BENGALURU: Bengaluru is finally getting its groove back after two years of lockdowns and curfews. But we all know that life in Bengaluru isn’t complete without some music and culture. So if that’s something you feel like you’ve been lacking lately, then this event couldn’t have come at a better time.The Chamber Orchestra, the principal bowed-string ensemble from the Bangalore School of Music (BSM), is gearing up to present its first
major offline performance since the pandemic hit, at the Alliance Francaise Auditorium, on Saturday, July 16 at 7 pm. Composed almost entirely of non-career musicians from all walks of life, the BSM Chamber Orchestra was empanelled by the ICCR in 2012.V Narayanaswamy, who has been the conductor of the orchestra for 28 years and is also faculty at Christ (deemed to be) University, says, “The programme for
the evening will expose audiences to an electric and rare mix of string orchestra repertoire.”
The ensemble’s repertoire combines works from the classical realm, while also ensuring toinclude a range of lighter pieces from film and popular music in their concerts.“We will be playing pieces by Richard Wagner, Jean Sibelius, Georg Philipp Telemann, Tomaso Vitali, and a few well-known and loved film scores such as the Love Theme from The Godfather by Nino Rota,” says Anant Kamath, the principal violinist of the orchestra.
When Narayanaswamy started the Chamber Orchestra, he began with a small string ensemble. Fast forward 28 years, the ensemble now has 18 permanent members, and is “occasionally joined by professional musicians from across India and abroad for brief visiting periods, including even woodwind and brass players, with whom there is mutual benefit and cultural exchange,” adds Kamath. One of the noteworthy aspects about the ensemble is the visible age of the members – the orchestra comprises young players aged 14, right up to seasoned members aged over 70, all of whom share thoughts and ideas about music and the compositions with each other, as well as learn from one another.