[.ca] Confluence

Surprisingly very good.:
As a general rule, I tend to be very skeptical of mixed musical genres (artistes as well as instruments) , believing them to be usually having negative synergy. Yet the first time I listened to Confluence at a relative's place, I was soon captivated. The santoor has long been my favorite listening instrument and to my surprise, the combination of santoor and piano goes remarkably well despite the somewhat eclectic choice of numbers. The tracks on the CD have a strong classical orientation, including a handful of golden Bollywood movie favorites and just about every track is good. It no doubt helps that the key artists, Richard Clayderman on the piano and Rahul Sharma (son of the incomparable Pandit Shivkumar Sharma) are established names in their respective fields who need no introduction to music lovers. Rahul has also composed some of the numbers on this CD which impressed me further. Able support to piano and santoor is given by guitar, flute and percussion. Picking a favorite is hard as all the numbers are good but if I had to choose, I would recommend Blues Heaven for the interweaving of melody from instrument to instrument, with Dekha Ek Khwab from Silsila a close second. Highly recommended.

Pleasing Melodies:
Having heard the live performance of both the artists I was compelled to buy this CD and is now my favourite. Based on Indian classical music and hit bollywood film music, the compilation is melodious and a welcome refreshing change from the usual fare. Correctly titled confulence it features the best of both prodigies. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes Richard Clayderman or Rahul Sharma.

Confluence not such a confluence after all..:
I liked the album. But it did not live up to my expectations. Richard Clayderman does bring a lot of his romantic touch to the music, but somehow the combination with Rahul Sharma doesn't quite live up. I enjoyed the selection of songs on the album. Yeh Hain Bombay Meri Jaan is a favourite of mine and was pleasantly surprised to see Norwegian Wood included. Also liked Tere Ghar Ke Saamne. Definitely could have had more tracks on the album.

Confluence CD will make you fall in love with Santoor:
If you never had a Santoor CD this CD can make you fall in love with its sweet melody. This CD departs from classic Indian Music and includes a good mix of Piano. However santoor overtakes the lead in most songs. So if you want Piano this is not a good choice.

• Together
• Jaisalmer
• Yeh Hai Bambai Meri Jaan
• Blues Heaven
• Tere Ghar Ke Saamne
• Ecstasy
• Dekha Ek Khwab
• Norwegian Wood
• Shangrila
• Celebration