|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Wednesday, 22 September 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Artscope | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
The phenomenal Shubha Mudgal From classical vocalist to teenage icon by Tennyson Rodrigo Colombo's music-lovers had the rare opportunity to witness a live performance by Shubha Mudgal during her first visit to Sri Lanka in the first week of September. The India-Sri Lanka Foundation deserves to be commended for arranging this visit which is in keeping with its objective of promoting cultural relations between the two countries.
Mudgal gave two performances, first at the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) and the second at the Bishops' College Auditorium (BCA). Admission was by passes issued free. The versatile and resonant voice of Shubha Mudgal, a vocalist trained in the Indian classical tradition, echoes throughout the length and breadth of India. Though her initial classical upbringing was in the Gwalior Gharana, perhaps a restless urge prompted her relocation to Delhi for further studies. She thus came under the influence of a diverse circle of gurus and styles that included the likes of Pundits Ramashray Jha, (the late) Vinaychandra Moudgalya, Vasant Thakar, Jitendra Abhisheki and Naina Devi. In Kyal genre (a classical style), she is in the class of renowned women vocalists of contemporary India as Kishori Amonkar, Veena Sahasrabuddhe, and Ashvini Bhide Deshbande. However, a compulsive urge to stray into 'forbidden territory' has provoked some controversy in the musical career of Mudgal; whilst that in itself has made her even more heroic among some, it has smudged her image in the eyes of others. Though her detractors might perceive that she is under the spell of an over-driven 'crossover syndrome', she reveals in confronting this challenge and sees opportunities and space for creativity and fun across trans-cultural musical engagement and influences. More about that later. Classical The recital at the ICC was a program of classical and "semi-classical" vocal music. As a classical singer, Mudgal has the stature of a prima donna and has been often described as a diva of Indian singing. As she arrived on the stage, her tall, broad, and stately presence was the most striking impact she created on the audience. As is customary, Mudgal commenced her recital in the classical format of Kyal. She chose raga Puriya Dhanashri in 12-beat EkThaal (rhythm) in Vilambit Laya (slow tempo), and switched over to Madya Laya but closer to fast-medium. The rendition carried the stamp of authority, technical brilliance and intonation of all the subtleties of colour and dynamics in the execution of thaans, gamak and other ornamental expositions of a raga. Mudgal is a multi-faceted singer and her renditions of Indian music in other traditional idioms such as Thumri, Dadra, Chaiti and Jhoola have been characterized by a stylistic elegance of her own. She chose the Khamaj raga in Rupak and Theen Thaal to introduce the transition from Kyal to Thumri. She then exemplified the interpenetrating influence between the two classical traditions by singing raga Srasvati borrowed from Karnatic music and rendering it in the Dadra idiom. All this was enchanting enough but the most captivating moment in her light music repertoire was the lilting imagery she evoked with her song about the swing - the poetry and beauty of the swaying movements expressed by the melody and lyrics of Dheere Dheere Jhoolao Sukumari. Mudgal was accompanied on the thabla by her husband Aneesh Pradhan who, in addition to being an accomplished thablist, is a composer. The other accompanists were Sudhir Nayak (harmonium), and Murad Ali (sarangi). Fusion Evolution of music-cultures through social interaction is as old as human migration. Though music doesn't seem to have survival value, its evolution appears to parallel Darwinism in the sense that it is gradual, indiscernible and takes place over centuries or even millennia. Fusion is a term that I am not altogether comfortable with. Often there is a tendency to talk about fusion of things that inherently are infusible. The result is a kind of jarring 'multi-layering' devoid of expressive unity. Experimentation on the other hand is a conscious activity driven by man's desire for innovation, curiosity and creativity. The idea of experimentation to orchestrate, transpose or combine in various ways the essential features of Indian classical music with other identities is not new. Many accomplished practitioners have been engaged in this type of diversion and some continue to do so from time to time. Nowadays there is a tendency to refer to these attempts as "crossovers". Composing music for films or classical dances is another activity that some classicists have successfully done. In this regard one might recall that Ravi Shankar played as a soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra under Andre Previn; Satyajit Ray commissioned Ravi Shankar as well as Vilyat Khan to do the music for Ray's renowned Apu Trilogy and Jalsaghar respectively. Thabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain composed the music for the award-winning film "Mr and Mrs Iyer"; starting from as far back as the 1970s, John McLaughlin (guitarist) collaborated with artists of the calibre of Zakir Hussain, Chaurasia (bansuri), Vikku Vinayakram (ghatam) to produce music that contain elements of Indian classical, jazz and other identities. They have played for highly appreciative audiences in such prestigious locations as the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Royal Festival Hall, London, and made CD recordings of their performances. In the main, these engagements have been of an ad hoc or one-off nature in the sense that the Indian counterparts have remained anchored to the sum and substance of their recognized virtuosities or identities. They continue to remain renowned for their respective virtuosities. Experimentation Mudgal has not been an exception when it comes to experimentation, exploration and offbeat activity. She has written music for dance performances of reputed dancers. Kathak exponent Aditi Mangaldas is one of them - she performed here at the Neelan Tiruchelvam commemoration with music by Mudgal, a passing reference to which I had made in a Review of that performance. She has written music for other renowned dancers like Sonal Mansingh, Prema Shrimali and ballet music for Meera and Krishna Katha. Her musical collaboration with Mira Nair for the epic filmKama Sutra is another celebrated achievement and the music for the documentary Amrit Beej won the "Best Music Direction Award". Moreover, Mudgal has further pursuits in the exploration of her musical curiosities. She has derived much inspiration from mystic Sufism, the pantheistic type of Islam that relies heavily on the use of music and poetry for communion with the Absolute. The poems of Kabir, Amir Khusrau and of contemporary Faiz and Gulzaar, set to music by Mudgal, have enriched her repertoire of songs. However, unlike other typical classicists, Mudgal is unstoppable. Her crossover compulsions show no limits and bounds and right now she is into 'Indi Pop', Rock and 'Bollywood' cultures to an extent that wherever she goes, Mudgal is hunted down by her idolizing teenagers for autographs. From Khoshish to Blasphemy The second leg of Mudgal's recital was at the BCA. The formalized part of this segment was called 'Khoshish' which is said to convey the idea of 'power through restraint'. The stage was set for an ensemble performance with piano, keyboard, drum set and base guitar in addition to the harmonium, thabla and the sarangi used at the ICC. The instrumental arrangements had clearly discernible jazz features - syncopation, solo parts, and routines could have been from any jazz group and indeed having elements of restraint and good blending. But every item had the resounding if sensuous voice of Mudgal with many features of classical Hindustani music superimposed on the orchestration. A high point of this segment was a rendition of songs derived from the poems of Sufi saints that turned out to be atmospheric. This was awesome, high-voltage singing somewhat reminiscent of the late Ustad Nusrat Fatez Ali Khan, the Pakistani singer of Sufi Qawwalis. All that was very exciting and it brought to an end the formal segment of the BCA performance. I didn't bargain for what was next to come since I assumed the show had ended. But soon there was drama to be unleashed. The members of the orchestra were summarily asked to leave the stage and Mudgal alone stood in front of a set of microphones. She had a word with her sound engineer and in a jiffy she was spewing a raucous lashing of "Indi Pop" and Bollywoodian music-culture obviously knowing that the sizable Indian community was expecting just that - "I am going to sing more if you buy me dinner" said she; the fans responded swaying their bodies, hands outstretched to the heavens above, mimicking hysterical teenagers in an American stadium. Mudgal has a voice box that can fire on all cylinders endlessly and tirelessly. The BCA was transformed to a disco with flashing lights and thundering pre-recorded electronic sound that hurt the ear drums. The absence of a smoke machine somehow was an incongruity. "The next song is the one that got me into trouble" she said, referring to a track probably from her album Ab ke Sawan which Mudgal would admit is irreverent blasphemy in a classical singer's repertoire. Flagrant was the metamorphosis of Mudgal from the sedate splendour she was at the ICC to the exploding dynamite on the precincts of Beira Lake. I was wishing the pop profusion would soon end but there were many who enjoyed and wanted to keep going. I do not dislike or disapprove of any particular musical genre. But in music, as in life itself, one has to make discriminating choices. By religion, I worship the music of Indian classical and European traditions. It takes me to an abode of sublime peace, contemplative poignancy and separation from the often-brutal world around. "Indi-Pop" is in the domain of the mass market where there are many players and more than a vein of commercialism. If Mudgal seeks a permanent divorce from her classical staple, it will be a minor gain for pop music but a huge loss for the classical genre. **** Back **** |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
