Tunes to refresh the soul

The students of the Bangalore School of Music have always amazed music lovers with their unique combination of Indian and Western classical music.
As a part of their Odyssey celebrations, to mark the music school’s 25th year, they recently showcased the collaborative efforts of amazingly talented Indian and Swiss musicians.

Recently, the audience at Alliance Francaise witnessed a fine performance by Sukanya Ramgopal and her troupe along with ‘Swiss Maestros’.

The entire hall was filled with rhythmic sounds and energy. They mesmerised the audience with their work on the ghatam and percussion.  The first half of the event showcased the talent of Sukanya Ramgopal in Sthree Thaal Tharang.

Apart from Sukanya, the musicians were Yoga Vandana, Soumya Ramachandran, Ranjani Venkatesh and Bhagyalakshmi Krishna.

Sukanya is not an alien name to the lovers of classical music.She and her troupe have established themselves in the area of percussion instruments.  She has innovated, improvised and managed to carve a niche for herself in the industry.

Her troupe looked all set to cast a spell on the audience. Her repertoire was quite a delight for the ears. Particular mention must be made of the way Sukanya demonstrated the pallavi exposition, to which the instruments lent themselves superbly.

Sukanya and her musicians were very impressive. One couldn’t help but sense the energy in their performance. “I love the way the entire troupe performed. I felt it was an energetic performance. All of them were in rhythm,” says Sameeksha, an audience member.

Another audience member, Hetal, appreciatively adds that the performance of each artiste was splendid.

 “I liked the entire performance. The artistes were so smooth throughout the performance. Also, I personally believe that performing on the ghatam is difficult,” she explains.

The second half featured the visiting Swiss artistes from the University of Music, Canton of Vaud. The ‘Piano Quintet in A major’ by Dvorak and ‘Sonata for Cello and Piano’ by Debussy attracted a lot of attention from the audience. They played soulful music.
The audience seemed to be engrossed in the event — it was definitely a refreshing experience.