[arr]A review of KM music conservatory's First Public Concert
http://thewriteperspective.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/reliving-the-living-dream-concert/#more-67 Poetry and music; India and America, Martin Luther King and Gandhiji, Western and Classical - The Living Dream concert organised by the US Consulate General – Chennai, wove all of these seemingly disconnected strands into a tapestry of hope and peace. The event held last Wednesday night at the Venkata Subba Rao Concert Hall, was arranged to honour Martin Luther King III – son of Martin Luther King, Jr – on his visit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his father’s prilgrimage to India in 1959. His father was here to meet Gandhiji and learn about his methods of non-violence so that he could employ them in the Civil Rights movements back home. The evening began with renowned Tamil poet Vairamuthu reciting his poem, The Black Mahatma, which had specially been written for the occasion. The creation was inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr, Gandhiji and Barack Obama. Alluding to Obama, he wrote: “Thy lofty dream has come true Martin Luther! A black dove built its nest in the White House!” What followed was a musical tribute by the students and faculty of A.R Rahman’s K.M Music Conservatory as they presented two popular Rahman compositions. The first one was the theme from Bombay with its underlying message of non-violence. The piece began with a mellifluous Indian flute accompanied by the low, muffled, subdued rumbling of two giant drums known as the Timpani. It was the kind of rolling thunder before the first monsoons – a premonition of the wet, grey days to follow. A synthesizer sustained a low bass note throughout, creating a sombre atmosphere, and the joyous tinkle of the triangle and the Glocken Spiel (a xylophone-like instrument) was deliberately lost in the foreshadowing gloom, to accentuate it by contrast. This is a sad piece. And when the flute side-stepped to give way to a quartet of three violins and a cello, you couldn’t help but feel the knot in your throat. Oh how beautifully they played! Well, created. Because that was what it was, a most soulful creation, as if the four were weaving together an intricate mat of such harmonious sorrow that it paradoxically made you feel peacefully content. It was strange. And while the violins gently wept, the flute came back in, improvised consolingly and led the quartet out to a lingering end… “Jai ho!” the sixteen-member student choir shouted with such vigour and obvious glee, pumping their fists in the air, that the gloom that had settled like a thick layer of dust was blown away in a single breath, leaving the audience gasping. The second song, performed to pre-recorded music, was Rahman’s Oscar-winning song Jai Hofrom Slumdog Millionaire. There was a drastic shift in moods as flashing, stroboscopic lights came on and the student-choir, clad in black straight-jackets swayed to the rhythm, smiled from ear to ear, snapped their fingers and pumped their fists high in the air every time they shouted “Jai ho”! There was celebration in the air as they sang to the Oscar-success of their idol, their teacher, their inspiration and founder of their school. The thunderous applause at the end was a fitting appreciation. The next performance was a dramatic rendition of Martin Luther King, Jr’s “most famous and stirring speech”, I Have a Dream, by Kamal Haasan. He had memorised the speech and as he walked around the stage delivering it in his deeply rich baritone, there was a photographic projection on two screens in the backdrop. Photos of the most stunning quality – Gandhiji, Martin Luther King Jr giving his speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC on August 23, 1963, and of past and present Indian and American leaders – recreated history. As Kamal Haasan ended his dramatic performance, with the final words “…Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” the visual projection in the backdrop shifted to a black and white photo of Barack Obama in the Oval Office. And as the words still hung in the air and gently sunk into the loud applause below, the photo dissolved from greyscale to colour. It was a subtle yet poignant reminder that racial barriers were finally beginning to melt and that the world was moving away from the black and the white to a colourful future – well colourless if you will. “Yes, my mouth is dry. The speech has the same effect on the speaker as the listener,” said Kamal Haasan at the end. Then, introducing and inviting Martin Luther King III on the stage, Kamal Haasan said, “The son of a great man who is successfully following so far an act that is very hard to follow is here tonight and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s grandson welcomes him. Yes, I think of myself that way,” said Kamal Haasan as the audience laughed. In his address, speaking about non-violence and the similarities between his father and Gandhiji, Mr King said, “But perhaps there is a challenge for all
Re: [arr]A review of KM music conservatory's First Public Concert
Wonderful writing ... looks like a great event .. pics are really good too. The students are looking very sharp In the comment section i see this from kalyan and I hope it is the same person who posted this to the group too (fani kalyan rythmdivine2...@yahoo.com ) Do you have any videos of the event to share ? After having read the write up , feel like i should watch the video in case one is available .. Kalyan On behalf of KM music conservatory I thank you for such a Brilliant Write-up. I thoroughly enjoyed reading. It was inspiring too Iam so glad that you enjoyed the show. More to come! Peace http://www.kmmc.in Side note another article on the KM school in arpit's blog http://thewriteperspective.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/a-place-alive-with-the-sound-of-music/ On Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 8:35 AM, fani kalyan rythmdivine2...@yahoo.comwrote: http://thewriteperspective.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/reliving-the-living-dream-concert/#more-67 Poetry and music; India and America, Martin Luther King and Gandhiji, Western and Classical - *The Living Dream* concert organised by the US Consulate General – Chennai, wove all of these seemingly disconnected strands into a tapestry of hope and peace. The event held last Wednesday night at the Venkata Subba Rao Concert Hall, was arranged to honour Martin Luther King III – son of Martin Luther King, Jr – on his visit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his father’s prilgrimage to India in 1959. His father was here to meet Gandhiji and learn about his methods of non-violence so that he could employ them in the Civil Rights movements back home. The evening began with renowned Tamil poet Vairamuthu reciting his poem, *The Black Mahatma, *which had specially been written for the occasion. The creation was inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr, Gandhiji and Barack Obama. Alluding to Obama, he wrote: “Thy lofty dream has come true Martin Luther! A black dove built its nest in the White House!” What followed was a musical tribute by the students and faculty of A.R Rahman’s K.M Music Conservatory as they presented two popular Rahman compositions. The first one was the theme from *Bombay* with its underlying message of non-violence. The piece began with a mellifluous Indian flute accompanied by the low, muffled, subdued rumbling of two giant drums known as the Timpani. It was the kind of rolling thunder before the first monsoons – a premonition of the wet, grey days to follow. A synthesizer sustained a low bass note throughout, creating a sombre atmosphere, and the joyous tinkle of the triangle and the Glocken Spiel (a xylophone-like instrument) was deliberately lost in the foreshadowing gloom, to accentuate it by contrast. This is a sad piece. And when the flute side-stepped to give way to a quartet of three violins and a cello, you couldn’t help but feel the knot in your throat. Oh how beautifully they played! Well, created. Because that was what it was, a most soulful creation, as if the four were weaving together an intricate mat of such harmonious sorrow that it paradoxically made you feel peacefully content. It was strange. And while the violins gently wept, the flute came back in, improvised consolingly and led the quartet out to a lingering end… “Jai ho!” the sixteen-member student choir shouted with such vigour and obvious glee, pumping their fists in the air, that the gloom that had settled like a thick layer of dust was blown away in a single breath, leaving the audience gasping. The second song, performed to pre-recorded music, was Rahman’s Oscar-winning song *Jai Ho*from *Slumdog Millionaire.* There was a drastic shift in moods as flashing, stroboscopic lights came on and the student-choir, clad in black straight-jackets swayed to the rhythm, smiled from ear to ear, snapped their fingers and pumped their fists high in the air every time they shouted “Jai ho”! There was celebration in the air as they sang to the Oscar-success of their idol, their teacher, their inspiration and founder of their school. The thunderous applause at the end was a fitting appreciation. The next performance was a dramatic rendition of Martin Luther King, Jr’s “most famous and stirring speech”, *I Have a Dream, *by Kamal Haasan. He had memorised the speech and as he walked around the stage delivering it in his deeply rich baritone, there was a photographic projection on two screens in the backdrop.. Photos of the most stunning quality – Gandhiji, Martin Luther King Jr giving his speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC on August 23, 1963, and of past and present Indian and American leaders – recreated history. As Kamal Haasan ended his dramatic performance, with the final words “…Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” the visual projection in the backdrop shifted to a black and white photo of Barack Obama in the Oval Office. And as the words still hung in the air and
