If you follow Carnatic classical music in the slightest , you are all too aware of Ganeshji and Kumareshji . Trained since childhood to control ( and lose control ) every stunning , world-bending nuance of the violin , these legends have long been known as flagships of their craft . By splicing the deepest classical tones with modern interpretations , the brothers have carved out a niche in which they effortlessly represent the past and welcome its best influences into the future .
They ’ ve performed in nearly every country under the sun , and despite all the glory that comes with their hardearned talent , stayed curious and dedicated to innovating and evolving with their craft .
Having completed 50 years of composition and performance , the maestros took time for an interview with The Score Magazine to talk about their lineage , their experiments and the divinity that drives their art .
Take us through the kind of discipline and regimen that you had to go through to achieve your exceptional capacities .
G & K : To be successful in life , working hard is essential , but it ’ s not enough . You also need proper guidance and support during your formative years to sustain your success in the long run . In our musical journey , we never focused on specific goals or targets , but rather on the experiences and pushing ourselves beyond our limits to find those magical moments of exhilaration .
We believe that there ’ s a divine force at work in everything that happens , and our journey is a testament to that belief .
Could you give us a little insight into your musical lineage ?
G & K : Sure !
Our great grandfather Vidwan Shri Harihara Bagavathar , migrated from Valadi , a village near Tiruchirapalli , on the invitation of the Cochin Maharaja and settled down at Tirupunithura .
And our father , just like him , was also a performing artist . He was and is our only musical guru . He learned music from his older brother Vidwan Shri . Tirupunithura Hariharan Subramanium . We have many stalwart musicians in our family .
To name a few , Maha Vidwan Shri TVG is our cousin . Both our cousin sister TH Lalitha and brother TH Subramanium are wonderful musicians . Ghatam vidwan Shri . Tirupunithura Radhakrishnan is also our relative .
Did you ever want to pursue any other form of art ? Or , any other life path ?
K : There was in fact a brief interest in getting into the celluloid world but music always got the preferential treatment . There is still a lingering interest in making a film - one never knows what is in store !!!
What is the first music you remember listening to ?
K : It has to definitely be the practice sessions of my father and brother Ganesh . The memory of them being in action is so vividly engraved in my memory but unfortunately , I cannot recall the melody .
To those who are not trained in music , how do you define it from your own perspective ? For example , if someone asks you “ what is a raga ?”, what would you say ?
K : Music is a lot like life , in that it can be interesting , boring , adventurous , exciting , and everything in between . Some people just “ get ” it , while others don ’ t . To me , a raaga - a type of Indian classical music - is a reflection of life itself , with a beginning and end and rules that need to be followed . In life , we have social rules , or laws , that we need to follow , and in music , the discipline is the Raaga and Taalam . The magic lies in expressing yourself within these rules , and one can see that it can actually be applied to both life as well as music .
What are the challenges of pursuing music in a digital-first world ? Do you wish anything would be different ?
G : You know , every 10 years , we see a new generation of audience emerge . And we really strive to honor the traditional compositions of Carnatic music , while also updating our performance style to keep things fresh and appealing to the current audience .
It ’ s important to keep reinventing ourselves to stay relevant and keep up with the audience ’ s changing tastes . We really want to deepen people ’ s understanding of this beautiful art form and create a space where students can explore their own individual expressions . That means presenting a point of view that speaks to people ’ s current way of life .
K : In any field , it ’ s important to be able to adapt to change if you want to stay relevant - and that includes the arts . Luckily , as a society , we ’ re pretty good at adapting , as we ’ ve seen during the pandemic .
The Score Magazine highonscore . com
7