"The third movement, in
particular, is an exuberant virtuoso display of rhythmic
complexity. Nada Anada means joy of sound, an idea Korde captured in
his music."
"Guitarist Simon Thacker is an uncompromising musical explorer, and for this
Inner Octaves programme, presented by ECAT, he blended Asian and Western musical
styles to great effect..."
"The “extraordinary range of
cultural influences, musical forms and emotional states” in
the selected works were beautifully fluid and seamlessly
communicated by Thacker and his fellow musicians."
"The Birth of
Naciketa for guitar Concertante...spotlighted
not just Simon Thacker but most of the other players as well
in an astonishing variety of combinations."
"An ambitious project
which has proven very successful because of the musicianship
and devotion of Simon Thacker....Just looking at all these
musicians on stage with their instruments one experienced a
heightened sense of anticipation, which was fulfilled
in performance."
Classical Guitar Magazine
"Shirish Korde's...compositional
approach to combining Western and Indian music was
completely distinct to that of Nigel Osborne, which was a
fascinating part of listening to these works. Korde's piece
also built to an exciting climax.
Simon Thacker is to be congratulated for undertaking such an adventurous
programme."
Full review in Feb 2010 issue
Glasgow Herald
"Taking
its cue from guitarist John McLaughlin’s Indian adventures,
this meaty offering [Shirish Korde’s Nada Ananda] called for
much string bending from Thacker, featured marvellous
interaction between Thacker and Srikanth and culminated in
the kind of strikingly intricate, powerful unison playing
from all involved that made McLaughlin’s group Shakti such a
thrill."
