CHENNAI: The first performance of the newly launched musical ensemble – The Indian National Orchestra – was like a journey through India from the north to south and east to west. It combined the main classical forms of music, classical and Hindustani, and added a dash of folk as well.
The concert began with a Ganapathi Vandanam in Raagam Gambheera Nattai.
The second piece was a tribute to the dancing peacock – the national bird of India, and an aspect of pride. Presented in Reethigowla and being one of the most South Indian influenced ragas, it was true to the nature and significance attached to the proud peacock.
A tribute to the holy river Ganga, the national rive of India, immediately followed.
Presented in Raagam Gangeshwari, originally created by Pandit Ravishankar himself, verses for the song were chosen from a composition by Adi Sankaracharya titled Gangashthakam.
Three verses from the ashthakam were chosen and weaved into musical portrayal of the creation of Ganges growing from mere droplets to becoming a fullfledged river.
The next two pieces were “Himalayan Heights,” portraying the majesty of the mountains in Raagam Haricharan, and a piece representing folk music of both the north and the south, presented in Raag Behaag. Last but not least was “Kashmir to Kanyakumari” – presented in Raagam Sindhu Bhairavi because this raga gels with all forms of Indian music – be it Carnatic or Hindustani, classical or folk.
Organised in the auspices of Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, the evening was presided over by Leela Samson, chairperson of Sangeeth Natak Akademy and director of Kalakshetra along with well-known classical vocalist and playback singer Bombay Jayashree, along with many others.
The Indian National Orchestra comprises of 22 artistes who performed a musical dialogue between 15 different instruments on a single stage. The ensemble included Dr Jayanthi Kumaresh on the Veena; Abhishek Raghuram (vocals), Akkarai Subbulakshmi, Akkarai Sornalatha and Charulatha Ramanujam (on the violin); Sikkil Mala Chandrasekhar and Naveen Iyer (on the flute); Murad Ali on the sarangi; Rafeeq Khan and Shafeeq Khanon the sitar; Patri Satish Kumar and Neyveli Narayanan (mridangam); Ghatam Dr S Kathick; Guruprasanna(kanjeera); Uday Raj karpoor (tabla); Pramath Kiran (special percussion); Ambarish Amaravadi and Ramya Raghavan (veena artistes); Uthra (vocal support) and Nadaswaram Sri Lakshman and group, Raja (Thavil). The keyboard arrangement was by Girishh Gopalakrishnan.
The INO was conceived to unite the country musically, to make a comprehensive representation of the country’s musical heritage and to have national body consisting of prominent musicians to perform in one voice for one purpose.