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Unsung, yet undeterred
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Chennai boys Premkumar and Vivekanandh are waiting to leave their imprint on music
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TALENTED DUO Premkumar (playing the piano) with Vivekanandh. PHOTO: S. R. Raghunathan
When a teenager announces out of the blue that he is a professional musician and chucks higher education, what would a father make of him? Either that he is weird or possesses a rare talent. When his two teenage sons — T.R. Premkumar (19) and T.R. Vivekanandh (16) — did this, Rajamani concluded the latter. And why not? After all, they have an incredible passion for the piano and an ability to compose music that belies their age.
The boys venerate Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. The framed photos of these maestros are offered flowers everyday. In fact, their room itself is a tribute to classical music. Tomes on classical themes adorn the shelves. Open notes containing squiggly notations gape at you. Turn to the cover and it says grandly: "Symphony in G minor".
And this symphony does not belong to a Twentieth Century master, but to Premkumar. If music pundits accept this work (completed three years ago) as a symphony, it could well be his claim to fame. When William Skelton, former conductor, Colgate Concert Orchestra was in Chennai in 2003, the boys managed an audience with the musician. After studying the score, Skelton was led to comment, "It is truly a fine work, complete with good ideas, solid form and orchestration that would be equal or superior to the work of many arrived composers." In twelve hours flat, Vivekanandh is said to have composed three short pieces — Mazurka, Waltz and Nocturne — on his electronic piano and dedicated it to Skelton.
Jerry Fernandes of the Fernandes String Quartet and former member of the Madras Chamber Orchestra, says Skelton was impressed. "The musician even wanted to approach the President of India and ensure recognition for these boys," says Fernandes. "Their talent is phenomenal. Using the keyboard, they patiently simulate and sequence the various instruments and create a close-to-orchestra effect. Even A.R. Rahman was stunned by their mastery of the keyboard."
Solo violinist M. Kalyan, who has worked with all top music directors in Tamil cinema, says, "It is mind-boggling how these boys produce real sounds of various instruments that go into an orchestra. I've studied and listened to their symphony; the format and execution are flawless."
The young musicians correspond through e-mail with Zubin Mehta. "When we first approached the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation in Mumbai for Zubin Mehta's contact details, the response was not encouraging." However, when they told the trustee Mehro Jeejeebhoy that they had composed a symphony, they got Zubin's email address.
Recently, Premkumar dedicated a composition for a string quartet to Zubin. Although based on a small motif, complex elements join in to give shape to the composition. Each instrument enjoys equal importance or "spiritual participation", as Premkumar likes to put it.
Now, Premkumar has embarked on a Symphonic Fantasy. As he plays the unfinished work, you recognise a four-note motif — Aa Re Ra Ra — but soon, just as in his Symphony in G minor, simplicity gives way to complexity and diversity.
These Chennai boys are not blind to harsh realities. They know their kind of music will not have a fighting chance, if they stay on in India. Though the Trinity College programme has helped them they say "there's no substitute for regular training in a reputed institution". The two are confident they will study music abroad and eventually wow audiences there.
What lies behind this confidence? One, a sound understanding of the classical music scene ("Our music will come as a whiff of fresh air," says Premkumar) and two, the belief that perseverance pays.
As early as 2002, they composed for Cosmic Music's "Avadara Purusha", a devotional cassette. Want to know the singers? S.P. Balasubramaniam, Nithyashree Mahadevan, Anoorada Sriram, Dr. Sirgazhi Sivachidambaram and Krishnaraj. In August 2004, they composed "Song Without Words" with the help of Jerry Fernandes and former members of the Madras Philharmonic Society. This CD is now their calling card. Eager to leave a mark on the local music scene, they have given it to producers and directors and are keeping their fingers crossed.
PRINCE FREDERICK
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