Please share a couple of your favourites tracks for the uninitiated – where the Piano has played a key role to create the base of the track, but neither has that been understood of credited to the instrument.
Through Bollywood history, we ' ve had the piano in memorable songs. Who can forget " Yeh Shaam Mastani " in Kati Patang, or in " Ami Chini Go Chini " in Charulata( Satyajit Ray). Tamil saw composers like MS Viswanathan and Ilayaraja use the piano in hundreds of songs. In both songs that I mentioned, the piano has been the base on which the melody was formed, plays all the key melodic transitions, and provides the base harmonies- except we don ' t particularly notice it!
Please share your thoughts on collaborations, why has the trend become so important today and whether the current musical climate is doing justice to the very thought of a collaborative space.
Collaborations have always been the way music has progressed, from time immemorial. I don ' t think the idea of collaborations itself is new. Film scores in the early era required as many as 70 or 80 musicians and technicians coming together to produce just a few minutes of memorable melody.
In recent times, thanks to new media and internet media, these craftsmen are also visible to the audience, and has egged people on to be bolder and more virtuosic in their displays. And hence we have a collaborative performance construct that is always changing and being more exciting.
I ' ve worked with classical greats such as Sudha Raghunathan, Sikkil Gurucharan, Unnikrishnan, Aruna Sairam, U Shrinivas, Ravikiran, Jayanthi Kumaresh, U Rajesh and even legends such as Dr Umayalpuram Sivaraman in the South. I ' ve had the privilege of working with names such as Pt Sanjeev Abhyankar, Gaurav Mazumdar, Rakesh Chaurasia and others in the North.
At the same time, I ' ve had the chance to participate in shows celebrating the music of Ilayaraja, while today ' s film music composers in the South are all friends and collaborators.
I ' ve played solo, or my collaborative project of novel Carnatic music presentation with Sikkil Gurucharan, or with dance or theatre, with mythology( Devdutt Pattanaik)- and continue to expand the scope and range of possibilities for the piano.
TOUCH commemorates ALL of it- and does so in all the richness and grandeur that the grand piano brings to the table!
Your take on film music? We hear that there is enough and more interest from music directors down south to have you feature on film soundtracks. Are there specific films you’ ve played in?
Film music is at a very interesting juncture in its long history in India. More and more people are getting into the fray, more experimental music is the name of the game – and many exciting young talents are getting exposure. Thanks to my friendship with many of the younger musicians, I’ ve played quite a few tracks in films in recent times. I am most excited about the upcoming“ rock piano” track in the film“ Sathuram”( Tamil), with music by young maestro Girishh Gopalakrishnan. I look forward to the music being made by young geniuses such as Santhosh Narayan, Sean Roldan and G V Prakash, all of whom are great friends.
What was the thought behind Piano Mani? Was it difficult to add a context considering Mani comes with his own strong brand of musicality attached to his name?
It was a simple tribute on YouTube to a person I greatly admire both
We don ' t have a scene that specifically focuses on the piano as an instrument enough to sustain a rewarding career. Western classical music is on the rise, largely due to the efforts of individuals, but nowhere close to the effort required to make this a mainstream ideal.
In this context, to play Indian classical-influenced music on the piano, or to even make an aesthetic that is contemporary and new has been an uphill challenge.
personally and professionally – the inimitable Mani Ratnam. I’ ve had the privilege of doing stage shows with his wife, Suhasini Mani Ratnam, and I’ ve come to see Mani sir as a master craftsman and a great artiste. It wasn’ t difficult to come up with a medley of Mani songs – as the aesthetic and artistic brilliance that unites them is unique and easy to work with.
Your association with S. P. Balasubramaniam and the concert you did.
I got to work with SPB for a specially put together“ Unplugged” concert – and was the start of a lovely association with the great singer. Personally I found him to be a vocal wizard, as fresh as he sounded 40 years ago, and a humble and supremely lovable human being. You can find our work on YouTube.
Where do you take TOUCH to next? Are you taking it abroad as well?
TOUCH is slated to release online on November 1. We are taking it Bangalore. Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai. Additionally, TOUCH will travel as a concert to Europe and to the Far East by end of this year.
What are some of the key festivals you’ ve been featured at? How is your music received abroad?
I was lucky to be featured in festivals such as the Harbourfront Festival in Toronto( With Sikkil Gurucharan and Lata Pada); The Esplanade’ s Arts Festival in Singapore( several years including this year); Alchemy( Southbank Centre, London); Indika Festival( TOUCH, the UK, 2015); The Fall Dance Festival( Dakshina, Washington DC, 2014); Parramasala( New South Wales, Australia, 2010); India Beat, Malaysia( 2011 and 2012) and many more.
You’ re the first person to win the coveted Sangeet Natak Akademi youth award for creative and experimental music. Did it alter the way you looked at how your music is received?
I am very honoured that I was the first person to be awarded the SNA award for Creative and Experimental Music in the youth category in 2010. Being a national honour, I look at it as recognition for the instrument, and a great fillip to doing more exciting work. I know that this has inspired a lot of other younger musicians, and I am happy that I have been able to contribute this way.
Closing Thoughts.
As a music educator through Rhapsody, I find my work meaningful in enabling children across South India. As a pianist, I find my work highly challenging but of great inspiration to a whole generation that wants to break out and create something new. With TOUCH, I hope to take my journey of“ enabling minds” further – and look forward to great collaborations in the years to come.
The Score Magazine
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