Small halls seem to be attracting more rasikas this December season. They provide the intimate music listening experience that the large sabha halls elsewhere.
The Arkay Centre on Royapettah High Road, Mylapore ( opposite Viveks store) and Raga Sudha hall in Luz ( alongside Nageswara Rao Park) draw a fairly packed audience.
Much also depends on the artistes featured and the theme of their concerts – so curation of the recitals also help attract rasikas.
On Tuesday evening, the Arkay Centre space was packed – some 150 people were here when the concert began – the hugely talented and well known violinists, Sriram Parasuram and G J R Krishnan, presented a Hindustani-Carnatic music concert that got huge rounds of applause. With them were percussionists Arun Prakash on mridangam and Rajendra Nakod on tabla.
The jugalbandhi flowed like a clear stream flowing down a valley, the lead artistes exploring a raga in the two styles and complementing each other. And the percussive beats flavoring it.
Sriram complimented the percussionists for their sensitive play. “Sensitive listeners can also draw in sensitive music,” he added.
And then said that he and Krishnan had decided on the concert plan just two hours before the day’s concert. But they were in sync, in harmony. And many rasikas said when the concert ended at 9.15 p.m. that this was by farther best concert of the ‘season’ this far.
