An evening of ‘Rah’mania with German flavour

CHENNAI:

Ever heard 'Jana Gana Mana' played by a full-fledged orchestra with over 10 violins,bass and trumpets with cymbals clashing at'jayahe'.This alone can give one a clue about Thursday evening's concert, 'Classic Incantations' by maestro AR Rahman. 

A step away from the usual, this concert was largely instrumental, with the musical score played by German film orchestra Babelsberg. 

The audience, for all appearances, had come to watch an opera. The women were in evening dresses and stiff sarees, while the men, although not all clad in suits, were definitely dressed formally.They glided along with allthe modicum of polite society, the occasional smile bestowed upon an acquaintancethey chanced to meet. 

This appearance, however, shattered when 'superstar' Rajinikanth and daughter Soundarya entered. Decorum went for a toss and wolf whistles rent the air. Chennaiites, as starcrazy as ever, jostled each other to get the superstar's autograph. They were not put off by the bevy of unsmiling guards aroundhim andthe attemptfor autographs continued even during the interval. 

In the midst of all the chaos over Rajini, Rahman's entrance went unnoticed,until he went for ward to greet Rajinikanth.The audience was sprinkled with others from the film fraternity too. Actress Suhasini was spotted and so also was Mrs YG Parthasarathy. 

The music, although rendered by a German orchestra, was largely Bollywood and largely Rahman. However, hearing Indian film music played with perfect synchronization and symphony by a 20-member orchestra and a choir was a new experience for the city's aficionados. 

Most notable among the performanceswerethethemesongsfrom 'Bombay', 'Roja' and 'Lagaan', the highlight being the soulful strains of flute rendered by Navin Iyer. Judging by the applause,thethemesongsfrom 'Padayappa' and'Robot' wereequally popular. 

An unusual flavour at the concert was an opera rendition by soprano artist Kavita Baliga. A stunned audience watched as she belted out a song in French, her soprano timbre resounding in the small auditorium. However, the audience was disappointed at the absence of any solo performance by Rahman, who remained largely in the foreground. 

In all,itwas an unusual musicalflavour for Chennai and an evening well spent.