When heard melodies are sweet

Piano passion

First Expressions’, a piano concert that was recently held at Alliance Francaise, Thimmaiah Road, was a shining example of the fact that the future of Western classical music, in India, is in safe hands.

A student from Aamod Centre of Liberal Arts, started by Shreela Deb, Shilpa Ramanujan’s pieces meandered effortlessly. Her notes were rich as her fingers worked quickly in rapt attention, shifting from the tinkle in the keys to thundering notes, and sometimes, playing them simultaneously. 

She started her concert by flying back to the Romantic age as she played a prelude in C# Minor by Sergei Rachmaninoff. One could immediately point out that she had her focus on the grand piano and the art of playing it. She played two pieces by Claude Debussy and did complete justice to it.

Her second piece explained that there is more to Debussy than just the popular ‘Claire de lune’. She also played a piece by Franz Listz and ‘Nocture in C#Minor, by the poetic genius Chopin, and the booming applause proved that the audience had travelled to a parallel universe.

Maya Mascarenhas, the well-known pediatrician and musician, who was the chief guest for the evening, was all praises for Shilpa. “I liked that she played with her heart. One can perfect technique and skill through constant practice but music doesn’t reach out to anyone unless it’s from the heart.” Maya also inspired youngsters and the children at the concert by explaining a little bit about how she balanced music and her career.

 Shilpa received her diploma towards the end and now plans to pursue a degree in Law. She also thanked her music teacher, Takafumi Mori, from Japan, for teaching and supporting her throughout the recital.   

Her concert culminated with ‘No 5 from Water pieces’ by Eric Thiman, which was the icing on the cake as it ended with a standing ovation. Shazia De’Souza, a music lover, enjoyed the concert thoroughly and said that though it is quite a challenging task to play pieces from a range of eras and ages in one hour, Shilpa easily traversed through it all.

Though these pieces were a tip of the iceberg in the wide prism of Western classical, ‘First Impressions’ was like a drizzle on a parched day. Shilpa’s craftsmanship promises to take her places even as her music takes one to a parallel universe.