Madhurya, le site de la musique carnatique (musique de l'Inde du Sud)
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Tyagaraja and Deepavali in Paris, the city of light An ode to light, our homage to music
The Tyagaraja Festival was organised for the 8th consecutive year in Paris by Madhurya, a non-profit making association set up to promote carnatic music in France in 2001. Its key event is the Tyagaraja Festival which is held over a weekend in October.
This year the weekend chosen, the 17th and 18th of October was particularly auspicious since it coincided with Deepavali. The mood was appropriately particularly joyous as the 18 artistes were welcomed in France a few days before the festival.
The theme chosen was therefore “light” The entrance hall was decorated by S. Rajam’s paintings of the vaggeyekaras, the 14 composers who contributed hugely to make this music what it is today. The festival focussed on the light and luminosity that music brings us, on the enlightened beings who dedicated their lives to God and who gave us this music, all of this was to be celebrated in Paris, otherwise known as the city of light.
Some special characteristics of the audience and the festival need to be mentioned. In Paris, unlike most other cities where the Tyagaraja festival is conducted, the public is predominantly western consisting of people for whom this system of music still remains foreign. In spite of this, over 300 people come together to listen to the music, fully appreciative of the spiritual joy and serenity that it brings us. In addition, this festival is unique since it is the single annual event during which several hours of carnatic music may be listened to live. As a result, the organisers and the artistes have decided right from the beginning that the compositions chosen need not necessarily be Swamy Tyagaraja’s as long as they belong to the carnatic tradition. Consequently, the public has had the opportunity to listen to the songs of the various composers from Purandara Dasa, Kshetragna, Annamacharya, Muttuswami Dikshitar, Syama Sastry, Swati Tirunal Muthu Tandavar, Gopalakrishna Bharati, Papanasam Sivan ,…
It has also become clear over the years that western audiences have a particular liking for instrumental music vocal music still remains in a sphere that is somewhat cerebral and less accessible than the sound of the violin or the veena. And finally, the audience is particularly enthralled by dance, the visual aspects of the mime, the dynamism of the footwork and the colour and magic of the costumes and jewellery all work to completely seduce spectators.
Saturday’s programme started with a violin duo, Viji and SriRam Krishnan enchanted the audience with their virtuosity and their exuberance, their complicity adding to the charm of their programme. Their programme remained stoically Tyagaraja; they played nada tanumanisham (cittaranjani), sitapathe (khamas), koluvamma (thodi). To finish they paid tribute to the French audience with La Vie en Rose by Edith Piaf, which added an extra touch of gaiety.
This was followed by Shertallai Ranganatha Sharma’s vocal concert. He sang a moving Bale balendu (ritigaula), his rich and powerful voice imploring and full of emotional resonances. He continued his concert with his prayer to Ambal with Mysore Sadasiva Rao’s Sri Kamakoti Pitam (saveri) and ended with Dikshitar’s Madurambikayam (Hemavati). As for many others, this was his very first concert in Paris and he was determined to give the city of lights and it public everything that he possessed in his luminous voice. He fulfilled this promise.
Saturday’s programme ended with a dance programme by Mythili Prakash and her musicians. Mythili started with nada tanumanisham, paying homage to Tyagaraja and the sapta swaras, then went on to illustrate Krishna’s greatness and nobility of soul in Krishnaarpanam. She displayed a moving Draupadi in her Panchali sapatham. Very amusing was and Krishna the child God in Booth. The audience was fascinated, thrilled, they were so taken up. They left wanting more, which was what Mythili had hoped for. So ended Saturday’s programme.
On Sunday afternoon, the audience returned, all geared up for an afternoon of pure music. Suguna Purushotaman’s concert was sheer bliss, her emotion-filled voice expressing pure bhava, reaching out to all of us with her serenity and joy. Her introductory song was Sudha Madhurya bhashana (sinduramakriya), sung at the request of the organisers for the evocation of madhurya. She continued with a short alapana in hindolam and a very evocative Nirajaksha where she truly seemed in full communion with the Goddess. Minakshi Memudham (purvikalyani) came next, specially chosen for the occasion since it was a Deepavali weekend. So fully absorbed was Suguna in her music that she gave full meaning to the lyrics and became herself the embodiment of everything she was saying about the Goddess Meenakshi, her sweetness, her compassion-filled nature, her wisdom and beauty, her mastery of all the arts…leading us to higher realms. Next came a short interlude, Suguna sang us a composition in atana that she herself had composed in Tiruvayyar the first time she went there on a pilgrimage at the age of 16. Finally, Suguna gave us her ragam tanam pallavi in kambodhi, Ranga Sayee yani pilla cité O yenutsu ra radha O. At the special request of the organisers, she demonstrated for the Paris audience a dwitala avadhana, adi tala in misra nadai with her right hand and khanda jati ada tala in chatusra nadai with her left hand. The applause and standing ovation that she had spoke for the magic of her concert, was it possible that this so gentle being could give so much, could carry all she knew? Suguna created the mood and the serenity for the enjoyment of the final concert. The maestro Padma Bhushan Sangita Kalanidhi TN Krishnan and his children Viji and SriRam Krishnan took the stage for the last two hours.
They started with an elaborate nalinakanti raga, exploring the various passages, unknown corners, creating the territory, giving sense and beauty with every note, with every single touch. Then came the much sought after saramati, the audience had longed for it, TN Krishnan gave it to us, once again lovingly, full of tenderness, full of the bliss and joy so much a part of his music. His violin spoke the words of the kriti, “Is bliss attainable by one who has not experienced the profound ecstasy of devotional music?” The atmosphere created was rarefied, the audience electrified, silence and music, magical partners. The maestro compelled us as only he knows how to, to reach within ourselves, to slow down, to stop and be in communion, with his music, with higher powers. Then, as if to remind us of our earthly existence, he played raguvam sasudha (kadanakudukalam). This was followed by a true gem, an alapana in kiravani. Once again, every single phrase reached out, drew us towards him, took us higher, to another sphere, to a magical realm, where only pure beauty and grace prevail. We could have stayed forever, the power of his music hypnotic, listening to the sheer beauty of his music. We had to remind ourselves that we also live in another world regulated by clocks and watches. The concert ended appropriately with sindhubhairavi and Swati Tirunal’s Vishweshwara, a prayer to the mind to be in communion with the Lord.
For the time of a weekend, in Paris, the city of lights, we had the privilege of being with some of South India’s most distinguished personalities, to drink in and relish their music and to celebrate Deepavali together. The public’s reaction, the numerous messages received is a testimonial of their appreciation of the grace and splendour of our musical system.
Endaro mahanubhavu landariki vandanamu
Paris, 27 October, 2009, Anandi ROY for Madhurya
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