Insouciance and bold risk-taking are the hallmarks of The Hindu Friday Review November Festival. This year's edition adds youthful high spirits by introducing shamiana recitals. Every evening, before the main concert of that day, Chennai's youngsters will perform music that is diverse, intriguing and exciting. These 45-minute recitals (6.15 p.m. to 7 p.m.) are held just outside the main hall.
Many genres
These young girls and boys are not new to the stage. They represent many traditions and genres, from Indian classical to jazz, rock, fusion and world music. Some are disciples of stalwarts such as ghatam maestro Vikku Vinayakram and veteran violinist M. Chandrasekharan. Renowned Carnatic vocalists Bombay Jayashri and T.M. Krishna have guided their disciples in choice and theme. Senior musicians S. Karthick (ghatam) and Prasanna (guitar) have enthusiastically supervised the presentations of the last two groups.
Every group has come up with special ideas to format a pithy, 45-minute show. They meld the old with the new, contrast the zipping with the tranquil. So come early, relax under the shamiana , and enjoy the effervescent outpourings of keen-edged, multi-talented, superbly trained, carefree youth.
November 15
Leaf Prints
Artseek Jazz unit presents a tonal collage of jazz movements — traditional, Bossa nova, Blues, Smooth jazz, Flamenco, Brazilian jazz, Nu jazz, Central-African blues — not forgetting some Indian spice, to add that new-age touch.
Vocals: Subhiksha Rangarajan
Guitar: Keba Jeremiah
Bass: Naveen
Drums: Siva
November 16
Saare Jahan Se Accha
M.T. Aditya puts together a tribute to the legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar, now turning 90. The group presents Ravi Shankar's compositions in classical bandish, film songs, ‘Saare Jahan Se Accha' celebrating India's freedom, and ‘Vaishnava Janato' that the world heard in the film “Gandhi”.
Sitar: Gaurav Isola
Mandolin: Vivek Siva
Tabla: M.T. Aditya
Kanjira: Swaminathan
November 17
Music Beyond Words
Wind and strings have always made fabulous partners in every kind of music. And here, the primal flute joins the ancient veena and the Indian violin to make melodies as charged with life as the cool winds of November, enhanced by sparkling laya rhythms.
Flute: J.B. Sruthisagar
Veena: S.H. Raaghav
Violin: R. Raghul
Mridangam: N.C. Bharadwaj
Ghatam: S. Hariharasubramaniam
November 18
Tamizh Thendral
Bombay Jayashri's disciples have opted to sing Tamil compositions of varying kinds — from a regular Papanasam Sivan kriti to a rousing Bharati lyric. Look out for the nottuswaram, by violin maestro Lalgudi Jayaraman, a playful take on Western music.
Vocal: Abinaya, Keerthana, Poornima
Violin: S. Rajeev
Mridangam: Sumesh Narayan
November 19
Bhajana Sangita
The disciples of leading Carnatic musician T.M. Krishna present lyrically-rich, devotion-steeped songs usually relegated to the second of half of the concert, by poets from Jayadeva and Annamacharya to Mira and Tuslidas.
Vocal: Rithvik Raja, G. Ravikiran, Vikram K. Raghavan and Vignesh Ishwar
Violin: B. Ananthakrishnan
Mridangam: R. Sankaranarayanan
November 20
String Breakers
Students of the Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music (SAM) offer an amazing range of contemporary world music. By turns, they take listeners on a journey of exotic rhythms and enthralling melodies from Carnatic, jazz and rock to African, Caribbean music, and more.
18 performers, vocal and instrumental
November 21
Yuva Laya Pratibha
Young percussionists, in an ensemble co-ordinated by the dazzling ghatam artiste S. Karthick, explode into a world of breathtaking rhythms. Rooted in tradition, unafraid of adventures, their medleys are full of fun, joy, and the craft skills of the Indian drumming tradition.
Mridangam: N.C. Bharadwaj
Kanjira: G. Harihara Sharma
Ghatam: G. Chandrasekhara Sharma
Morsing: Sri Krishnan
Konnakkol: S. Swaminathan
