Friends come together on stage.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
‘Friends in Concert’, a unique production featuring 13 well-known Carnatic musicians, was first aired digitally in 2020. Now, a new, live production premieres on January 19 at the Music Academy. T.M. Krishna, the brain behind this project, explains: “During the pandemic, musicians were putting out clips, mostly by themselves. Music making, however, is a shared activity. Much bonding happens offstage, and what you see on stage is but an overflow of that friendship. I have travelled with so many in my musical journey and thought why not do something that brings everyone together.”
The production is directed by Rithvik Raja, and the sound is by MT Aditya Srinivasan. The musicians — Akkarai S Subhalakshmi, Anirudh Athreya, Arun Prakash, H.N. Bhaskar HN, Chandrasekara Sharma G, Guruprasad N, Hemalatha R, T.M. Krishna, Poongulam Subramanian, Praveen Sparsh, Sangeetha Sivakumar, R.K. Shriramkumar and B. Sivaraman — represent many generations of artistes who have collaborated with Krishna.
‘Friends in Concert’ will showcase reimagined concert frameworks and presentations with different permutations and combinations of the 13 musicians, and all of them together too — with Krishna featuring in most. An example from the 2020 production is Krishna vocally ‘accompanying’ Bhaskar and Subhalakshmi as they played the violin with Praveen Sparsh on the mridangam. Chandrasekara Sharma cherishes playing dual ghatam with N. Guruprasad — his senior from the school — for Krishna’s and Sangeetha Sivakumar’s vocals, without the mridangam or violin.
Krishna stresses that this live programme is a new production different from the digital version. “We are playing with the contrasts between digital and live, while looking forward to interactive magical moments that happen only in live performances.”
The concert underscores the unity and diversity inherent in our musical system.
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement
The production will feature classic compositions presented in a different manner and newer ones too, including some specially composed for this concert. “We will also bring in a whiff of memories from the previous production.”
Short of vadya vrinda or pancharatna goshti ganam, it is rare for practitioners of the same instrument to perform together, particularly if they are from different schools. Friends in Concert features four violinists (Akkarai Subhalakshmi, HN Bhaskar, Dr R Hemalatha and RK Shriramkumar) and four mridangists (K Arun Prakash, Poongulam Subramanian, Praveen Sparsh and B Sivaraman), all from different patantarams. This programme will feature these artistes work in interesting combinations. Subhalakshmi says, “Though we engage in a shared language of music, how each of us navigate that music in our unique dialects is fascinating. The variations in patantaram, particularly evident in compositions, underscore both the unity and diversity inherent in our musical system. This experience provided me with a different dimension of this fact.”
The programme is likely to offer glimpses of artistes doing things other than what they are best known for. Arun Prakash, for example, best known as a mridangist, wore the additional hat of composer in the digital production, composing three pallavis in three different ragas, one each in 4 kalai, 2 kalai and 1 kalai talas. Viewers can also expect some lighter moments with artistes having fun.
‘Friends in Concert’ reflects Krishna’s view that music is collaboration. “The performing arts has somehow become a battleground instead of a sharing space. While we do not have to be friends to perform music, we need to be friends to share music. It has been heartening to see so many high-calibre artistes with strong personalities share as well as take charge,” he says.
The hardest part was scheduling the rehearsals. “A nightmare,” says Krishna. Multiple smaller groups have been meeting along with some meetings of all 13, including one rehearsal planned at The Music Academy itself. Artspire is the arts management partner.
Asked if he might perform with other such groups, maybe his own multi-generational students, Krishna says it is a good idea and could serve to send the larger message that teachers and students have to be friends too. He wonders if the production could serve as a symbol of togetherness and cooperation in the world of performing arts and hopes others might put together such concerts too.