Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Musically exotic
|
Curtains came down on the India-Japan Friendship Year with an outstanding performance by a group of Indian and Japanese musicians
|
ORIENTAL MAGIC Suzuki Mai on the koto and T. M. Hoffman on the shakuhachi
On being chastised for the prolific use of symphonic music in his films legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s reply was quite prudent. Admitting that this was so, Kurosawa said he did it because his entire generation grew up on music th
at was more Western than native Japanese. The traditional music could sound artistically exotic to a contemporary audience.
Classical crossover
The classical crossover music created by Timothy Michael Hoffman and his team of Japanese and Indian musicians was ‘artistically exotic.’ They were performing at the Lotus Club under the aegis of the Alumni Society of Association of Overseas Technical Scholarships (AOTS), Kerala, as a finale of the India-Japan Friendship Year.
Using the shakuhachi, the five-holed bamboo flute, and the koto, the zither-like, 13-stringed traditional Japanese instrument, the attempt was to blend the classical music of the two nations. Built around harmony, the music traditions and instruments of these nations focussed attention to melody and rhythm.
Joining Hoffman, who played the shakuhachi, tabla and koto, was Suzuki Mai (koto), Aruga Sakiko (tambura and vocals), Fr. Paul Poovathingal (Carnatic vocal), Guruvayur Sanoj (mridangam) and Abdul Azeez (violin).
The first two pieces, solo on the shakuhachi and koto, set the mood. Hoffman played a short medley, traditionally associated with Buddhist monks, who till the late 19th century played this instrument instead of the sutra. The Tegoto, a koto solo composed by Miyagi Michio, considered the father of modern koto, was a soulful melody that Mai handled with superb ease.
The tonal quality of the koto was mesmerising. Mai’s dexterous fingers went over the 13 strings, strung over the movable bridges right along the length of the instrument. Plucking at the strings with three fingers and using the other hand to move and manoeuvre the bridges, there was not a false note in all that Mai played that evening.
Japan’s famous folk song, Sakura or Cherry Blossom, on the koto was performed with variations. Using the mridangam and violin, Mai painted an audio picture of this prominent symbol. The cherry blossom is more than ascetic beauty. It is representative of new beginnings, of transience, melancholy.
After a detailed rendering of Hamsadwani by Fr. Paul Poovathingal there was the classical crossover. A brief alaap in raag Kalyani by Fr. Paul was followed by a ‘bandish’ by Hoffman. They then moved over to Mohanam, and a semi-classical piece ‘Yesunamam divya namam…’ accompanied on the violin, mridangam and on the koto by Hoffman.
For the final piece all the artistes took the stage. Sindhubhairavi in the Carnatic style blended into the thumri and khayal in Bhairavi. Hoffman used Japanese poems set to the Hindustani style. The vocalists were backed up by the koto, mridangam and violin.
Unique experience
“This was a new experience. There are immense possibilities in Japanese classical music. But they do have a lot of limitations. Their technique does not give room for improvisation. Usually it is all about six notes. So it is not easy to fuse with our classical styles, unless the musicians are extremely gifted,” said Fr. Paul.
K.PRADEEP
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
|
