Mumbai, The National Centre for the Performing Arts, Indias premier arts and culture institution, celebrates Janmashtami and the legend of Krishna, with the Indian Music festival, Shyam Rang, on 5th & 6th August, 2010, at the Experimental Theatre, NCPA, with performances by well-known artists Sanjeev Abhyankar and Kaushiki Chakraborty.
None has inspired so much music as has Krishna. Meerabai sang his bhajans, there are Krishna-inspired kajris, khayals, dadras and thumris, which sing of love for Him. Krishna has been epitomised as the colourful Lord - from the fancy peacock feather to the divine music created by his flute. Shyam becomes a colour one willingly immerses oneself in.
Sanjeev will explore the theme of Krishna through the traditional repertoire of pads, bhajans and allied songs, from the literature of saint-poets of the Vaishnav and Bhakti sects, whereas Kaushiki will present a special selection of khayal, thumri, bandish ki thumri, dadra and kajri compositions. Both performers will weave a colourful tapestry of sound and emotion as they communicate the mood underlying the sahitya.
The devotion Lord Krishna inspires transcends all religious and linguistic boundaries. In music he is sought, loved, danced with, danced to, missed, prayed to and found.
Dr. Suvarnalata Rao, Head - Programming (Indian Music), NCPA, says, In Music, Lord Krishna is celebrated. Its been two years since we started Shyam Rang at the NCPA, hoping to see newer aspects of Krishna through new voices. This year, the vocalists Sanjeev and Kaushiki are exponents of two of the most ornamental gharanas in Indian music, are sure to paint an appealing and colourful picture on cloudy Mumbai evenings.
Sanjeev Abhyankar is trained by Pandit Jasraj, the most respected exponent of Mewati gharana alive today. This gharana gives importance to developing the mood of the raga with profuse embellishment, making it intricately beautiful and absorbing for the audiences. An internationally acclaimed artist in Indian Music, Sanjeev has also won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 1999, for Suno Re Bhaila from the Hindi film Godmother.
Kaushiki Chakraborty, daughter of famous vocalist Ajoy Chakraborty, learned from Gnan Prakash Ghosh, who was her fathers guru, and then trained with her father. She inherits styles of Patiala gharana which, like Mewati, is known for the ornamentation
and execution of intrinsic tans. Kaushiki has participated in many major concerts, including the Dover Lane Music Conference, the ITC Sangeet Sammelan in India, the Spring Festival of Music (California), and Parampara Program (Los Angeles).
Come, get drenched in the colors of Krishna with Shyam Rang at the NCPA.
An informative pre-concert talk will be given by Dr Suvarnalata Rao and will help the audience understand and appreciate the music better.
Daily Tickets: Rs. 300/- & 200/-
Box Office: July 26 for Members and July 29 for the Public
To use the online booking facility simply log on to the NCPA official website
Notes to Editor
About the NCPA
Inaugurated in 1969, the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai, exists to provide leadership on a national level as Indias premier performing arts, research and training centre through the presentation of Indian and international art forms, the promotion of excellence and the preservation of Indian & International cultural heritage.
