Sublime music flowed abundantly for two hours and more in SOMRO ’15, a musical extravaganza presented by a live spiritual Philharmonic Orchestra and Choral Symphony in Kottayam. The Philharmonic Orchestra was conceived and composed by Father M.P. George. Fr. George has a strong footing in Carnatic music too. For the same reason, the orchestra was a blending of two streams of music – Western classical and Carnatic. Presented by a phalanx of professional musicians, the orchestra embraced woodwinds, brass, strings and percussion instruments in the typical pattern of a Philharmonic ensemble.
Thematic music is the hallmark of orchestral symphony. As for the one in review, it described the life of Christ from his birth to crucifixion and ascension. Fr. George anchored his composition on the migratory Indian cuckoo that wings all the way to Jerusalem and recounts all the events it had witnessed there. The cooing of the cuckoo expressed in the musical notes D, Bflat, A, Bflat and G appeared like a refrain reminding the listeners of its presence throughout the performance, but at the same time never overdoing it.
The first movement in D Major opened itself with the cooing of the cuckoo. Composed in allegretto (moderately fast) and 4/4, it highlights the emotional mood of Mary as she receives the message from the angel about the divine conception. This is followed by the birth of Jesus, the journey of the three wise men guided by the star, the journey to Egypt et al. The score after birth was noteworthy for the mood of fear it engenders thanks to the threat from Herod.
Strains of ragas Mohanam, Hamsadwani and Kalyani were welded dexterously in this part. Even as they retained their identity, they merged harmoniously with the Western score.
The second movement was in F Major and it delineated events such as Christ’s baptism and also all the events in his preaching mission, including the miracles. Traces of Desh, Sindhubhairavi and Hindolam could be heard in this part. One could also discern traces of Arabian music that merged commendably with the part following Sindhubhairavi. Composed in moderato (moderately fast), the movement stood out for the tempo 5/8.
Even as the third movement continued in the same scale, the mood turned melancholic for events like the trial, torture and, finally, the crucifixion. The tempo 3/4 appeared most suitable for the scene depicting the arrest of Christ by Pilate’s army. Further, the strings, notably the violins playing softly, could successfully evoke pathos in this part. Selection of Charukesi, elements of which surfaced as the score progressed, served to heighten the ambience.
While adagio (slow) marked the fourth movement in D Major that depicted the burial and the visit of the tomb by Mary, the fifth one was scored first in allegretto and then in allegro (very fast) marking the finale that led to a crescendo. Resurrection and ascension to heaven were the anecdotes featured in this part.
As for the different movements, while Fr. George conducted the first and the last, the second and third were conducted by Lt. Commander Manoj Mathew of the Naval Band and the fourth by Pradeep Singh. Musicians of the Chamber Orchestra led by Pradeep Singh formed the string contingent that included first violins, second violins, violas, cellos and double bass. The Naval band, Cochin, handled bass (French horn, euphonium, tuba, cornet and trombone), woodwinds (bassoon, oboe and flute, clarinet, alto sax and tenor sax) and also the percussion, including timpani and cymbals. The Grand Piano was played by Aswin Thomas Elias.
Composed in ‘counterpoint harmony’, it entered into the dialogue between the string and the wind sections. At certain junctures, the performance of the wind section left much to be desired. Also, one felt, presence of more contrasts within the same movement could have added more embellishments to the composition. Intermittent visuals, excerpted from a film on Christ, projected on a screen were helpful suggestions to follow the theme.
The orchestral part was followed by a choral symphony, presented by the 70-member Zumoro Choir, trained and conducted by Fr. George. The choral rendition of liturgical hymns in Syriac and Malayalam in four-part harmony was perfectly balanced.
The programme was organised by Orthodox Theological Seminary and the Sruti School of Liturgical Music.
