Between the notes of a Carnatic concert
DISCLAIMER: I am no critic and, most definitely, not an expert.
Having dabbled in Carnatic music years ago, learning from good teachers, and having listened to copious concert recordings of stalwarts right from childhood- and a number of live concerts to date, has provided enough fodder to ruminate on the complexities and intricacies of rendering Carnatic music on a public stage – what makes one shine and the other drab – the difficulties of getting the right mix of less overt factors.
After a few concerts of various types this season, many thoughts struck me – the main artiste who was a notch above the accompanists – who were adequate, even good, but not at that level. Yet, the accompanists made more of an impact on me. They were sincere and trying their best. The vocalist exuded superiority in every breath and glance. The accompanists listened and watched very intently and raised their own bars a good notch, surprising the proud vocalist – their sincere attempt on a live stage deserved note.
Realising one’s own inadequacies is a huge plus. There is the rather ‘blah’ main artiste with a posse of excellent accompanists – realising one’s own inadequacies, this person works constantly in tandem with these stars, all of whom are so not just for playing ability but for their unassuming attitude too. This concert too touches new heights.
That one vocalist had drawn inspiration from certain other artistes was evident – that is, of course, constantly encouraged and expected in Indian classical music, but blind copying results in something that just seems farcical. In my opinion, one should absorb ideas but deliver them in a manner authentic to oneself. Then, I thought about the other main artiste who had done just that – I could identify certain specific sources of inspiration but was left marvelling at how beautifully this artiste had lent one’s own unmistakable stamp and style to it – and what a nice experience it was!
Trying hard is one thing but there is something called trying too hard or doing too much. The work and practice put in is clear but the concert does not satisfy. One is actually tempted to leave (and I have done that a few times) prior to the end of the concert and then one ruminates on how sad it is that some have it all but can just not moderate and blend the ingredients in a sincere way.
Sincerity is THE most important quality in an artiste – at least for me. I am turned off immediately by those putting on a show, however elaborate, to achieve the so-called ‘impact’. I find ‘fake’ bhavam intolerable and my mind wandered to artistes whose main fault, according to the published critics, is lack of that bhavam – but self-same critic (and many others) enjoys the program (a lot) because it is authentic. It becomes a case of having to say something negative just to balance the positive.
I reflected on the camaraderie of the team on stage (yes – they ARE a team) and how it affects the concert, at least from my perspective, sitting in the audience. Every concert I have enjoyed reflected good communication and camaraderie on stage DURING the program. I think it would be excellent if this is also something that teachers convey to their students. This, admittedly, comes with experience, but I know that many do not even KNOW that this is an important factor in delivering the best at a concert. The accompanists appreciate the main artiste communicating with them– the percussionists could accentuate better, the violinist could anticipate better and the violinist communicating with the percussionist (s) helps the violinist’s segment sound that much more exciting while the percussionist (s) get kudos for playing that bit SO perfectly. Overall, the entire concert gets significantly elevated. This one quality would particularly help the not-yet-quite-at-the-top artistes, already struggling to get the best billing for their programs, get the most bang for their sadhana.
In one concert I attended, the vocalist and violinist had eyes closed during much of neraval and kalpanaswaras – the mridangist spent some time looking for some indication, and bravely tried to anticipate. To me, a spectator, I was all but itching to tell them to look at each other – it was so obvious how much better it would have been had everyone made eye contact with each other.
Last but not at all the least, being absolutely correct and perfect every single second is less important than being spontaneous, I feel. I have heard stalwarts stumble but proceed to make outstanding music barely a few seconds later – there are even stories of some ragas resulting from accidental faux pas’ of stalwarts. Rehearsed perfection is nice to listen to once, maybe twice, but spontaneity? Timeless. Recently, I heard one artiste stumble a couple of times – but go on, unflustered, to render a prayoga that just barely eluded seconds ago. It was applause worthy. Those in the know, well, know what it takes to produce good quality music – and that mistakes are part and parcel. I am reminded of how Arijit Mahalanabis, Guru of Hindustani music, said a concert should be thought of as just another practice session. Enough work must have already been put in earlier to just be able to go out and perform.
