Being lulled to sleep late at night by some of your favourite pieces of music, is something everyone has experienced. Anil Srinivasan’s Sandhya Raaga concert, a fundraiser organised in favour of the National Association of the Blind on Sunday at The Savera, was much the same. Except that, the smooth notes of the piano lulled you into a trance – the type where nothing other than the music mattered.
The evening, which started off with copious wine and beer for the guests, turned into a completely different affair when the lights dimmed. A candlelit affair, the first round was short – but the music, a rendition of the 1945 Meera’s Kaatrinile Varum Geetham and a western classical song, made up for the length. One song flowed into the other and back again until the audience could only play guessing games about where one began and the other ended.
But the second set was the one that was highly anticipated by the 300-odd guests packed into Savera’s ballroom, and not just because Anil was going to play the piano blindfolded. To top it off, the musician was also going to play songs that were requested by the audience. From Ilayaraaja’s Thumbi Vaa and the Mouna Raagam score to several classical songs, ending with Alaipayudhe.
The third and fourth sets were pure music, with Anil playing notes to a video for the third round. Two breathtaking voiceless documentaries — Baraka and Samsara – came to life with Anil’s piano providing the background score. But this was not the most satisfactory moment for the guests. That came when Nina Reddy, executive director of the hotel, announced that they had collected nearly `15 lakh, including donations, from the evening alone. It was certainly one of those evenings to cherish.