TRANSLATING CARNATIC LYRIC POEMS TO DANCEPOEMS

Margam - A Path to Divinity

Bharatanatyam Recital by Kiranmayee Madupu

14th October 2016-Saptaparni

     This article was first published in Priya Laasya an Indian classical dance information website

     When we see Kiranmayee Madupu dance, we know that we are in the presence of an exceptionally talented dancer. This diminutive dancer has enormous stage presence. Her performance is compelling. All our senses are absorbed in it to the oblivion of everything else.

     And what induces and compels us to be engrossed by Kiranmayee’s dance is that she does not just interpret the poems; she intelligently translates lyric poems to dance, and by ‘translate’ we mean it as A.K. Ramanujan wrote, “A poem can only be translated by another poem. There is no such thing as a literal translation.” That’s what Kiranmayee did. She translated the poetry of Carnatic music to the poetry of dance. Bharatanatyam is her poetic expression.

    Kiranmayee was one with the music! Bharatanatyam is a collaboration between the musicians and the dancer and requires exemplary understanding, involvement and coordination for a successful performance and the musical collaborators on stage with Kiranmayee were: Vocal - Deevi Ravikanth, Nattuvangam (Cymbals) - Srinivas Karra, Mridangam - Subramaniam Karra, Violin - Sai Kumar Kolanka. 

     Picking stories from Indian mythology that the great poet/musicians of the Carnatic music tradition had memorialised in her 'margam', which in a traditional Bharatanatyam recital means the path, or the structure of items within a theme (rasa). And Kiranmayee translated this suite of dances to dancepoems. The whole margam was choreographed by the dancer, which she, by eschewing flamboyance, pared down to eloquent expressions of pure yet sparkling simplicity.

     Kiranmayee’s margam began with the dance of invocation -

     Shankari Shankuru | (Ragam Saveri | Talam Tisra Adi | Composed by Shyama Sastri. Shyama Sastri is one of the ‘Musical Trinity’ of Carnatic music composers, known for his literary compositions. In this invocation, the dancer meditates on Ambika, consort of Lord Shiva, with syllables of the traditional Alarippu (the blossoming – opening up the body), delineating the symbolic aspects of the goddess who on the one hand is the life-giving, nurturing mother of the universe and on the other hand, is the destroyer of evil.

     The next item in the Margam Sadhinchene O Manasa (Ragam Aarabhi | Talam Adi | Composed by Tyagaraja, another of ‘The Trinity’ of Carnatic music composers, and one of the five compositions by Saint Tyagaraja that are considered his eternal gems was performed as the centrepiece of the recital instead of a traditional Varnam, which is usually the main item in a Bharatanatyam perfrormance.

      In this item the dancer shows her technique, skill, and her intelligent translation of the music and lyrics to the poetics of dance.

     In this Tyagaraja composition the composer ironically addresses Krishna about his role in the great epic the Mahabharata, where he breaks rules and twists his words, justifying the apparently immoral while appearing to uphold Dharma (the righteous path). And the dancer translates this, depicting his interventions in dance, as when he without appearing to, intervenes, and prevents Draupadi from being disrobed in public by making her garment endless. And when he steals the clothes of unmarried, young Gopikas and yet the Gopikas completely let go of their bodily attachments, shame and modesty, and surrender to him on listening to the divine tunes of his flute. Or when he falsifies his own proclamation, yet upholds Dharma during Arjuna’s moral dilemma while fighting his own teachers, relatives and friends on the battlefield. Krishna tells him to do his duty and think not of the worldly attachments. Tyagaraja asks him to come to his rescue and help him attain his moksha (release from the cycle of rebirth) for he has followed all the preaching that the Lord has given. 

     Kiranmayee depicted the meaning of this song, and portrayed inner emotion by saatvika abhinaya, the articulation of mood, character and emotion through the eyes; through subtle facial expressions and by her entire being. This was a tour de force of a performance, and the dancer displayed her rhythmic talents along with rich and variegated abhinaya (expressions), her footwork (nritta), hand gestures, (hastas). The audience was enthralled and broke into spontaneous applause at many points during this demanding, dramatic and beautifully rendered dancepoem.

     Kiranmayee’s next item was a Padam, a love lyric showcasing abhinaya - expression Mogudochi Pilichenu (Ragam Sahana | Talam Misra Chapu | Composer Sri Sarangapani).

    In this Padam, Kiranmayee illustrated the emotions of a young girl; married as a child, whose husband comes back to fetch her, and she bids farewell to Lord Krishna her love.  She tells him that it is time for her to go, but urges him not to forget her. She says that the string around her neck, the 

mangalasutram was something that was tied at a tender age when she was only playing and climbing trees. But now she must leave. She reminds him that the distance between the sun and the lotus does not affect the lotus's bloom. 

Similarly, her love would continue to be strong, even if she were not in the presence of her Krishna. The emotions of the departing young lover of Krishna were executed by the dancer as if she herself had experienced, understood and surrendered to love; it was as realistic a performance as one can see in a dance recital. 

    The last item of the programme was the beautiful Shloka-like poetic appeal to Shiva - Shambho Mahadeva ( Ragam Pantuvarali | Talam Roopakam | Composer Tyagaraja

    This sweet and melodious song was illustrated in dance with poignant grace and lyricism and was finished by the dancer taking the mike and singing the end of the song. This unusual occurrence was due to the intercession of Kiranmayee’s proud Guru, Hemamalini  Arni who encouraged her to sing. And this she did in fine voice as if she was meant to be a singer.

     That ended the evening at this wonderful amphitheatre Saptaparni, which had the stage built around a full-grown frangipani tree. And though it was a private performance, by invitation only, the amphitheatre was packed to capacity and we were left with the memory of the dancers grace, her impeccable sense of rhythm, her perfect balance and her lithe and supple movements; her mobile facial expressions, her impressive technique, and her intelligent translation of the poetry of music to the poetry of dance.

Photography credit: Ragalahari  
This article was first published in Priya Laasya an Indian classical dance information websitehttp://hamara.in/portals/space/SPACE20/Lifestyle/Culture/PriyaLasya/src/publish/cache/Dance_Reports/TX/BN_Kiranmayee_Report_Oct16.html

SIMPLY SCHUBERT

THE BANGALORE MEN - VOCAL ENSEMBLE

PAYAL JOHN - SOPRANO

JONAS OLSSON - BARITONE
AND NATALLIA KAPYLOVA - PIANO 

 This was the first time I was attending a recital that was dedicated to only one composer. Whatever apprehensions I had about this were peremptorily dismissed from the first notes of the smooth, perfectly balanced harmonies of The Bangalore Men.

     The concert presented by ‘The Bangalore Men’ an eleven-singer all-male voice ensemble, directed by Jonas Olsson, was simply named ‘SIMPLY SCHUBERT’ after Franz Peter Schubert, the composer whose music we would hear for the next 90 minutes.

     The featured soloists as named in the informative and well-designed programme that was given to all of us were Payal John - Soprano, Jonas Olsson – Baritone, and Natalia Kapylova – Piano. 

  

     Composer Franz Schubert, 1797 – 1828, born and bred in Vienna, Austria, was the romantic poet of music. And the music of Schubert bridged the ‘Romantic period’ and the ‘Classical period’ of classical music. His music was classical in design but romantic and passionate in emotion.

     While Schubert did in fact compose a few poems of his own, most of the poems have been written by various poets, but the poems were merely vehicles for the music which was supreme. Schubert, in staggering productivity set to music some six hundred romantic songs known as lieder, and song cycles, narrative poems meant for voice and piano. What’s unusual is that in Schubert’s songs, the human voice and the piano got equal importance, with the piano often interpreting the poem instead of the voice.

     And the Vocal ensemble, The Bangalore Men, and the pianist and soloists

Interpreted and brought to life the music of Franz Schubert in a manner that was true to the music, though the whole programme was sung in German.

     The evening’s performance began with a song called ‘The Gondolier’, Schubert’s version of a barcarole, a folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers. This lilting song was sung by the ensemble in perfect harmony, in perfect balance, with a perfect blending of voices to create the image of gentle waves; the cadences, the texture, the modulation, and the absence of any dissonance made a huge impression. The Bangalore Men have to be acknowledged for their superlative vocal expression, and control.

     The ensemble went on with the same unerring exactitude and command over the music, through the programme of 18 songs, interspersed with solos by Payal John, Jonas Olsson and pianist Natallia Kapylova.

      Payal John’s first solo was ‘Ave Maria’, which she sang in German, but her voice, a rich soprano-towards-mezzo was crystal-clear, rounded and very expressive, so one felt the depth-of-beauty this music expresses. Ave Maria, to this listener, was unusual for Schubert, though it is arguably his most recognised work, perhaps because he was best known for his love-songs and this was the only religious song in the programme, all the rest being love songs, with the exception of the 23^rd Psalm. Payal John sang three other songs accompanied by pianist Natallia Kapylova, a singer’s ideal accompanist, who followed the sentiment of the composition with empathy.  

     Jonas Olsson, long time resident of Bengaluru, is Swedish, a trained musician from the Gothenburg conservatory, he has performed in Hyderabad before, first as a solo counter-tenor, and then as part of the Madrigals etc. In this programme, he was the Baritone soloist, he performed ‘Erlkonig’ D 328. This song is really a narrative dialogue between three people and the soloist has to adjust his voice to be three people in the same song. Jonas acquitted himself well, he had the right timbre of voice for this and the ability to bring out the drama of the song; because Schubert had perhaps written it for a countertenor who can switch to Baritone because of the huge range and dynamic contrast needed to express the sentiment of the song. The pianist in this piece had her work cut out for her due to the repetitive patterns that have to be played at a good speed, yet both the playing and singing were remarkably good.

      Jonas Olsson also sang ‘Der Doppelganger’ towards the end of the programme, which was also an exercise in contrasts.  

     Natallia Kapylova, from Belarus, was the next soloist, playing ‘impromptu’s No 3 and 4’, from Schubert’s four Impromptus Op 90 D 899. ‘Impromptu No 3’, was pure, quiet and flowing, like happily walking along a tree-shaded rippling stream, and the next, ‘Impromptu No 4’, quite a contrast, though quiet, it was more percussive with the left hand, yet the sound of the higher notes combined with the bass notes was equally soothing. Natalya’s fine sense of dynamics and her dextrous fingers running up and down the scales showed her sensitivity to Schubert’s pretty impromptu’s.

     There were four other soloists from amongst The Bangalore Men ensemble, the first was Chinglang Roumon, Baritone, who sang the difficult piece ‘And Die Music’ well. A soloist from amongst the basses, Subin Thomas, sang ‘Der Tod and das Madchen’, he too acquitted himself well displaying good control even on the really low notes. The third soloists from the ensemble was tenor, Timmy Yesudasan who sang ‘Standchen’ from ‘Schwanengesang’, he impressed, as he seemed more at ease as a soloist and presented the song with flair.  

     I must confess that my apprehensions about this programme were not about listening to an evening of Schubert, but about how well a group of part-time musicians could do justice to the music. It’s true, all the musicians on stage do other work to earn their living, and only make time, when they get the time, to pursue music, practice and rehearse. This is true of the whole men’s ensemble, as well as a specially trained and beautiful voice like Payal John, who I reckon, has so few opportunities to perform Western classical music, and whose gift, besides inherent talent, is the result of rigorous training to make her whole ‘being’ an instrument of music.

     But my misgivings were quite unfounded, and the whole programme was carried out with a rare professionalism, and one has to exercise restraint from being hyperbolic in describing the excellent production and performance of Schubert’s music by the musicians on stage at the Hyderabad Public School. 

     And for this opportunity to listen to this great ensemble, The Bangalore Men, whom Jonas Olsson is part of; and Payal John, and Natallia Kapylova, we have to acknowledge Amita Desai of The Goethe Zentrum, Hyderabad, The principal, staff and students of The Hyderabad Public School and the efforts of Joe Koster, the multi-tasking Swiss army knife of the Hyderabad Western Music Foundation.    

The Hyderabad Western Music Foundation   http://www.hydmusic.com/?q=node/432

YASHASWI SIRPOTDAR'S SILKEN RIBBONS OF SONG

     As I entered the banquet Hall of Secunderabad Club, for the ‘In Continuum’ Concert in July 2016, late, in true Hyderabadi tradition, on a rainy monsoon morning, it was as if I had entered a warm and embracing concert room filled with mellow reverberations.

      It was the effect of the music of Yashaswi Sirpotdar, a singer of disarming charm and dextrous ability whose obvious love of music was infectiously communicated to an appreciative audience. Onstage to capture the music’s vibrancy and emotion - flanking Yashaswi Sirpotdar were Suhaas Shastri on tabla on her right, and Rahul Gole on harmonium on her left and Kalyani Gajre on tanpura behind her left shoulder, Suhaas Shastri and Rahul Gole, themselves intelligent, engaging and sympathetic accompanists, always in sync, always together. In complete sangat.

     Listening to music ‘live’ is itself a privilege, so we will recollect the well-conceived concert as a captivated member of the audience, for which we must thank the Bararia family for organising this concert as part of ‘In Continuum’ the annual concerts they organise, beginning from 2014, to revive, after a gap of many years, Hindustani music concerts that elders in their family had started way back in 1973-74.  

     Yashaswi Sirpotdar began the morning’s performance with ‘Mian Ki Todi’. Two compositions - (a) Vilambit or the slow tempo set in Ek Taal of 12 beats. (b) Drut or fast tempo set in Teen Taal of 16 beats.

     She went on to ‘Ahir Bhairav’. Two compositions (a) Madhya Laya (laya means tempo, so it would be middle tempo, neither vilambit nor drut) set to Ek Taal. (b) Drut set to Ek Taal.

     Her approach to the music was engaging. Glorious and solid - straight ahead, no nonsense and with no flashy experimentation - in true Hindustani classical tradition.

     After the short Interval the concert resumed with ‘Sur Malhar’ also known as Surdasi Malhar. In its pure form it is Malhar, which is a season specific Raga, meant for the rainy season. It's a 'big' Raga. In this she sang two compositions: (a) Vilambit Teen Taal (b) Drut Teen Taal.

     Displaying fine musicianship, Yashaswi’s clear tone perfectly captured the essence of the raga. And her explorations of the raga, however deep, were never uncharted. Her thematic development never strayed from good structure and a symmetrical, rich flow of ideas. There was always clarity, logic in her communication. She never for a second, lost track of where she was, she was always in control; always aware of the final destination.

     ‘Thumri’, a sub-genre of Hindustani, is an essential vehicle for expressing all the rasas of love, like longing, anguish, jealousy, envy etc. The composition she sang had been made popular by the late, great, Shobha Gurtu. In a Thumri, when the lyric has something to do with the beginning of monsoon, dark clouds and of separation and longing, it is known as Kajri. This piece was a Kajri set in Keherwa Taal which is of eight beats.

     The last was a Marathi 'Abhang'. "Vaikunthichya Raya". It's also set in Keherwa Taal, but the style of playing this taal is typical of bhajans. It's also known as 'Bhajani Theka'.  

     Yashaswi Sirpotdar’s musicianship is first class. Her technique is beyond reproach. Her voice and song throughout the concert, was like silken ribbons floating and waving in a cloudless sky, just what we needed on a cloudy monsoon morning, she soared away full of great ideas, glistening over her embellishments. Clean. Clear and precise.  

     The accompanists Suhas Shastri and Rahul Gole, as we said before, were accomplished musicians and together with Yashaswi Sirpotdar gave us a display of class and dedication, a performance that wove silken patterns of grace and elegance and delivered this music to us in the audience with such pleasure and enthusiasm. 

      Photographs and expert inputs from Amit Bararia 

Of a Sublime & Refined Grace - Kuchipudi by Sindhuja

     A solo performance by Sindhuja presented by SICA on the inaugural day of Festival of classical dances ‘Nrithyotsav-2016’ at Ravindra Bharati, Hyderabad, 27th June 2016

     It was apropriate for Sindhuja to open the Nrithyotsav-2016, Festival of Dance. The rapt and appreciative audience at Ravindra Bharati was treated to an hour long Kuchipudi performance of gentle, effortless grace which set the standard high for the rest of the festival of dance.

     From the opening verse on Lord Ganesha in a dance composed by Dr.Yashoda Thakore with music by Sri D.S.V. Sastry in Raga Arabhi, Sindhuja was the epitome of delicate grace and refinement.  

     The rest of the performance comprised of dances that were - a Tyagaraja Kriti in Raga Kambhoji and Adi Tala; dance composed by Dr. Yashoda Thakore.

     The story of ‘Varaha avatara’, Vishnu’s incarnation as a boar. Dance composed by Dr.Yashoda Thakore, on a composition of Utukkad Venkata Subbayar, Nadamurali ganavilola in Ragamalika and Adi tala.

     A Javali, by Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer, Apudu manasu in Raga Khamas, Rupaka Tala, dance composed and taught by Smt. Bragha Bessel. The dancer enacts her inability to resist, contain herself or exercise self-control when the giver of boons, Lord Venkateswara desires to indulge in love-game and Cupid shoots arrows.

     A Thillana, the lyric in this tillana praises Krishna Rajendra Wodeyar of Mysore. In raga Jhanjuti and Adi tala, dance composed by Dr.Yashoda Thakore.

     The dancer, Sindujha, performed all these pieces with a combination of lightnesss and intensity that was extraordinary.

     Her dramatisations in dance detailed the moods, expression and the words of the song with perfect communication. Her mobile face expressing joy, petulance, wonder, exasperation, pride and contentment in turns, as the story required, so that the audience understood the story through her facial expressions and movements and steps.

   Throughout the programme Sindujha presented the richness and beauty of Kuchipudi

in its most classical form, especially in the splendid tillana, where she performed a gamut of interestingly woven abstract dance, nritta (pure dance), in aesthetic and  creative variations and movements to set syllables.

     All-in-all, an evening of audience delight. Whether it was her interpretation of Rasa (emotion), Bhava (mood), Sahitya (lyric) Abhinaya (expression), The eyes of the audience were focused on Sindhuja and her delicious detailing of dance. It was an evening of sublime grace.  

 

Artist profile: Sindhuja, is an Architect but has put architecture on hold while she concentrates on dance and does her PhD from the Department of Dance, University of Hyderabad. Sindhuja is under the guidance of Dr. Yashoda Thakore, a major Kuchipudi dancer, an author, an educationist and an inspiration to many.

     A graded artist by Doordarshan, Sindhuja has performed Kuchipudi all over India at prestigious events and runs her own school of dance. And  due to her rigorous grounding in Carnatic music she adds an exceptional passion and understanding to her interpretation of the music.  

Photographs: Pranay Rupani

DANCING TOWARDS KINDNESS, COMPASSION AND RESPONSIBILITY - Nine Kathak Dancers. Six Tibetan Buddhist monks

Shovana Narayan - Kathak Dance Theatre 

     The six Tibetan Buddhist monks did not dance. Yet they were a compelling presence on stage and an integral part of the ballet that Shovana Narayan had created to tell tales of the Buddha and of emperor Ashoka in choreographic brush strokes of ballet, at Ravindra Bharati in Hyderabad on the 3^rd of April 2016.

     The costume-colours of the dancers and the carefully designed stage and lghting matched the ochre robes of the Tibetan Buddhist monks while they moved in procession. Chanting sometimes. Clapping cymbals sometimes. Strategically and aesthetically placing themselves on the platforms placed at two levels on the stage, on and around which, the principle dancer Shovana Narayan, and the
graceful and energetic Kathak dancers, six female and two male dancers, worked their magic. Swooping and swirling around the monks.

     Shovana Narayan the the principal dancer and choreographer, commanded the eyes of the audience when she made a her entries, lending more drama to the already dramatic ballet, while she pirrouetted and whirled; tracing elegant arabesques with her arms and etching the floor with her rhythmic footwork.

     The very accomplished dancers of the troupe were excellent to watch too, while they twirled and swayed and danced to the specially composed and recorded music, to tell the stories, the katha, that kathak is named for, which Shovana Narayan had choreographed so spectacularly.

    Each dance, or movement, told different stories. Of Ashoka, who realises the futility of war after battle. Shovana played the part of emperor Ashoka, ferocious and then contrite. The dancers depicted the battle with ferocity and yet with beguiling grace. Another episode was that of a mother telling a story to a dying child and then appealing to Buddha who tells her that life cannot be brought back.

     The last story; of Buddhas’ enlightenment, and how he realises that the source of suffering is within all beings and not without, and that an end to suffering is not through deprivations of the body and extreme rejection of the world, nor is it through deep and corrupting involvement with it, but, in striking a middle path. He then accepts food from Sujatha, depicted by Shovana Narayan.

     The monks participated in this with chants and ‘throat singing’ and the clashing of cymbals. To hear ‘throat singing’ by the Tibetan monks was a rare pleasure. This vocal technique, a form of Buddhist Chanting is usually only heard in Tibet. It is a deep, pulverising, drone-growl that carries to the end of the theatre. For those who hear this for the first time, it is intense and overwhelming. It would perhaps sound odd and unmusical. But, Tibetan throat singing is an aid to meditation, and with time, and getting used to it, it is relaxing, mystical, peaceful and tension dissipating. And though this type of drone-chanting is a rare talent, the Tibetan monk practitioner was humility personified, as all the Tibetan monks on stage were. Clapping his cymbals while droning and going to his assigned place on stage without calling attention to

himself. It was one of the highlights of the evening.

     Kathak itself is a beautiful dance form, and a pleasingly conceived
 dance ballet with nine Kathak dancers and six Tibetan Buddhist monks on stage, took dance aesthetics to a high point. The mind lingered on the dance theatre that we saw; we enjoyed the visual imagery and the worlds created by the dancers in a series of evocations; we enjoyed the passion and the precision with which the dancers expressed themselves, the difficult rhythms that they exultantly danced through, and we enjoyed the marriage of music, dance and meditation that they presented.

      As Rinpoche Duboom Tulku, the stately, Founder and Managing Trustee of the World Buddhist Culture Trust, co-sponsor, along with the Departments of Culture and Language, and Tourism, Govt.of Telangana, said, the idea of having this beautiful presentation was nothing more than to share the belief in “love, compassion and tolerance”.  

Photographs: G.V. Anna Rao

In Kalaparva: http://features.kalaparva.com/2016/04/dancing-towards-kindness-compassion-and.html 

SINDHUJA, KUCHIPUDI DANCER - CREATING AN ENCHANTED SPACE ON A SUMMER EVENING

   

  Sindhuja’s solo performance of narrative dances for KALASAGARAM at Keyes High School on 12th March 2016 was all elegance and grace.

     What immediately strikes one about Sindujha’s prodigious dancing talent, is her feminine grace, and her calm yet impeccable elegance of movement; like watching a nymph dancing lightly and swaying fluidly in a sea of tranquillity.

     Her interpretation in the visual language of dance - her face, her eyes, her head, her neck and her hands, arms, wrists her fingers and her feet, breathe life into movement. Her Nritta, rhythmic dance; Nritya, storytelling through hand movements and facial expressions; and her Natya, the drama of dance, tell the stories without reminding one of just how difficult the dance really is. Sindhuja’s soft, dainty, effortless dancing yielded some stunning passages of silent poetry! 

     The programme commenced with a composition by Sri Adi Sankaracharya on Lord Ganesha - Ganesh Pancharatnam, set to Ragamalika, Adi tala. Dance composed by Smt Shobha Naidu.

     Next was a traditional composition – ‘Prahlada Pattabhisheka Shabdam’ in raga Kambhoji and Misra chapu tala. Sindhuja tells the story in typical Kuchipudi dance drama form.The dance composed by Dr. Yashoda Thakore. The story goes that Hiranyakasipu, a ruthless ruler receives a boon for his penance - he can be killed neither by man nor animal, during day nor night, in the sky nor earth, in the indoors nor outside! Angry with his son Prahlada who is completely devoted to Lord Hari, Hiranyakasipu fails to kill him. But an enraged Lord Vishnu appears as Narasimha and fulfilling the conditions of his death, kills Hiranyakasipu and blesses Prahlada. 

     Sindhuja’s next dance was ‘Annamacharya keertana: Muddugare Yashoda’ where Lord Krishna is compared to various gems - in raga Kuranji, Adi tala. Dance composed by Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam.

     ‘Narayana Teertha Tarangam’, ‘Govardhini giridhara’, in Mohana raga and Adi tala. The dance composed by Dr.Yashoda Thakore describes Krishna as the one who lifted the Govardhana Mountain; the protector of his clan and the remover of fear. To enliven the format, Sindhuja danced on the rims of a brass plate, associated with the Kuchipudi style, giving the impression of gliding and floating, and presented the lifting Govardhana as the highlight of the choreography.

     ‘Kshetrayya padam’ ‘Kodi kuse ayyayo’, in raga Saurashtra, Adi tala, is the story of Nayika telling her Sakhi that ‘just when my Krishna and me were about to unite, the rooster crowed! We had our amorous moments, decorated each other and at that moment, when we were about to become one, this rooster crowed and destroyed my happiness as it was morning and my beloved left me!’   The Dance was composed and taught by Smt. Bragha Bessel, and  provided Sindhuja immense scope for abhinaya and extemporization which she did with earnest finesse, dramatic gestures and  genteel and beautiful dancing.

     The final dance was a Thillana. Lyrics in praise of Lord Krishna by Sri T.K.Govinda Rao in Raga Hamsanandi in Adi tala and the dance composed by Dr.Yashoda Thakore. This was a brisk composition with varied movement patterns woven together elegantly showcasing abstract dance.

     Due to lack of sponsors Sindhuja danced to recorded music and under the fixed, harsh and steady stage lights provided by the venue. Despite not having a live orchestra and a lighting designer, Sindhuja transcended reality and performed without us in audience noticing this absence. Sindhuja was fluidity personified, she created an enchanted space in the open air venue, and danced like she was dancing on moonbeams.

     Sindhuja, is an Architect but has put architecture on hold while she concentrates on dance and does her PhD from the Department of Dance, University of Hyderabad. Sindhuja is under the guidance of Dr. Yashoda Thakore, a major Kuchipudi dancer, an author, an educationist and an inspiration to many.

     A graded artist by Doordarshan, Sindhuja has performed Kuchipudi all over India at prestigious events and runs her own school of dance. And  due to her rigorous grounding in Carnatic music she adds an exceptional passion and understanding to her interpretation of the music.  
Photographs: Pranay Rupani 

Priya Laasya March 16th 2016 http://hamara.in/portals/space/SPACE20/Lifestyle/Culture/PriyaLasya/src/publish/cache/Dance_Reports/TX/Sindhuja_Kuchipudi_Mar16.html

FESTIVAL CHORISTERS - LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH. AND LET IT BEGIN WITH ME…

http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/choristers-bring-in-the-cheer/article7969965.ece?secpage=true&secname=entertainment

What better way to celebrate the season than with music! And this is how the Christmas season was ushered in by the 40-voice choir, the Festival Choristers, an all-volunteer choir, accompanied by an all-volunteer Orchestra, conducted by Sushil Pakyanadhan to commemorate its tenth anniversary on December 4, at Shilpa Kala Vedika, Hyderabad.

The choir presented a varied programme of uplifting Christmas music that ranged from the classical to the modern. And raised their voices to all the touch-points of good choral singing; a harmonious blending of voices, precise timing, good dynamics — going from loud to soft and back, with every gradation in between — and all this with a tonal quality that was ripe, resonant and well-balanced. 

Devotees of choral music had much to savour – because the Festival Choristers really understood the art of singing and executed the programme superbly under the direction of Sushil Pakyanadhan, the conductor of the Festival Choristers, whose direction deftly set the tone and shaped the contours of the performance, and brought all the elements – the Sopranos, the Altos, the Tenors and the Basses and the accompanying piano and orchestra together without one overwhelming the other and instilled emotion, by indicating rhythms, and nuances of tempo - swells and fades, entries and cutoffs.

 The programme was a mix of Classical and modern music. Two songs, ‘Gloria’, by Antonio Vivaldi and the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’, by G.F. Handel, opened and closed the programme. Both these composers were of the baroque era, and these two ornate and elaborately composed songs, accompanied by piano and orchestra, were executed by the choir with exuberance and precision.     Another two songs, ‘Grant Unto us Thy Peace O Lord’ by Felix Mendelsohhn Bartholdy, a composer of the Romantic Era of Classical music, and Gesu Bambino, composed by Pietro A. Yon, a composer of the Modern Era, were the other Classical pieces that the Choir performed, both of which called for expertise from the choir and the conductor to bring out the flowing beauty of these songs.

This entertaining and beautifully prepared celebration of spiritual well-being was not limited to classical music. One of the songs ‘Sing Praise’ was a Puerto Rican melody, and another, ‘African Alleluia’ was based on a Gambian folk song. And in ‘Parmeshwar Prem Hai’, verses of the song were sung in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi.

All the soloists were competent, and the women’s duet in the sweet sounding ‘O Lovely Peace’, and the mens’ quartet that sang ‘In The Highest Glory’, in close harmony, were particularly pleasing to the ear.

Before the main choir came on, the evenings programme began with a young choir of boys and girls wearing red and green polo shirts, who sang ‘We usher in this Christmas’ by Johannes Brahms, and ‘Merry Christmas’, a melody by W.A Mozart. It was their touching innocence, their sense of rhythm and the enthusiasm of this young choir that had been coached and prepared by Ranjit Mathew and conducted by Commodore Champion, that really stood out.

But that was not all that made this an evening of lovely peace, the Seniors’ Choristers, comprising singers who had been in the Festival Choristers over the past ten years, proficiently performed a medley called ‘I Love You Lord’.

The Festival Choristers, celebrating ten years of performance, and, the accompanying pianist and orchestra, deserve recognition not only for engrossing, and skillful musicianship, but for their vibrant tone and unity of approach.

     A depleted Festival Choristers later performing at the Governors residence. 

Appeared in The Hindu, Friday Review, on Friday 11th Dec.

http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/choristers-bring-in-the-cheer/article7969965.ece?secpage=true&secname=entertainment

THE FIRST HYDERABAD JAZZ FESTIVAL

    The Hyderabad Jazz Festival was held on November 25th , 26th and the 27th, 2015. This was the first ever Jazz festival conducted in in the Twin Cities of Hyderabad & Secunderabad, and made possible by the Secunderabad Club, Goethe Zentrum, and the Hyderabad Western Music Foundation

     Jazz is a musical art form, and Jazz is 'listening' music. It 'involves' and sends into ecstasies those fortunate in having the artistic sensibilities to enjoy it. It therefore has a small but distinguished following, as does Carnatic classical music, Hindustani Classical music or Western Classical music. 

   So how can one describe spending three evenings of euphoria in the in the muse of music while the Twin Cities and the Hyderabad Jazz Festival was honoured by the presence of world-class Jazz musicians from India and abroad.

     25th November - The first day – There were Three performances.

The opening performance was by Hyderabads’ very own eight piece brass band,
JAZZED FRIENDS. The Brass section - George Hull on Alto Saxophone, Humayun Mirza on Trumpet, Joe Koster on Trombone, Raphael Courtay on Clarinet. The Rhythm section had Aman Mahajan replacing Dennis Powell on Piano, Karthik Kalyan on Drums and Triveni Sunkara on Bass. And on Vocals - Shakila. The band played its set pieces with vigour and enthusiasm and did well to open the Jazz Festival with good old Dixieland and Swing standards.

    The next act was UJJAL KUMAR SAHA, a virtuoso jazz guitarist from Hyderabad, who played a skillful tribute to the guitarist Joe Pass, playing standards such as ‘Autumn Leaves’, ‘Misty’ and ‘Don’t Get Around Much Any More’ in a unique style that incorporated bass lines and melody at the same time.

    The days’ main band came next. ROOTS & SHOOTS is a German/Indian Band that plays collaborative and inventive music that explores and exchanges intercultural musical ideas, seamlessly, and with great musicality. The band is quite different from any other previous East/West musical fusions that have taken place in the past - by playing 'harmony' without confusion. The band members were composer Sebastian Gramms on Upright Bass, leader of the Sebastian Gramms Trio that comprises Mattias Muche – Trombone, and Erwin Ditzner – Drums, the Trio melds with Composer and sitar player - Hindol Deb, Bansuri (bamboo flute) Paras Nath and Amit Misra on Tabla. As mentioned before, this was  breakthrough music, because unlike previous bands that fuse Indian music and jazz, which is linear in character, this band, with beautifully arranged compositions, harmonised the Bansuri, Sitar, Trombone and Bass producing some glorious music, with the Tabla and drums accompanying and lending a swinging rhythm to the beautiful, rare and melodic music that was performed with intelligence and passion. Listening to them was an exuberant experience that could only be enjoyed when listening to great music by great musicians.

     26th November – the second day – This day was a coup of sorts, there was no single main Band, there were two major-league Indian Jazz bands on stage. Refuge, from Bangalore, and The Adrian D’Souza Trio from Mumbai.
     REFUGE is a jazz/world ensemble headed by Aman Mahajan on keyboard, an Alumni of the Berklee School of Music, Boston. All the musicians in Refuge are professionals who have played with major musicians in India and abroad, Matt Littlewood from UK, on Soprano Saxophone, is also a composer and leads his own group performing original works. Abhinav Khokhar of New Delhi, is a fine bass player and also a guitarist, pianist and composer who has performed with several musicians from New York, South America, Spain, Netherlands and of course, India. And critically acclaimed Jeoraj George on drums who has trained at DrumTech, London, and has performed with prominent artists Jazz, Funk and Indian Classical musicians like Sudha Raghunathan and Hariharan.

     Refuge played beautifully imagined musical themes composed by pianist Aman Mahajan. The music was structured and improvised in equal parts, and combined the spirit of jazz with a myriad of folk and classical influences. A fulfilling set! Every musician in this well-knit unit was an integral part of the music that built brilliant musical conversations out of each of the compositions.
  
     THE ADRIAN D’SOUZA TRIO – This Trio of consummate musicians regaled the audience with a series of bluesy, funky, sometimes rocking and always swinging Jazz. The first tune, Back at the Chicken-shack, set the tone for their set for the evening. Jimmy Smith’s composition played by Keyboard/Organist 
Karan Joseph, combined bluesy "licks" with tasteful improvisation while playing a walking bass line with his left hand. Another tune, ‘Wave’, was beautifully rendered by the Trio, with Sanjay Divecha on guitar, proving to be a sympathetic and exceptionally talented exponent of this beautiful tone poem. And all the tunes that the Trio played was empathetically accompanied by the intellectual of the jazz drum-set, Adrian D’Souza, who, though is the leader of the group, does not impose his drums but keeps an inventive, creative flow of pulses and cadences, with a varied, yet rhythmic logic that is always appropriate and always in the moment.

    It was obvious that this was an acclaimed Jazz Trio and their set would be acknowledged as one of the best anywhere in the world.

     27th November 2015 – the final day -The evening opened with a short set of songs by:
     DECCAN VOICES: As reported in the Times of India, “initiating the jazz journey and setting the mood just right as they sang and clapped on the stage. The audience joined in by clapping with them.” This Hyderabad based vocal ensemble creditably performed Stevie Wonder’s‘Sir Duke’, and ended with ‘Happy’, by Pharrell Williams. The singers were: Soprano: Haritha Govind, Rithvika Prasad, Celsa Almeida, Karthika Vattakavil, Samhita Maha, Sameera, Oxana, Shika Alto: Reena Kurien, Aparajita Gupta, Ramya Smita. Tenor: Vijay Raj, Murali, Suneet. Bass: T. Raghav Rao, Glen Williams, Aditya T.B., Varghese Jacob. Conductor/Accompanist: Joe Koster.

     The next band was called FUNK CHECKPOST, The band members Anirban Chakravarty, on Guitar, Jesper Dejby, Soprano Saxophone, Vijay Kumar, Vocals/ Guitar, Benjamin Christopher, Bass Guitar and Karthik Kalyan on Drums. The band had come together at the last minute to fill-in for a late drop-out, and had practised only two funky songs which they performed so well, that they made a very huge impression. And the audience were loath to let them go. But they did have to, to make way for the Main event of the evening.

     THE VASUNDHARA V QUINTET – What can one say about Vasundhara V, this hugely talented young singer with a voice that flowed like liquid gold and was as malleable and the band that she got together for the First Hyderabad Jazz Festival, with every member of the band as talented as she was. Karim Ellaboudi, on Keyboard, a headliner in many settings, Pranai Gurung, clearly, a skilled and artistic guitarist, Saurabh Suman, a solid, dependable, harmonic bassist, and Andrew Kanga, the inventive young metronome of a drummer.
     The Vasundhara V Quintet kept the audience riveted, yet tapping their feet and swaying in their seats to the variety of music that they performed with such lyricism and euphony, from Jazz standards and Bossa Nova, to modern standards. One of the highlights was Vasundhara’s rendition of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’, as an inconceivably wonderful, six/eights blues. It was a revelation, that a modern classic like ‘Imagine’ could be treated so unusually and so beautifully. And that was only one of the many wonders of the Vasundhara V Quintet. But like all good things the evening had to come to an end. That was end of the First Hyderabad Jazz Festival. 

    This ‘First Hyderabad Jazz Festival’was put together by the confluence of Secunderabad Club, Goethe Zentrum, Hyderabad, and the Hyderabad Western Music Foundation and organising talent, perseverance and determination of Joe Koster.
    Photographs: Joe Koster      
    Written For www.hydmusic.com 30th November 2015