Page 99 - Carnatic News Today

Prema Hariharan, who passed away recently, was an exemplary guru and vocalist On a December afternoon in 1994, I attended a concert at Narada Gana Sabha in Chennai. As I walked past the mini hall, I could hear a strong voice aligned clearly to the tara sthayi shadjam. I entered the hall and sat on a chair in the first few rows. And for the next two hours, I was soaked in pure classical music — unhurried, authentic and divine. I saw my guru for the first time that day. She was wearing a beaut...

Jayanthi Kumaresh tells stories through the veena Updated: Updated: Veena exponent Jayanthi Kumaresh’s new series attempts to catch listeners young Share Article Veena exponent Jayanthi Kumaresh’s new series attempts to catch listeners young An insolent lion roams about in the forest roaring majestically — in Nattai. A peacock dances to the onset of the monsoon in Amritavarshini. A cuckoo tweets a song in Varamu. A grasshopper jumps about on a mound of hay in Kadanakuthuhalam. And Jayant...

Tyagaraja’s opera and the French connect Updated: Updated: May 13, 2021 18:53 IST Nauka Charitram was staged across Europe, thanks to Christian and Miriam Ledoux’s love for the composer’s works Share Article AAA Nauka Charitram was staged across Europe, thanks to Christian and Miriam Ledoux’s love for the composer’s works In 2001, French impresario Christian Ledoux and his wife Miriam landed up at our house. After listening to my daughter Shubasree’s singing in a concert, they had d...

Tu Hi Rai, Ae A jnabi, O Ri Chhori, and more…my heart skips a beat. Vande Mataram, an album of original compositions released for India’s 50th anniversary of its independence in 1997 brings me back to our motherland. A.R. Rahman’s amazing repertoire of Carnatic Music, Western, Folk, Hindustani Classical Music, and Qawwali is incomparable. He is very cosmic in his outreach, incorporating birdsongs, a gurgling brook, a child’s laughter and fusing them with traditional instruments with ...

May 11, 2021 Positive note: Many musicians see live baithaks with small audiences as the way ahead   -  SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Positive note: Many musicians see live baithaks with small audiences as the way ahead   -  SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT× Musicians looking forward to a concert-filled 2021 are largely in despair, but some are hoping to make the most of a bad year * Musicians have begun to look at the possibilities of organising their own concerts * “Government bodies should step in, corporat...

Tina Vachani Shares Insights Of Virsa, India’s Largest Cultural Programme by Image courtesy: Tina Vachani Imagine learning Kathak via a master class from maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj or attending one with Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. Sounds surreal, right? Well, it is not. School students across India not only attend these, but also take up learning modules on a host of topics from Indian art and culture – including Hindustani vocal, Carnatic vocal, Kathak, Bharatnatyam, tabla, harmonium, sitar,...

Pandit Debu Chaudhuri: A ‘Mridubhashi’ Stalwart of the Jaipur-Senia Tradition For him, the love of music was purely a matter of personal interest even as he walked into a sitar class in his village school that started a love affair which lasted a lifetime, and indeed beyond. Pandit Debu Chaudhuri. Photo: Bharat Tiwari Pandit Devabrata (Debu) Chaudhuri was born in 1935 to businessman Bishweshwar Chaudhuri and Hiran Bala Devi in Ramgopalpur in present-day Bangladesh. In an interview to ...

Umayalpuram Sivaraman, playing the ganjira as a four-year-old   With 75 years of performance behind him, mridangam maestro Umayalpuram Sivaraman’s zest is still as high as it was when he started playing at the age of five We’ve been talking on the phone for a few weeks before we schedule the interview. From the way he picks up the threads of earlier conversations to the precision with which he gives me directions, it is clear that Vidwan Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman has never missed a beat in...

What’s unique about the Sankat Mochan festival Updated: Updated: The popular Sankat Mochan festival in Benaras celebrates inclusivity as much as music Share Article AAA The popular Sankat Mochan festival in Benaras celebrates inclusivity as much as music For the second year in a row, one of the most popular and eagerly awaited classical music and dance festivals, Sankat Mochan of Benaras was held online, from May 1 to 6. From the familiar open air temple courtyard, the anchor made announcemen...

Arushi Chaddhas father was dying. The oxygen supply of the hospital, like in hospitals across Delhi, was running on fumes. Most people knew, or knew of someone who had died. Her only hope was the kindness of strangers. On April 23, at 11.30 am, Chaddha posted on Instagram: "Lungs damaged. Oxygen level dropped to 70. Hospital is refusing to keep my father for more than a couple of hours due to the shortage of medical oxygen. My father will die." In a short while, her DM was inundated with messag...