T20 avatar of classical music opens debate

Indian classical music is taking a leaf out of crickets changing landscape When T20 cricket arrived to change the way the game was played purists screamed that it was entertainment not cricket Spectator reaction though blunted the outrage and the steady ticking of turnstiles at cricket grounds spoke of the fact that the quickpaced generation wanted plenty of 2020 Indian classical music is following suitOn August 21 six young Indian classical music artistes are to play at a concert held by Maharashtra Lalit Kala Nidhi MLKN at Ravindra Natya Mandir in Prabhadevi This concert is called Gennext 2020 Organiser Pt Satish Vyas santoor maestro said It is an attempt to bring a new audience to Indian classical music one that has a fastpaced lifestyleRenuka Indurkar and Kedar Kelkar are among the artistes who will perform solo for 20 minutes eachThe artistes most in their 20s vocalists Renuka Indurkar Neha Gurav Kedar Kelkar Gandhar Deshpande and instrumentalists Yadnesh Raikar on the violin and S Akash on the flute will perform solo for 20 minutes each The free concert that begins at 8 pm will wrap up by 10 pm as it is 120 minutes of performanceAt the creaseVyas explained Music aficionados are amenable to hearing established names play for 60 minutes and beyond When it comes to younger newer performers though there is some reluctance to go to concerts owing to the time factor This will help bring a different demographic into the hall one that is receptive to hearing newer artistes play for 20 minutesVyas understands that the brave new world he is opening up may ignite fierce debate with purists shouting sacrilege at the thought of classical music compressed into 20 minutes I think there is justification for an exploration like this said the santoor maestro adding Just like the Test cricket era changed to 5050 and then T20 there may be place for another format on the music firmament too It may or may not be a smash hit from the very first attempt but we will never know till we pad up and get to the crease he laughedPace the inningsLike Pt Vyas Punes eminent vocalist Pt Ulhas Kashalkar invoked the example of Long Playing LP records of a few decades ago Different artistes used to present individual raags for 20 minutes explained both Kashalkar and Vyas Going by that example I do not see a problem with the format said Kashalkar The vocalist though did sound a note of caution saying the performers will have to do a delicate balancing act For instance an alaap cannot go on for 10 minutes in this format as they need to have time then for other things like khyaal gaaykihellip so it will be very interesting to see how they are able to juggle thisAll padded upTeam Gennext is already in the pavilion ready to walk on to the field Gandhar Deshpande vocalist said 2020 Gennext is unique presenting a raag in 20 minutes will be intellectually challengingKedar Kelkar on the vocals said It is going to be a different kind of learning experience to showcase gaayki in 20 minutes Akash S flautist said I am happy performing with talented musicians of my age group while Neha Gurav vocalist said as Gen Next themselves they have a responsibility This is to show our passion and put in serious effort towards music This platform is one for exploration and presentation of our artThe fun aspectFor legendary flautist Pt Ronu Majumdar though the concept should be taken in the spirit of fun Though my student is playing in this programme to compress the raag to 20 minutes means the audience may not get its essence Already we are compressing the classical Earlier one artiste used to render a raag for two hours Today we have three playing for 1 hour 15 minutes in concerts So it is already shortened Now we are shortening it further Yet it is not bad for a onetime attempt This should be taken as light music as if you make even the classical light then what will we term classical Majumdar asked with a laughThe new playersPt Vyas is prepared for anything pungent criticism included He stressed Let us remember this is about the future The objective is to introduce talented fresh and unknown faces The format will give music lovers a glimpse of the bright futureThe pitch is prepared the fielding is set the team is padded up and the lineup of experts is watching Spectator seats should be filled in by August 21 As Indian classical music is to take its first tentative steps to what could possibly become a new jhat pat genre it is game onCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates