Of Camerata and Yanni

I was invited recently to ‘An Evening of 20th Century Sacred Music’ preformed by Camerata at St. Mark’s Cathedral. The invite said the recital would feature works of Maurice Durufle, Herbert Howells, Gerald Finzi among others. My colleague S who has become quite a shutterbug and I decided to go, though for divergent reasons. I tempted him into coming, I told him about the antiquity of the church and that it was built by the British, that it has a pipe organ and plaques on the wall honoring British soldiers stationed in India. He asked, with a smirk, if it was that one at the end of MG Road that had ‘Jesus died on the cross for you’ displayed on the neon board. The Christian in me squirmed at the accusatory undertone. (Padres, aren’t we past the age of the Crusades?).

I went with no pretensions about any understanding or appreciation for western classical. I do listen to Mozart, Bach and Beethoven. However, I will be honest I have no clue about the various symphonies, and classifications. Atleast I am better than M, my manager from way back. This was the time Yanni was the rage and we had him on TV ’Yanni Live at the Acropolis’, being aired every third day. My colleagues and I were discussing it when M intruded and asked me about Yanni and I did share my limited knowledge. The next day after lunch she drags me to HMV on Brigade Road (this was opposite Band Box). She asked the salesman to show Yanni’s cassettes and he took out a few. She asked him to play it, which he dutifully did and then he stopped. And then she says something that had me ducking in embarrassment. ‘Go on don’t stop, I want to hear him sing’, she told him loudly. I swear I could hear sniggers in the background; the salesman smiled and said, ‘Its instrumental madam’. People back at office rolled in laughter when narrated this, one of them said Yanni’s favourite song is, ‘words don’t come easy’.

Back to Camerata, it was an enjoyable show even for an illiterate like me. (And as usual, we embarrassed ourselves like is our wont in India. There was an inconsiderate cad who wouldn’t switch off his mobile and it would loudly ring while the choir was singing, and this happened atleast thrice despite the announcements and the dirty stares. I cringed as I saw the foreigners in the choir grimacing.) Barring that, it was a superb show. I was really enthralled by the solo performed by Maria Försstrom from Sweden. She was simply amazing. A voice that is powerful and poignant. AK, who is part of Camerata, told me later that she is a voice trainer as well.

We were quite hungry by the end of the show and since getting a parking slot near Koshy’s was next to impossible, we went to Nandini’s on St. Marks Road. As we ate kulcha’s and masala chicken, I thought to myself, a minute ago I was listening to western classical music and in the next I am eating totally desi fare. 

Food for thought?