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Back to lyricism

Photo: K. Ananthan

Young voices Pianist Anil Srinivasan and vocalist Sikkil Gurucharan

This Friday evening at 7 p.m., two young but eminent classical musicians, Sikkil Gurucharan and Anil Srinivasan, join hands to present ‘Madirakshi: Intoxicating Eyes: An Evening of Contemporary Classical Music’ at the India Habitat Centre. Carnatic music and the piano are not often associated.

Says Anil, who has conceptualised the show, which the duo first began performing two years ago, “I am trained in Western classical but also grew up with the Carnatic tradition, so I’ve been thinking of doing this for a long time.”

In the conventional view of things, when a singer sings and an instrumentalist plays, then the instrument is accompanying the vocalist.

But here, explains Srinivasan, the piano is not accompanying the singer. “Sometimes it interacts, sometimes it objects. There are two main artistes and the music is the hero.”

His aim is “to highlight the lyricism of the Carnatic compositions with the classical piano.” The classical piano, he emphasises, “has a rich a texture,” because of the nature of the instrument that is capable of harmony, melody and also percussion.

He emphasises that the music does not attempt to change the traditional compositions chosen for exposition. And since the piano cannot produce gamakas, he doesn’t think it wise to try.

He clarifies the music is not fusion, a term he says he “hates”. The attempt is to “get back to lyricism,” he explains, and one of the musical forms the duo chose to work on was the padam.

“Both Gurucharan and I are romantics at heart,” laughs Srinivasan. He cites the example of a padam like Kshetragna’s “Payyada” whose pathos attracted him to highlight its spirit. While Gurucharan sings the padam in the traditional manner, Srinivasan has devised harmonies that complement but do not necessarily follow the tala structure of the original.

It is important, says Srinivasan, to understand the grammar of Western classical music, because then “you know when to play and when to keep silent.” And the silences, he says, are as important as the notes.

“Both us have been trained by extremely sensitive musicians,” he observes, noting that often in the traditional Carnatic concert format one hears a lot of exciting but relentless sound. While Srinivasan has trained in Western classical in India under Anna Abraham and in the Universities of Southern California and Columbia in the U.S., Gurucharan, grandson of Sikkil Kunjumani, belongs to the tradition of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer through his guru Vaigal S. Gnanaskandan.

Srinivasan speaks of the “rasanubhuti” of silence. He says kanjira exponent B.S. Purushottam who performs with the duo deserves special credit for this sensitivity. “For a Carnatic musician to understand the need to keep silent is very, very tough,” he comments.

“My ultimate guide is, I like making music I love to listen to. This is our generation and we want to present it in a certain way,” says the pianist, but quickly adds, “All these are empty words; the proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

Hungry? Appease your appetite tonight at the Habitat Centre.

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