“BSM or FAPS?” a woman asked. She apologised on learning that this writer came from neither camp. But that was a fair enough assumption to make, it emerged.
At a recent concert at the Alliance Francaise, it was the Frank Anthony Public School (FAPS) choir and brass band on stage. The evening was organised by the Bangalore School of Music (BSM). And therefore, family made up a large proportion of the audience. However, the fact that there were nearly 70 students performing meant the hall was packed.
First up was a selection by the school’s treble choir – so named because it consists of 33 female singers, who sing the higher, or ‘treble’, parts. When many musicians are involved, coordination can quickly become the undoing of a concert, but the choir was in perfect sync, even in assembling on stage. A quick nod from conductor V. Narayanswamy, and the music began.
When performed with the kind of careful control of dynamics employed by the conductor, even an over-familiar tune like “We Shall Overcome” takes on new power. “Come along” was an upbeat rendition, with lively piano accompaniment from Rebecca Thomas and a beautiful suspended note of ending. A traditional Jewish tune, “Hashivenu” was hauntingly stripped of accompaniment; it used densely layered vocals instead. “The Heavens Are Telling”, an energetic Haydn piece, was another highlight.
Easily one of the most popular songs of the evening was “Take 5”, a vocal rendition of the jazz standard.
To listen to the ever-popular Dave Brubeck piano-and-saxophone version is one thing; with Paul Desmond’s charming, persuasive lyrics asking you to “Just take five”, the mind wandered, bringing the smell of coffee and rain into the concert hall.
After an intermission, the brass band took stage. The 34 members of the band are spread across sections for trumpets, horns, trombones, euphoniums, tubas and percussion.
The sound of a brass band isn’t necessarily new; at some point or the other, most of us are likely to have heard an army band, or at least watched the parade telecasts.
But to hear it live nevertheless brings a sense of discovery, and immediacy. Indeed, after each tune, the audience had a moment of stunned silence before it burst into applause. The selections were an array of classics – such as the 1914 composition “Colonel Bogey’s March” – and original compositions from conductor V. Narayanswamy, who is also the school’s music teacher. One such was “Beguine”, a Creole-influenced piece that transported listeners to a ballroom with its French and Latin influences.
The popular “La Paloma” and “Allegro Maestoso”, a majestic piece, were other favourites. Towards the end, the band played the hymn “Abide With Me” – one of the most moving pieces of music ever written. The final event was the country’s national anthem.
A well-synchronised band is in itself a thing of inescapable beauty. Even just standing outside the hall, before the concert, to hear the band practice, could result in goose-bumps, and not just because it was a cold evening.
