Nitin Sawhney Beyond Skin revisited

Nitin Sawhney was perfectly chosen for the premiere performance at OzAsia 2019

Anna Phoebe McElligott played a masterful violin with ease and aplomb, adding verve and beauty to every piece.

BY SUNILA VIG

Twenty years after he produced Beyond Skin, critically acclaimed musician Nitin Sawhney revisited his seminal album at Adelaide’s OzAsia Festival this year in a one-night-only event.

Sawhney’s beautifully reflective melodies span infinite territories in geography, genres of music, the migrant experience and most of all the human experience itself, unbounded by nation or skin colour. And so for this premiere performance of the 2019 OzAsia Festival, he seemed a perfect choice.

In Sunset vocalist Nicki Wells presented in mellifluous Bengali with Aref Durvesh on tabla, Nitin Sawhney on the guitar and keyboard, while second vocalist Eva Stone let loose her powerhouse of a voice, this time in the western tradition of music. The juxtaposition of languages and music was magic.

Contrastingly, Moonrise had a distinct Arab flavour and Nicki made Arabic sound even more enticing with her strong yet melodious singing. No Nation pulled