Date: November 20
Venue: The Music Academy
Time: 7.30 p.m.
Two countries, two genres of music and Two Oceans… the result is a visually and aurally powerful music that is unpretentious yet conveys an idea of creative harmony across borders. At The Hindu Friday Review November Fest, ‘Two Oceans’ performed by the Sruthi Laya Ensemble and the Australian Art Orchestra (AAO), Carnatic drumming rhythms will waltz with western Jazz.
The Sruthi Laya Ensemble was founded by mridangam maestro Karaikudi Mani in 1986 and combines melody and percussion. Mani, who has been associated with Carnatic music since the age of three and with the mridangam since the age of eight, is well known for his “thani avarthanam” in kutcheris. It revolutionised the role of the mridangam and led to Mani collaborating with international musicians such as Paul Simon, Paul Grabowsky of the AAO and Eero Haemmeneimi of Finland’s Naada.
The Ensemble (Mani-mridangam, B.V. Balasai-flute, V. Suresh-ghatam and U.P. Raju-mandolin) will team with the AAO, which was founded in 1994 to bring together musicians with varied approaches. The orchestra comprises Sandy Evans (reeds), Adrian Sheriff (trombone), Scott Tinkler (trumpet) and Adam King (drums). Guy Smith is the sound engineer. The two groups have collaborated for Into The Fire, an enthralling blend of music, percussion and dance, which has been performed worldwide. ‘Two Oceans’ also looks at the musical intricacies that lie at the core of both ensembles.
The 80-minute concert is brought to you by the Australian Government through the Australia International Cultural Council, an initiative of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. AAO is supported by the Australia Council for the Arts and the Robert Salzer Foundation. The performance comes to India as part of Oz Fest, a four-month long festival that brings Australian culture to 18 Indian cities.
