THE PRESENT. THE PAST. THE FUTURE

A REPORT

THE DECCAN VOICES

at Vidyaranya School – 8^th December 2019

     And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me,

shine until tomorrow, let it be. 'Let it be'. The Beatles

     Before the morning's music began, Joe Koster who hosted the programme announced his farewell to Hyderabad. So, this concert was his farewell gift to the city in which he and his wife Ines had loved to live in for so many years.

     He then called for one minute's silence in memory of Vijay Marur, the prominent member of the twin cities cultural environment and trustee of the Hyderabad Western Music Foundation.    

      Music is the magic through which the present is celebrated, the past is remembered and the future is welcomed

     What a lively bunch of singers they are, these 'Deccan Voices'! An individual singing is hard enough, but it is even more difficult for sixteen voices to sing together in harmony, singing different parts and yet keeping the beat, staying in tune and enlivening the music by synchronising their voices, articulating words and modulating volume - the Deccan Voices did all this really well, blending smoothly in one voice. 

     And what an enjoyable selection of music they presented to give our day a good start! The Deccan Voices choral ensemble conducted by Joe Koster and accompanied on piano by Jay Parthe and Clayton Sheehan on guitar regaled us in the audience with spirited singing in good voice and perfect harmony, singing songs by ABBA from the musical and movie 'Mama Mia', a medley of historic Beatles songs, they sang Dil Se Re… by A.R. Rehman, 'Africa, by Toto, Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, and other songs by John Rutter. The men's ensemble sang Happy Together by the Turtles. On two of the songs, Dil Se Re and Africa the ensenble were accompanied by a tabla player, Mathew Peter. 

Celebrating a diversity of musical experiences

     The mornings' programme of music didn't begin and end with the Deccan

Voices. A few of Joe Koster's students performed as well. There was Frederic Chopin's Scherzo in B flat minor, played by young virtuoso, pianist, Yash Agarwal, who more than played the composition, but interpreted it with intelligent understanding beyond his years. Then there was Schubert's Adagio from Sonata No 8 for viola/piano, played on viola by Hema Bojja, accompanied by Joe Koster on piano, 

  where Hema displayed a a good tonal quality on the viola. Mathew Peter, the Tabla player who accompanied the Deccan voices on two songs, then sat at the piano 

and played a composition by impressionist composer Claude Debussy, Prélude no. 4; Book 1 “Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l’air du soir” which he rendered with a sensitively that did justice to the composition.  

     Though not a student, but a professional musician and teacher - guitar player, Ujjal Saha, 

 enthralled the audience with a dazzling jazz guitar solo. His strong technique, the intensity of improvisation and solid rhythmic feel was nothing less than hugely 

impressive. 

    And at last, the pianist, I was personally waiting to hear, was presented, Jay Parthe, the conservatory trained pianist from Mumbai who is now teaching piano in the twin cities, played Bach: Prelude from English Suite no. 2 in A-minor; and he did not disappoint, he respected the structure of this beautiful piece and displayed accuracy and a good understanding of staccato playing in this piece by Bach, his handling with both hands, though he paced it at a moderate speed, allowed the music to flow with rhythmic musicality.

Music celebrates the present, memorialises the past and the welcomes future 

     The new music forum that would take the baton of Western music forward in the twin cities, the Hyderabad Western Music Academy was introduced by Joseph Daniel, a founder/trustee of HWMA who, addressed the audience on HWMA's vision and mission. Raghav Rao is another founder/trustee of the HWMA. Both are members/voices in the Deccan Voices.

     And then, at the end of the morning concert, Raghav Rao, Nandini Rao and Daphne deRebello spoke and commended Joe Koster for his contribution to Western music in Hyderabad and the musical initiatives he had brought to the twin cities. Gifts were given and compliments were exchanged.

     The whole audience wished Joe and Ines farewell, and as Joe said, they leave with a tear in one eye and a smile in the other, the listeners, colleagues, students, fellow members of various organisations that he belonged too rose up as one to wish him farewell with a tear in one eye and a smile in the other for their musical journey in the twin cities, and for their legacy of music that memorialised the past, celebrated the present and the welcomes future.