Founded in 2006, the Symphony Orchestra of India is the country’s first and only professional orchestra. Its first visit to Britain four years ago showed that it was a solid band, with few weaknesses but plenty of character in all departments, an impression confirmed by the first concert of its latest tour. To judge from the orchestra list the players are still a pretty cosmopolitan lineup, with a high number coming from Kazakhstan, but one of the orchestra’s most important roles back at its base in Mumbai is to train home-grown musicians, who might then go on to join its ranks.
