Carnatic compositions with an acapella twist
CHENNAI: Remember the songs by the Bellas in Pitch Perfect or Kamal Hassan’s Nammavar? What makes these songs stand apart is they have performed acapella. Now, can you imagine this technique
getting a Carnatic twist? If you can’t, then renowned Carnatic musician Sakethraman and 26 of his students from Kala Shiksha Academy will present a live, Carnatic acapella performance, to showcase the intricacies and versatility of the genre. The performance sans instruments is one where the vocalists make sounds with their mouths and mimic traditional instruments that are used to accompany the vocals. It will be held on June 25 at 6 pm in Narada Gana Sabha.
To the uninitiated, the world of Carnatic music can seem complex. Sakethraman wants to break that notion. “The goal behind this entire concert is to bring newer audiences to Carnatic music concerts. I want to show them that rules and traditions are not the only aspects of Carnatic music. There is a myth that Carnatic music is rigid, and with this performance, I wish to show audiences that there is room for innovation and exploration even within structure,” he says.
Sakethraman chooses to innovate his craft through the inclusion of acapella, skits, and drama woven into his concert. There are ten teachers in his academy who teach acapella, and he especially mentions Rajalakshmi, whose contributions were critical in the journey of this concert.
While brainstorming, Sakethraman, Rajalakshmi and the other teachers came up with the idea of integrating acapella with Carnatic music. “It’s fascinating and fun to see what sounds a human mouth is capable of reproducing. There is so much unexplored potential when it comes to mimicking sounds, and I wish to tap into that. From chords to choruses, acapella is a newer way to explore lyrics as well,” he says, when asked what his favourite part of singing acapella was.
With an overarching theme of ‘Vergalai Thedi’, finding our roots, Sakethraman chooses to bring in the importance of finding our heritage through our kula deivams, or our ancestral deities. “While we worship our favourite Gods via songs and concerts, our kula deivams are reduced to an annual visit, or in some cases, forgotten.
So many people do not even know who their family deities are. And they tend to forget with time, the place that they come from. And using my skits, and my performances, I wish to remind them,” he says. Exclusive tracks have been specially composed for this event, keeping in mind its variety of performances, with a goal to bring in newer ideas into this age-old tradition of music.
The performers in this concert are students from the Kala Shikha Music Academy who come from rural backgrounds. “They come from very modest families; families that aren’t exposed to Carnatic music. And to bring them here and make them perform in front of an audience...it is a dream come true for some of them,” he shares. With the integration of digital displays and stories woven into its lyrics, Sakethraman hopes that his efforts to change the narrative around Carnatic music bears fruits.