It’s that time of the year again when strains of music fill the air in the city. With the 12th edition of The Hindu November Fest, which begins today, the city has a musical four days to look forward to. The annual festival promises to cater to a variety of tastes with its ensemble of artistes across genres such as Hindustani, folk, classical, pop, rock and global fusion.
This year’s edition was launched at Taj Coromandel on Wednesday, amid music and cheer. Welcoming the guests was Mukund Padmanabhan, curator of November Fest, and Editor of The Hindu .
“We’re a precursor to the December Margazhi season in Chennai and we felt that the only way to sustain a degree of interest in November Fest was to be different. There was no point doing what the music season does and does it better,” said Mr. Padmanabhan. One of the significant features of the November fest was the collaborations, he said. “In fact, one of the first collaborations we did featured Bombay Jayashri and Ronu Majumdar. This year too, we have Ustad Rashid Khan and Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan collaborating on the opening day of the fest,” he said.
He went on to say that in curating the programme the organisers have sought the unusual. “This year that unusual is by Chi Udaka, which is a beautiful fusion of robust and earthy taiko with the soft sensuality of Bharatanatyam. Then there’s also the show by the Kakar sisters which will exclusively feature cabaret music from Hindi cinema.”
The evening also saw performances by noted artistes like Anil Srinivasan, Chinmayi Sripada, Saindhavi Prakash, Karthik and Sid Sriram, who showcased a genre-bender with a fusion of My Funny Valentine and the popular Thalli Pogathey .
The event will be held across three cities — Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
In Chennai, the stage will be set by Ustad Rashid Khan and Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan in a unique voice-instrument jugalbandi titled Naad-Ninaad on Thursday. This will be followed by an energetic performance by Masala Coffee with the music spanning across folk, classical, pop and rock.
The third day of the festival will see a unique collaboration between taiko drummers, graceful dancers from Anandavalli’s Lingalayam, shakuhachi, strains of cello, electronica and classical Indian music with Chi Udaka taking the stage. The final day of the fest will see the talented Kakar sisters take their audience back in time with some energetic cabaret numbers from Hindi cinema.
Get ready to soak in the notes and beats from November 17 to 20 (7.30 p.m.) at The Music Academy. Tickets can be purchased at thehindu.com/tickets2016 and www.bookmyshow.com
The event is powered by Skoda, associate sponsor is Hindustan International School, hospitality partner is Taj Coromandel, radio partner Fever 91.9, and event manager Show Space.
