The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : City violinist wins hearts in Tokyo

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 24, 2007
ePaper

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

City violinist wins hearts in Tokyo

M.L. Melly Maitreyi

Michael Makhal performs for the first time at the Asia Orchestra Week in the Japanese capital

Making a mark: Michael Makhal (right) at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall.

HYDERABAD: From being a composer in the Telugu film industry to being part of a well-known national symphony orchestra group that has won the hearts in the prestigious Asia Orchestra Week held in Tokyo, violinist Michael Makhal has come a long way.

An avid lover of Western classical music, he is the only Hyderabadi musician to be part of the Delhi Symphony Orchestra, popularly known as the Indian Symphony Orchestra. It was a dream come true for him and 24 other musicians from different parts of the country when they got an invite to perform for the first time at the Asia Orchestra Week.

Spellbinding concert

The orchestra teamed up with musicians from Sri Lanka and Japan to present a spellbinding Western classical music concert. The team playing different musical instruments in the wind and draff section practised in Delhi for four days and played compositions of Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, etc. After we reached Tokyo, we teamed up with the Sri Lankan and Japanese musicians to practise for four more days. We had perfect understanding and coordination and it got translated into a magical concert,” exults Michael, remembering the standing ovation and demand for encore.

The group performed overture ‘Romeo and Juliet’, simple symphony by Benjamin Bretten, then Academic Festival Overture by Johannes Brahms besides a composition from Sri Lanka ‘Svarasanga Vennama’ by Harsha Makalande at the famous Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall.

The Indian Symphony Orchestra’s concert was conducted by Japanese Maestro Yazaki Hikotaro and the concert master was renowned Japanese violinist Tatsunobu Goto. Michael started a small orchestra group and has been presenting concerts in various cities to introduce the magic of symphony orchestra among music lovers. “Music has no language and people can appreciate any genre of music if it touches the heart,” says Michael, who teaches Western classical music at Srinidhi International School.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh