| Publication: The Times Of India Chennai; | Date: May 5, 2013; | Section: Times City; | Page: 4 |
Violinists play new tunes to keep the art alive
As One Generation of Artists Goes Off The Stage, The Next Tries Fusion And Films To Draw Audiences
Sandhya Soman | TNN
As she walked into the studio, the guitarists were already jamming, having an earnest improv session. Without missing a beat, Carnatic violinist Viji Krishnan brought out her instrument and started playing. Krishnan’s first jazz jam session was on and she cut her fusion album soon after.
“I didn’t know my co-artists. But music started flowing as I am trained in Carnatic, which can envelop every other kind of music,” says Viji, who has done Carnatic solo concerts and Hollywood soundtracks. She will release a world music album on May 9, which will feature her father and violinist T N Krishnan for the first time.
With the passing away of Lalgudi Jayaraman and M S G o p a l a k r i s h n a n , b o t h Krishnan’s contemporaries, only a handful of south India’s great violinists are left. And the traditions are changing with Viji and her fellow violinists revelling in variety. They jam at intercontinental fusion shows, belt out film songs, or provide accompaniment at a Carnatic concert. “Today, there are more opportunities for bringing out albums, making jingles or working on films as the barriers between fields have come down,” says Viji.
Violin has been at the forefront of change. In the 18th century, it was a novelty and it enticed musicians like Muthuswami Dikshitar. He experimented with this European string instrument and soon it was honed to become an accompanying instrument.
By the 1960s, the trinity, who could match singers in artistry during four-hour concerts, were able to carve out solo careers. “That era is gone when people went for vocalist-violinist combinations like Balamuralikrishna-MSG,” says M Nar madha, violinist and daughter of MSG (Gopalakrishnan). Once the masters set the path, the next generation artists like L Subramaniam and L Shankar created a new international collaborative space for the rest.
But the rules of engagement are strict. “I play pure Carnatic when I am giving kutcheris because that is what my audience wants,” says Narmadha. She works hard to play hits of Yesudas, a trend popularised by the late Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, who drew crowds with his energetic rendering of film songs. Sisters M Lalitha and M Nandini take time out to explain new songs or ragas, whether it is in culture-rich Chennai or a Kerala village. T h e re are snags along the way. With more violinists collaborating with musicians playing electronic instruments, amplification is a must. It sometimes drowns the instrument’s timbre, says Lalgudi G J R Krishnan, son of Jayaraman. But the halls in India, unlike the acoustic auditoriums in Europe, are ill-equipped to convey the nuances. “When companies can sponsor concerts, why can’t they come together to build an acoustic hall?” asks Krishnan, who does fusion and kutcheris.
Then there is the question of following traditions. “It is not easy to debut as a solo violinist as sabha heads ask a youngster to put in some years as an accompanying artist. It is unfair as this rule is not there for the veena and the flute,” says an artist. Viji, who has rarely accompanied singers, says she could break the rule as her father is a big artist.
But the walls are coming down. Viji’s album is for youngsters who have grounding in Carnatic but want something peppy. “At the end of the day, instrumental music doesn’t have any linguistic barriers as anyone can enjoy it,” she says.
sandhya.soman@timesgroup.com
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