Fans had a whale of a time as they revelled in the confluence of music at Isai Kaveri 2014, hosted by Bharathidasan Institute of Management (BIM), here on Sunday.
Led by Rajhesh Vaidhya on the veena, B.S.Arunkumar on the drums, K.Sathyanarayanan on the keyboard and Chandrajith (tabla and percussions), the Chennai-based ‘Square Band’ churned out an eclectic combination of peppy and melodious Hindi and Tamil instrumental numbers at the concert organised as part of Crescita 2014, the flagship management event of BIM.
The performance spanning two hours captured the heart of the young and the young-at-heart as they played the guessing game together trying to figure out the lyrics of the instrumentals of popular compositions. There was something for every one be as the band reinvented the much-loved compositions of maestros Ilayaraja and A.R. Rahman.
A medley of popular tunes from Rahman and Jatin-Lalit was the audience’s favourite. Munbe Vaa from Sillunu Oru Kadhal , Kannalane from Bombay and Chand Sifarish from Fanaa were artistically blended by using soul stirring notes from the veena, accompanied by drumbeats and tabla renditions coupled with tunes from the keyboard.
In another performance, the ambience of a rock concert was recreated in a jam between the drum and the tabla. The original composition began with melancholy and the frenzy was built gradually by the drummer that mellowed after a particularly hard-hitting crescendo. This was followed by the gentle tabla that was soothing to the ear. Finally the veena’s strings, the keyboards chords and the drumbeats were infused into the tabla tunes to conclude the piece beautifully. A medley of different composers created a spell as Kal Ho Na Ho , Kannuku mai alagu (Pudhiya Mugam), Uyire and Tamila Tamila (Bombay) had the audience tapping their feet and clapping in symphony with the instruments’ tunes.
The enthusiasm of the crowd was contagious as they swayed to the music and appreciated the performers by expressing their happiness though whistles, throaty yells, and thunderous applause.
A majority of the listeners were soon on their feet and repeatedly requested for encores.
A special rendition of Sirichi Sirichi Vandha Seena thana from Vasool Raja drove the crowd to a wild frenzy as they brought the house down with their dancing.
Senior citizens enjoyed the medley of old songs that included favourites such as Neel neela aasman , andhi malai poligiradhu, and ennadi meenatchi among others.
The evening brought back a rush of memories of their heyday for the elders while it proved to be one of fun and dancing for the youngsters.
The members of the band and the audience alike enjoyed together as they let music rule the evening.
