The Hindu Friday Review November Fest will feature — in its opening concert 0titled “Adrishta” —Ganesh Rajagopalan (of the violin duo Ganesh-Kumaresh) and Debashish Bhattacharya, who will perform together for the very first time in India. (Adrishta was first performed at the reputed Théâtre de la Ville in Paris.) The former is a virtuoso violinist from the folds of Carnatic music, the latter a Grammy-nominated slide guitarist from a Hindustani background — the concert, therefore, presents the rare spectacle of two non-traditional Indian instruments spanning the spectrum of Indian classical music, mixing and matching ragas from both systems. Ganesh and Debashish's process is one of extensive rehearsals, which results in a perfect blend of Carnatic and Hindustani music. They will be accompanied by Patri Satish Kumar (mridangam), Trichy Krishna (ghatam) and Abhijit Banerjee (tabla). Next up is Acoustic Tamasha, by the eccentrically named group, Subject to Change, whose tone is an exclusively acoustic one, rooted in rock, folk, blues and rock ‘n' roll, with swirls of R & B, indie, alternative and indigenous music styles.
Medley magic
Subject to Change is addicted to medleys, and the ‘Deadly Medley' has become one of their signature performances. These medleys also include Tamil film songs. This addiction has spawned several other concoctions, and though the group combines the work of other musicians, they are defined by their signature oddities.
The performers are guitarist/vocalist, Aakash Jacob, guitarist Toby Joseph, vocalist Anisha Verghese, Vocalist Anjana Raghavan, Bass guitarist Wayne Fernandez and the famous playback singer/percussionist Benny Dayal, who has had several hits with A.R. Rahman.
True to the festival's mission of showcasing diverse musical genres, the next concert is “Lahori Blues”, featuring the duo Zeb and Haniya, described as “among the most innovative musicians in Pakistan,” in their first live performance in India.
For humanity
This is a concert with a truly global sound. Zeb and Haniya's songs in Turkish, Dari, and Pashto are set to music influenced by the classical tradition of the Indian subcontinent, Latin and west African grooves, American folk and blues. As they describe it, “Their music speaks to a shared base of human experience while evoking the rich and textured soundscapes of West Asia.”
The festival concludes with Tribute to Pancham Da, which was showcased in the November Fest in Chennai last year and which features the best of RD Burman's songs over the decades — medleys, melodies, rock'n'roll numbers, dance numbers, soulful songs and romantic ballads, from the 1960s, when the composer started out, to the 1990s, when he was cruelly taken away from us.
Evergreen numbers
These evergreen numbers are presented by four young voices — the versatile playback singer Karthik, the Hindustani and Carnatic vocalist Kalyani Nair, the ardent aficionado Gopal Rao, and the multifaceted Gayatri Asokan, known for her felicity with ghazals, Hindustani classical, film music and bhajans. They will be accompanied by Bennet and the Band, who, in their words, are a balanced hybrid of otherwise opposing forces like emotional expression and calculated composition, Indian classical and jazz with overtones of progressive rock.
It's not just these four concerts showcasing diverse musical influences. This year marks a watershed in the evolution of the The Hindu Friday Review November Fest because it travels this month to four other South Indian cities — Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and, for the very first time, Kochi. In all, the Fest will feature 20 concerts by 14 groups from six countries. For the discerning music lover, is there a better place to be?
The sponsors for the event are: Title sponsor: Bose. Associate Sponsors: HIRCO, Nestle-Sunrise, Tata Indigo Manza, United India Insurance, Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief, Ultra brand of products from Elgi Ultra Industries. Hospitality Partner: Le Meridien, Coimbatore. Cultural Partner: Indian Council For Cultural Relations. Channel Partner: CNN IBN. Event Manager: Showspace. Mall Partner: Brookefields
SCHEDULE
November 17 Adrishta (Ganesh Rajagopalan, Debashish Bhattacharya)
November 18 Acoustic Tamasha (Subject to Change)
November 19 Lahori Blues (Zeb and Haniya)
November 20 Tribute to Pancham Da (Karthik, Kalyani Nair, Gopal Rao, Gayatri Asokan, accompanied by Bennet and the Band)
All performances will take place at Corporation Kalaiarangam, R.S. Puram, at 7.30 p.m.
TICKETS
Tickets are priced at Rs. 400 / 250 / 100. Season passes are available for Rs. 1300/ Rs. 750.
Online Tickets for all shows can be purchased at >www.thehindu.com/novemberfest and >www.indianstage.in .
Tickets for all shows also available at Photo Centre (Sai Baba colony and Race Course Road); Nilgiris (R.S.Puram, Vadavalli, Ramanathapuram); Brookefields; and The Hindu (19&20, ATT Colony, LIC Road; from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
Student passes are available at 50% discount on least denomination. They can be availed on production of ID or photocopy ONLY at the venue on the concert days
Helpline numbers: 99948-11466, 0422-2212572/2217538
BIGGER AND BETTER
The Hindu Friday Review November Fest, which was launched in Chennai in 2005, is back in Coimbatore for the second time. It travels, this year, to four other South Indian cities – Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and, for the very first time, Kochi.
