Mellifluous rendition of various ragas, fluidity while performing raga alapana and swara prastra and a nereval that makes an audience swoon to his tunes — are some of the features that the Saxophone artiste, Shankaranarayana V render the concerts.
In conversation with City Express, the artiste spoke at length about the present scenario for budding artistes in Carnatic Classical music industry and also the importance of nurturing the potential of young artistes.
The artiste, a disciple of Subramanium Pillai, initially learnt Nadaswaram and later started taking saxophone lessons. "I had a passion for learning how to play the saxophone since childhood. But learning Nadaswaram was very important too.
Learning Nadaswaram helped me explore the nuances of classical music especially with fingering movements and breath control while playing the saxophone," said the artiste.
However, many musicians believe that, today in order to pursue their passion in music, young artistes are giving up their lucrative jobs and taking up music as their career. But many aren’t getting apt recognition. When asked about the same, he said: “A performer has to prove his mettle within a limited time frame. Musicians should make use of this opportunity to enthral audiences with his music. There are many good vocalists and instrumentalists in the industry but most of the times their talent goes unnoticed.” According to him, the main aim of a musician is to spread knowledge and uphold the tradition of Indian classical music. “In order to achieve any recognition, every musician needs a patron who nourishes his musical talent. Organisers must recognise such talent and give them an opportunity to showcase their expertise on the subject,” he added.
The artiste who serves as a lecturer at Tirupathi Music College, wishes to continue to impart his knowledge to a large number of students in the country.