Reaching out through the power of a musical concert

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan speaking in a recent televised interview, brought forth some important issues that few wish to contend with. Speaking on an array of subjects in his gentle manner, he also drew attention to the presentation of classical music and to its format that sometimes can be restricting. This is a sensitive subject like many other subjects in our country today. In a climate of no-debate, no-dialogue that reigns currently, and with almost every issue being sacrosanct, Amjad Ali Khan’s position was refreshing.

The format of classical music especially Hindustani, with its long raga sketches and improvisations could be restrictive for non-habituated listeners, he opined. Classical music by its structure and format appeals to the initiated and could be a deterrent for the non-initiated. All musicians, rasikas understand this well enough. Yet, this segment needs to be thought about, reflected, in order to break barriers and build bridges. This comes not just with mastery over the idiom of music, its grammar and technical complexities, but also calls for grappling with the subtle and important question of context and space. Where am I performing and for whom? How does this audience perceive my art through its prism? The argument is by no means an effort to dilute, to compromise or modify the structure or the gamut of classical art. It is rather coaxing oneself to reflect on reaching out and organising a concert based on perceived reception. So, if one were to play a raga for more than half an hour, it may or may not appeal to all audiences. It might have to come in smaller doses with succinct explanations that help fathom and decipher or simply orient the listener. And here I am not just talking of audiences outside the country.

At a recent concert in Mumbai, I performed for an eclectic audience that comprised of a large majority of non-Carnatic listeners. Most of whom were listening to a Carnatic cutcheri for the first time or had heard it only fleetingly in the past. For me as an artiste, a regular concert format was not the ideal choice. I did not opt for lengthy raga alapanas, although there was one. I chose compositions that would appeal by virtue of their construction, raga, and lyrics, to a larger audience. A Kumudakriya was my choice over a Devamanohari for example. Yet there was a Dhanyasi that is a Carnatic raga to the core. A ragamtanampallavi for example would have been out of place in this milieu, and the concert time of ninety minutes would have hardly sufficed to do justice to the piece.  I chose to goad the audience into thinking along with me about the improvisational quality of Carnatic music and compositions that I rendered, that despite their age, made sense in the contemporary framework. The explanations set the ground for a larger understanding of the Carnatic expression. Did it work? I suppose it did, gauging by novice listeners that met me after the concert saying they enjoyed the experience. There is neither a recipe, nor standard ingredients. The artiste needs to sense the pulse, which ultimately will allow for reaching out. Concert craft, artiste appeal, personality, charisma, aesthetic arrangement, all play a pivotal role needless to say in this process. Of course, in doing so, one needs to accept that the regular mode will have to reinvent itself to slide in and out of the old mould.

Dr Vasumathi Badrinathan is an eminent Carnatic vocalist based in Mumbai. She can be contacted on vasu@vasumathi.net