past too we have collaborated with international artists like Zubin Mehta and Lang Lang to bring the avant-grade artistic experience to India. By promoting art and culture Audi also forges a link to its own products which, besides their functional value, hold an aesthetic and emotional appeal, too.” says Mr Michael Perschke, Head of Audi Indi.

For this performance, SOI will perform with 65 musicians and the concert will be conducted by Mr. Marat Bisengalier. The artists are from Kazakhistan, Uzbekistan, Belarussia, Poland, Ukraine, UK and Germany besides India.

The entire programme will be for 75 minutes followed by dinner.