 |
| THE HINDU- METRO plus Monday February 14, 2000 |
| Bowing for Joy The Madras String Quartet comes together every Sunday for the sheer joy of playing Western Classical music |
| This music group is unique in many ways. Its members eat, drink and breathe music-the Western Classical kind. It is their vocation, profession, recreation and respite and they call themselves the Madras String Quartet. When you enter a rigorous practice session is going on for their performance on Feb.20 at the Museum Theatre. The music that flows so captivatingly into your ears transports you to a serene world of soothing, scintillating sound |
| V.S.Narasimhan, much respected name in cinema and Western classical music circles is guiding force of the group. He and Krishna Murali are the violinists of the quartet. V.R.Sekar is the cellist while B.J.Chandran plays the viola. |
| "The three are excellent with their instruments. I am happy to be working with a group which is so thoroughly proficient", says Narasimhan. |
| V.S.Narasimhan is till today an indispensable part of Ilaiyaraja's orchestra and his skill in orchestration has been acclaimed by veterans in the field of classical music. Earlier Narasimhan, had worked with a larger group called the Madras Chamber Orchestra, for more than a decade. When the group split these four like-minded musicians whose passion for music incredible, got together to form the string quartet, a rarity in Chennai. They meet every Sunday and practice the best of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn... the repertoire is vast and rich too. The sustenance they gain from these sessions, keeps them rejuvenated for a whole week. "There is not much money in Western Classical, and our audience is still a limited one. Yet we have been going on for the past seven years only because of our sheer love for music..." says this cr�me de la cr�me in unison. |
| All the four are cinema musicians basically, so though time is a constraint they never give up their enlightening Sunday sessions. |
| The significant feature of a Western Classical music performance is that mikes are never used. So absolute silence is imperative. The quietness that pervades Western music concerts is sadly missing in Carnatic music recitals feels Narasimhan, who is well trained in Carnatic music too. "It is all a question of attitude", says Narasimhan. And adds that many Carnatic musicians too have an attitude problem as far as other forms of music are concerned. " They wear blinkers...we should be open and receptive to other forms of good music and imbibe them", says this successful son of gottuvadyam player, Srinivasan. |
| Sekar, the cellist, intervenes at this juncture, to say that a few people like his father, violinist Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, appreciate and accept the alluring features of Western Classical music. Another person who always encouraged the quartet is Karaikudi Mani. |
| For its part, the quartet plans to blend the best of Indian and Western music in their future performances. |
| Narasimhan is also very happy about having been the soloist of Ilaiyaraja's " How to Name It" "A wonderful attempt....a nice blend of the Indian and Western", he says. |
| At no point will the quartet aim at fusion music as conceived today. "We'll stick to our purely classical form", they say. |
| All the four feel that playing Ludwig van Beethoven's quartet pieces is most challenging. And to them the greater the challenge the more the pleasure. They also love playing Mozart. |
| Narasimhan travels a lot to foreign countries, observes, learns and brings back the best in music for the quartet to know and assimilate. "We have to keep ourselves abreast and always there is so much to learn..." says Narasimhan. |
| B.J.Chandran, whom the others refer to as a "sensible performer," is basically a violinist, who began playing on the viola to be part of the quartet. " It is a dream come true for me. I wanted to be a part of Madras Chamber Orchestra itself..." |
| To violinist Krishna Murali, playing with the group is a "soul-satisfying sojourn". |
| The synchrony of the four instruments, the different sounds that emanate and climax into an orchestrated whole give him much happiness, he explains. |
| Sekar, is convinced that individual improvement for him as a musician is marked mainly because he is part of the quartet. |
| The group can be reached on the net at www.geocities.com/nara6 |
| It is confluence of souls whose penchant for music is immeasurable. With the right kind of sponsorship they can work wonders. Their aim is, says Narasimhan is to take Western Classical music in all its pristine purity to educational institutions all over and inspire our youngsters to realise and learn the greatness of it. "There are so many kinds of music like jazz, pop and rock, but our concentration will always be revited to classical music" He utters the words with conviction and the rest nod in assent. MALATHI RANGARAJAN |
| RESONANCE a string quartet's journey in the land of temple |
| No. |
| 1. |
| Navaragamalika |
| 2. |
| Palukavademira |
| 3. |
| Esane |
| 4. |
| Raghuvamsa |
| 5. |
| Amba Kamakshi |
| THE HINDU Monday July 3, 2000 Resonance- The Madras String Quartet (Oriental Records), It was in the early 19th century that Baluswamy Dikshitar introduced the violin to Indian music. Since then, this instrument and its cousin, the viola, have retained a pivotal place in Indian music. The Madras String Quartet, comprising of the leader V.S.Narasimhan (violin), Krishna Murali (violin), V.R.Sekar (cello) and B.J.Chandran (viola) has attempted something unusual. The quartet has played some Carnatic compositions in Western classical style. The resulting combination of melody and harmony constantly resonates in your mind! 'Raghuvamsasudha' in Kathanakuthuhalam is played in a stately style, while 'Amba Kamakshi' in Bhairavi sounds majestic. The rhythms of the various compositions have been beautifully integrated into the arrangements. The versatility of Narasimhan, who is the brain behind the project, is evident throughout, specially his composition in Bilae is completely at ease in both Indian and Western classical styles which is rare in a musician. However, one wished the record company had given a listing of songs instead of printing an ad overleaf. Buyers will not have an idea about the cassette or the songs! This album will serve as an excellent introduction to both the genres of music. A must buy! Excellent. SAVITHA PADMANABHAN |
| Krishna nee beagane baro |
| 9. |
| Mohanalahari |
| 8. |
| Sara sara samarai |
| 7. |
| Mokshamu |
| 6. |
| The album and its pieces |
 |
| NEWS & VIEWS |
| Email us |
|
|
| HOME |
 |