Indian and international concerts at NCPA
Among the music shows from the National Centre for Performing Arts in Mumbai (NCPA) are a Swedish Opera Concert of Western Vocal Music that took place on November 2 and was organised by the Embassy of Sweden. Ulrika Tenstam and Mats Carlsson performed. The programme included works by classical European composers like Bizet, Saint-Saëns and Puccini, along with traditional and popular Swedish songs.
Living Voices was held on November 5 in collaboration with Bombay Music and Cultural Society founded in 1982 by Blossom Mendonca, well known Mumbai musician and teacher. The ensemble has to its credit performances of major classical works with the Bombay Chamber Orchestra, such as the Messa di Gloria by Puccini and the Coronation Mass by Mozart.
Usha Uthup presents a Jazz and Pop Music Concert on November 7. MusiKi: Music for Kids, an Indian Classical Music Workshop for children from 8 to 12 years will be presented on November 7,8 and 14. These are a series of workshops to induct children into Indian classical music.
Partha Sarkar (Flute) and Samarth Nagarkar (Vocal) will present a Hindustani Music Recital on October 12 under the aegis of the Pu. La. Deshpande Foundation.
The Arties Festival with Quatuor Ebene, a quartet featuring Pierre Colombet and Gabriel Le Magadure on Violin, Mathieu Herzog on the Viola and Raphaël Merlin with the Cello will feature on November 12 and 15, besides having Mathilde Borsarello (Violin), Gauthier Herrmann (Cello) and Samuel Parent (Piano). Beethoven’s String Quartet Opera 18 No. 1, Brahms Piano Quartet Opera 60 and Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14 (Death and the maiden) will be presented on November 14, while Beethoven’s Trio Oper 97 (Archduke) and Brahms’ Piano Quintet Opera 34 will be held on November 15.
The Strains Of Violin In India - From Venice To Mumbai will feature Sara Michieletto (Violin) and Marialuisa Pappalardo (Piano) on November 24.
Finally, One World Many Musics, a Fusion Music Concert by Rahul Sharma, will be presented on November 27.

IMI wins India’s biggest Plea Bargaining case
The Indian Music Industry (IMI) has been awarded a record compensation in a case of copyright infringement under the concept of Plea Bargaining. Unprecedented in the Indian music industry, it will have the accused compensate IMI by paying Rs 12 lakhs, the highest amount ever paid in the history of any such case in India. Plea Bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than maximum sentence.
Intellectual property infringement (read piracy) robs musicians of huge revenue. IMI has been fighting piracy since 1976 and firmly believes that Plea Bargain cases can really help the music industry and all IP industries in settling piracy-related crimes. According to IMI, physical format of piracy alone makes it lose Rs 600 crore annually. Today, there are also newer formats of piracy such as Mobile Chip Piracy, which causes a loss of an estimated additional Rs 300 crore.
Savio D’souza, Secretary General, IMI, said, “We really welcome the decision of compensating Rs 12 lakhs to the music industry. With an understanding and supportive judiciary, orders like this will help eradicate piracy while also reducing the clogging of cases in court .Currently the IMI has more than 1,70,000 cases pending in courts.Such orders by the judiciary will ensure adequate compensation to victims while reducing the pendency of cases in courts.” A FIR was registered on November 27, 2002 in Mayapuri Police Station against Siddartha Optical Disc (CD plant). During the raid, a large numbers of MP3 CDs, 10,600 pornographic CDs, 2 CD recording machines, printers, computers and other gadgets were seized. Cases were registered under Sections 63, 65, 68A CR Act and 292 IPC against Surender Wadhwa, owner/ managing director of the Siddartha Optical Disc company, DK Rathore, technical advisor to the company, Kulbeer Singh, Marketing Manager and Jitender Gulati, Proprietor of M/s. Shanti Enterprises.
In the meantime, Wadhwa filed for Plea Bargaining, and the applications were listed on October 9, 2009 for hearing. The implications and effects of this case will be far-reaching, according to observers.