Fusion music is gaining popularity in many parts of the world and has in fact increased the familiarity and awareness of Carnatic music in shores far away from where it originated.
Successful attempts are being made by well known Karnatic musicians in this new arena. The main inhibiting factor, it must be added, is the lack of a universal notation system in Karnatic music. This places serious limitations on musicians practicing different genre of music.
It was therefore an eagerly anticipated evening of music at The Detroit Institute of Arts, regarded the premier most art and cultural organization in the state of Michigan. The DIA organised a unique concert presented by the Julliard trained violinist Ayano Ninomiya and well known mridangam player of Indian origin Rohan Krishnamurthy who in recent times has been infusing the intricacies of the art of South Indian percussion into world music.
The concert featured pieces specifically composed for the duo as well as individual pieces in the form a solo sonata by the violinist and a mridangam solo by the percussionist.
The programme, designed in two sessions of forty five minutes each, was arranged in an acoustically designed courtyard with a massive sun roof and adorned by huge murals all around the hall depicting the history of art and technology of the state.
The ambience provided at the same time the seriousness of a Western classical music performance and the friendliness of a Mylapore sabha!
The event began with a piece called Dance Images, composed by Dr Elizabeth Start and was a reflection of the Bharathanatyam in that the intentions were to reflect the moods of a typical dance situation starting in a slow tempo and building into a crescendo. Ayano followed this with a solo created by the famous Belgian composer, Eugene Ysaye, who had composed just a select number of pieces for the violin.
Arguably, the piece de resistance, was the celebrated pancharatna krithi, Dudukugala of Thyagaraja that had been specially arranged by Yale educated composer Dr Keith Murphy who had flown in specifically for the programme. Full honours to the violinist for this piece need to be given. This was the first time that she had been exposed to the Carnatic system and it was evident that she had come very well prepared for the occasion. Since gamakam is not the forte with Western classical music, she intelligently refrained from attempting it although she did demonstrate brief elements of improvisation. Absence of gamakam was more than compensated by her brilliant fingering and bowing techniques The pancharatna was followed by the mridangam solo of Rohan that had the audience in a state of trance.
The second half of the concert was based on compositions by Drs Start and Murphy, specifically written to employ rhythmic nuances when in performance with an instrument like the mridangam and also a challenge to a western classical musician who can accept the demands of nadai variations and improvisations. Compositions called Pentathlon by Murphy is based on fives (ghanta nadai) with a minimalistic start and trades between the two instruments. The concluding piece was aptly termed Migration Too by Dr Start. This is a unique composition sprayed with splashes of melodies and rhythms. The composition incorporated new techniques for the violinist that included stomping and tapping to highlight the rhythmic elements as well as opportunities for improvisation by both the artists
According to the coordinator of the event, “the quality of compositions and their handling by two talented artists offers hope that more and more of these efforts will be witnessed in many venues.”
Kumbakonam Srinivasan can be reached at - detroitseenu@hotmail.com
