Splendour of Masters

A concert with Anindo Chatterjee & Guru Kaaraikkudi Mani, Ustad Shahid Parvez and Sudha Ragunathan & Sanjay Abhayankar

Notes post listening

Observer and observed - Being - Hear TO sense or the other way around. Ghatam and mrudagam - deep and surface

Talam keeper - what does he listen to? Rhythm that was familiar vs unfamiliar rhythm

Can we ever avoid listening and therefore learning cognition. All the above happened because the observer took over multiple times

Carnatic - Force. Robust 

Sitar

Tough. Being moved in time. Many moments of being far away from hearing. Arohi avarohi - the audience murmured wah wah and clapped, then I heard it - the delicate lowest note that an instrument could make - made :). Was sublime, then paid attention to it on my own. Knew when the aalap started. Crescendo appreciated, speed appreciated - why?Middle two upbeat. Last song downbeat

Abogi sa to ma Kalavati 

Carnatic and Hindustani 

Jasrangi - Morchana- 4th note as first note then 4th becomes 1,23,4. Male pitch to female pitch match, Only with sa and ma. The artist appreciated you noticing true nuance. Bindu! You appreciate too dude.  The Rasmalai of it all.

Reflection: There were three different performances, all blending in the Carnatic and the Hindustani. The feel of the place and the people immediately permeates you and your level of listening. I went with a Rasika (not in the technical sense but more so in the love for music sense). As I became part of the experience, the sensing part of it became heightened, not so much of the music itself but more of the ‘mahaul’. The people who came in late, the offbeat tapper in front of me, the quiet murmurings of children who couldn’t stand still. All this was increased when I was not ‘with’ the music. The fact that I was constantly trying to draw myself back to the music was useful - I caught multiple moments of being one with the others and with the performers, what did that look like? Being outside my head rather than inside it.

The first step into understanding why it is important to KNOW what you are listening too and why building knowledge of classical is important. The nuances are so important to build a ‘relation’(Hearing) with the artist. He/She has it there to connect with and it is an important piece of connect in Sensing and Hearing? Is sahahridaya possible with a nuanced and deeper understanding of the craft, especially one that needs rigour to master?