As the year 2018 ends , I look at previous 4-5 years of my attendance at various classical music festivals and the way the scenario is changing over years.
One definitive trend that I have realized over last few years is that of Massicalization of Classical music festivals.
The productization of Classical music is also a trend that has brought mass following but has converted classical into light-classical music.
The season of classical music in Pune and adjoining regions was typically December and January. There has been a shift to November for good. This year the concerts I attended in November were some of the best of the year !
I have become more choosy in selecting my live concerts , from few years back when I was eager to attend each and every concert over the weekends and almost all the classical musical festivals possible, I have trimmed my bucket list down to selected few. The one deletion that came this year is that of the famous Sawai Gandharva Music Festival of Pune. I gave it a miss in-spite of being free in Pune. The primary reason for this was the disappointing lineup that was filled with volume and lacked in quality. Too many concerts of 1 hour each. The second reason was the change in venue of the festival that was inconvenient to me to commute. Moreover , I have developed a kind of reluctance in attending such "massical" festivals of classical music (jalsas). Small ,indoor and high quality concerts with each artist getting 2 hrs is the kind of format that I feel comfortable and enjoyable. Though there is a different kind of charm in attending jalsa type concerts and festivals ( the likes of Sawai or 8prahar etc ) , currently I am giving them a pass. Maybe , few years later I may revisit them , but currently am quite comfortable with small concerts and recorded music !
Here are the links to blog-posts related to Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroha
2016 to 2018
2016 :
Viva Goa
36th Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroha , Goa
2017 :
37th Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroha , Goa - November to Remember
2018 :
38th Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Samaroha , Goa
- Annual Sojourn to Goa
A memorable November of Concerts to
Remember
Pilgrimage of Sawai :
Who was Sawai Gandharva ? : https://pbhave.blogspot.com/2017/12/sawai-gandharva-who-story-of-sawai.html
2014 : https://prasadbhave.wordpress.com/2015/01/06/the-finale-sawai-report-day-4-sunday-4th-jan-2015/
2018 : Classicalness
to “Massicalness”
२०१८ - सवाईत ले “सवाई” (Marathi)
https://pbhave.blogspot.com/2018/12/blog-post.htmlMy musings and takeaways from the year 2018:
1) This year , I became a fan of Agra gayaki style that combines nom-tom with the Khayal in a very delightful fashion. The rendering by young torchbearers of Agra gharana , Bharathi Pratap and Waseem Ahemad Khan has impressed me.
2) The baithaks by Pt Arvind Parikh with various stalwarts ( available on you tube ) are something that influenced my thoughts about Indian Classical Music, in a big way.
3) Hindustani Classical Music has groomed my lifestyle over last 5 years, when I was immersed in the music all day and night. The inherent reflex of automatically tuning into the Raags of the ongoing prahar of the day is a magical phenomenon. Upon true immersion , these raags become inherent part of your daily routine and one reflexly tunes in to a raag appropriate to a prahar and mood. I experience this every now and then , routinely as I continue my daily chores ! This I think, is a thing to experience after deep immersion. Words fail to explain this phenomenon or conditioning to "Raag - Kaal Chakra" !
4) Last five years , I wished that Ut Bade Gulam Ali Khan saheb , be awarded "Bharat-Ratna". I tried my best to convey this to the authorities that I could reach. If anyone deserves a Bharat Ratna , the first person in the list from the domain of Hindustani Classical Music would be Ut BGAK saheb, His life story is not just inspiring , but he is responsible for the kind of Khyaal gayaki that is being enjoyed in world today. Indian Classical music has vanished in Pakistan now and we must feel glad and obliged that Ut BGAK saheb decided to come back to India in 1949. His influence on Hindustani Classical Music and its growth is immense. We all must thank Murarjibhai Desai , for his efforts to bring Ut BGAK back to India and award him citizenship of India. I only hope that Ut Bade Gulam Ali Khan gets the "Bharat Ratna" award posthumously as soon as possible, that he truly deserves. That is my wish while concluding this year !
5) The flavor of this year seems to be Raag Purvi and Raag Bihag , Raag Bageshree and Raag Bahar. Raag Jog and Raag Yaman for vocalists and Raag Jhinjhoti for instrumentalists are now kind of routine bread-butter .. "Running items"
Attending classical music concerts has been an enriching experience for me , especially in last five years. I must have attended over 300 concerts over this period for sure. Blogging about the concerts too has given me immense pleasure. Interacting with patrons and readers of blog has been an additional joy ! As I bid adieu to 2018 and prepare myself for 2019 , the only concerts/festivals of this year, that I plan to watch on TV / attend over web are parts of Tansen Samaroha of Gwalior (Dec 25-29) and Harivallabh Samaroha on Dec 28-30th. That would surely be a wonderful way to end the year !
भवतु सर्व मङ्गलम् !
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Post Script : ( 8am , Dec 31, 2018 )
Attended both , Tansen Samaroha of Gwalior (Dec 25-29) and Harivallabh Samaroha (Dec 28-30th) via web cast and live feeds from facebook and Youtube. Some of the artists from Tansen Samaroha who impressed were :
1) Ritesh and Rajaneesh Mishra
2) Vaishali Deshmukh ( who also presented at Harivallabh Sammelan later, same presentations of Bihag and Bhoop "Sahela re" )
3) Ram Deshpande
4) Gautam Kale - Mewati Gharana
5) Ajay Prasanna with his daughter - Bansuri
6) Ut Nishat Khan - Sitar was truly classical with his Malkauns
Some highlights of Harivallabh Sammelan :
Almost all the artists performed to their best and it was very enjoyable watching from the comfort of home on Youtube channel. I was glued to the channel all three days from 7pm till the end. Day 1 and 2 concluded by 4am ( when I switched to TV for the #BoxingDayTest matches #NZvsSL and #INDvsAUS ).
Some of the artists who impressed me were :1) Pta Sulochana Brahaspati and her accompanist vocal support ( her shishya )
2) Pt Vishwamohan Bhatt - Mohan veena with all the power of strings , Sitar-Veena-Sarod-Guitar
3) Mahalakshmi Shenoy - vocal , she is disciple of of Pt Vishwamohan Bhatt and in my opinion , one of the best I have heard in year 2018. Surely ,a promising young artist to watch for in future.
4) Balwant Singh Namdhari - Tilwandi gharana
5) Indrani Mukherjee
The final day , day 3 started around 5pm and concluded by 6am !!
A wonderful way to conclude the year and classical music festival season 2018 !
The all nighter, overnight concert that started with Bahar and continued with Bageshree Bahar , Maru Bihag , Mishra Kafi, Kirwani , Sohoni , Abhogi Kanada , Shankara ,Khamaj , Maru Bihag , Vibhaas , Pilu .. and the Finale with Lalit and Bhairavi ! There could not have been a better way to conclude the year on Dec 31st morning with a vigor to take on year 2019 !