Slippery twangs of strings and percussive patterings greeted the audience that filed into the hall in Indorama, Purwakarta last month, as a troupe of seven musicians tuned up for their marathon three-hour performance of Indian classical music.
For those enthusiasts of this sophisticated genre who are used to being wowed by senior veteran maestros, this young troupe held in store some pleasant surprises once the performance got underway.
Not only was Anupriya Deotale the only woman in the musicians’ ranks, she headed the troupe with quick, slithering violin melodies that came to define the original compositions performed in various raagas. The troupe played Hindustani (North Indian) music in its purest form, and also successfully attempted a refreshing fusion with contemporary European sounds, captivating audiences across Indonesia with rare passion and skill.
Indian classical music is usually composed within pre-existing raagas (roughly translating to scales), with the musicians improvising up to 90 percent of what is heard by the live audience. With a slow introduction, the musicians ease into a composed motif, to which they return intermittently after extensive solos or duels meant to show off musical ability and instrumental range.
Vocalist Imran Khan, taking his cue from the sitar-player or the guitarist, started off each composition, and was soon joined by the rest in shaping the body of the piece. While his vocals and Deotale’s violin served as focal points of the music, traditional and modern instruments like the tabla and the drums accompanied them and delivered a full-bodied sound on each of the evening’s four pieces.
The most unusual piece of the evening was one in an irregular seven-beat cycle, which even the musicians admitted had been difficult to learn and rehearse. Nevertheless, tabla-player, Arshad Khan, kept meticulous count while also dueling with sitar-player, Fateh Ali Khan.
“I composed this one deliberately in an offbeat cycle,” Deotale said. “It was difficult for all of us in the beginning to catch and sustain the rhythm of the piece […] but to me, it’s the most intellectual of the compositions.”
Set in raag Jhog, the piece sped up steadily, but not before the traditional coupled with the modern.
Irregular beats enhanced each layer of instrumental arrangement, while the violin dove in and out of eastern and western genres to create a fusion that went beyond just playing exotic tunes on western instruments.
Brought in by the Jawaharlal Nehru Indian Cultural Center (JNICC), the troupe reached out to Indonesian, expatriate and student audiences alike with its dynamic delivery of an ancient tradition of music.
“We raised exposure and awareness of Indian music in Indonesia during a series of quality events last year called the Festival of India,” said director of JNICC, M.K. Singh. “This troupe has further enriched that education with enthralling and brilliantly decorated music.”
source:http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/08/26/a-touch-classical-music-soul.html
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