Music of India Series presents Carnatic-Hindustani Flute Jugalbandi
Magnificent resonance
Magnificent resonance
By Jonathan Gramling
It is difficult to describe the synergetic explosion of music that occurred at the UW-Madison’s Music Hall April 19 when the Music of India series presented
A Carnatic-Hindustani Flute Jugalbandi. The jugalbandi, an Indian classical music performance featuring two soloists, blended the southern Carnatic style
of Shashank, an acclaimed performer who has played with the likes of John McLauglin with the northern Hindustanu style of Ronu Majumdar.
Accompanied by the percussion of Phalgun Parupalli on the mridangam and Ramdas Parupalli on the tabla, the flutists reached incredible heights in
musical intonation that left the audience spellbound by their proficiency.
The musicians played as if they had been performing together for years, each anticipating the movements and music of the other, but in reality, they are
almost perfect strangers. “We don’t practice together,” Shashank said in an interview with The Capital City Hues after the show. “This is our third appearance
in the last couple of weeks, but our second major appearance. He arrived at 2:20 p.m. I arrived at 2 p.m. from different places. Indian music is always more
of a science where we can get in and out of it. Our training is very different so that we don’t really have to rehearse much. Our collective rhythm is like a
foundation or a train. So we just hop onto the train.”
Majumdar explained the difference between the two musical styles. “The slower style is more played in the Hindustani style, the deep thing,” Majumdar,
who has performed with Ry Cooder, explained. “The Carnatic style is more rhythmic, more mathematic. When it gels properly, it makes wonderful music. And
that’s what happened today. This is very rare, I’m telling you. When you play the same instrument, it is not easy to gel. But we could complement each other
and it became possible. At the end, it was going to a very spiritual level. It was so spiritual to me with a different style flute player. I felt very touched.”
Shashank, who first performed in Madison when he was 13 years old, related that the Carnatic and Hindustani musical traditions are like two dialects of the
same language. Yet, it takes accomplished musicians to flawlessly blend the music together. While a composition serves as the foundation for each
performance, the musicians quickly fly off into improve flute performances. “It’s a chance that the instruments blend,” Shashank said. “Generally, we agree
that when he is trying to improvise, I kind of lay back and when I’m improving, he lays back. It’s like a mutual understanding. It also comes from our
experience and our sensitivities. It’s more of a common sense than anything that is agreed to.”
As the performers sat and watched the others perform, many smiles and nods of the head were exchanged. “It was very much a lot of fun,” Shashank
confided. “It’s one way of appreciating. It’s like someone is trying to play something and we understand it and we say ‘Oh yes!’ And if something didn’t come
into place, we laugh and go ‘Yeah, you fell short a little bit.’ The performance is at a very high level. It’s very technical. But it is one way of appreciating
each other and keeping the humor up on stage a little. In the end, it isn’t a competition of any kind.”
Shashank also confided that the Madison performance was one where the artists were peers, really clicked and had a great synergy of music unfold. “The
difference in performances is because some of the artists will not be trained as well,” Shashank said. “If artists are comfortable with their own music and their
instrument and know their pluses and minuses very well, that’s when we bring our talent together. We should also look at it from a point of give and take. It’s
not a solo we are playing. In these situations, if we are giving to each other and one picks up on the idea of the other and complement each other a lot, that’
s when the concerts really get elevated because I’m trying to throw a combination and he tries to throw his combinations. So I’m trying to improve on that.
That’s the kind of music we play. We are kind of pushing each other. That’s when you get that high. We need to push each other, but in a more friendly
manner. It’s not about aggression. It’s about that subtle push. We end up doing that inevitably because that is part of the game.”
The flawless performance can be attributed to the hard work of the performers as well as their artistic talent. During their formative years, Indian flutists
practice 5-15 hours per day. Shashank still practices 8-10 hours per day to perfect his art. And Shashank benefitted from being thrown onto the big stage
when he was 11 years old. “On day one, I got the biggest opportunity that put me on the highest pedestal,” Shashank recalled. “I got to play with the biggest
artists who were much more senior. That intimidation on the stage taught me a lot.” On day one, Shashank performed in Australia.
The Carnatic-Hindustani Flute Jugalbandi was a rare event in Madison. It blended the best of India into an unforgettable evening that will resonate in our
memories for years to come.
It is difficult to describe the synergetic explosion of music that occurred at the UW-Madison’s Music Hall April 19 when the Music of India series presented
A Carnatic-Hindustani Flute Jugalbandi. The jugalbandi, an Indian classical music performance featuring two soloists, blended the southern Carnatic style
of Shashank, an acclaimed performer who has played with the likes of John McLauglin with the northern Hindustanu style of Ronu Majumdar.
Accompanied by the percussion of Phalgun Parupalli on the mridangam and Ramdas Parupalli on the tabla, the flutists reached incredible heights in
musical intonation that left the audience spellbound by their proficiency.
The musicians played as if they had been performing together for years, each anticipating the movements and music of the other, but in reality, they are
almost perfect strangers. “We don’t practice together,” Shashank said in an interview with The Capital City Hues after the show. “This is our third appearance
in the last couple of weeks, but our second major appearance. He arrived at 2:20 p.m. I arrived at 2 p.m. from different places. Indian music is always more
of a science where we can get in and out of it. Our training is very different so that we don’t really have to rehearse much. Our collective rhythm is like a
foundation or a train. So we just hop onto the train.”
Majumdar explained the difference between the two musical styles. “The slower style is more played in the Hindustani style, the deep thing,” Majumdar,
who has performed with Ry Cooder, explained. “The Carnatic style is more rhythmic, more mathematic. When it gels properly, it makes wonderful music. And
that’s what happened today. This is very rare, I’m telling you. When you play the same instrument, it is not easy to gel. But we could complement each other
and it became possible. At the end, it was going to a very spiritual level. It was so spiritual to me with a different style flute player. I felt very touched.”
Shashank, who first performed in Madison when he was 13 years old, related that the Carnatic and Hindustani musical traditions are like two dialects of the
same language. Yet, it takes accomplished musicians to flawlessly blend the music together. While a composition serves as the foundation for each
performance, the musicians quickly fly off into improve flute performances. “It’s a chance that the instruments blend,” Shashank said. “Generally, we agree
that when he is trying to improvise, I kind of lay back and when I’m improving, he lays back. It’s like a mutual understanding. It also comes from our
experience and our sensitivities. It’s more of a common sense than anything that is agreed to.”
As the performers sat and watched the others perform, many smiles and nods of the head were exchanged. “It was very much a lot of fun,” Shashank
confided. “It’s one way of appreciating. It’s like someone is trying to play something and we understand it and we say ‘Oh yes!’ And if something didn’t come
into place, we laugh and go ‘Yeah, you fell short a little bit.’ The performance is at a very high level. It’s very technical. But it is one way of appreciating
each other and keeping the humor up on stage a little. In the end, it isn’t a competition of any kind.”
Shashank also confided that the Madison performance was one where the artists were peers, really clicked and had a great synergy of music unfold. “The
difference in performances is because some of the artists will not be trained as well,” Shashank said. “If artists are comfortable with their own music and their
instrument and know their pluses and minuses very well, that’s when we bring our talent together. We should also look at it from a point of give and take. It’s
not a solo we are playing. In these situations, if we are giving to each other and one picks up on the idea of the other and complement each other a lot, that’
s when the concerts really get elevated because I’m trying to throw a combination and he tries to throw his combinations. So I’m trying to improve on that.
That’s the kind of music we play. We are kind of pushing each other. That’s when you get that high. We need to push each other, but in a more friendly
manner. It’s not about aggression. It’s about that subtle push. We end up doing that inevitably because that is part of the game.”
The flawless performance can be attributed to the hard work of the performers as well as their artistic talent. During their formative years, Indian flutists
practice 5-15 hours per day. Shashank still practices 8-10 hours per day to perfect his art. And Shashank benefitted from being thrown onto the big stage
when he was 11 years old. “On day one, I got the biggest opportunity that put me on the highest pedestal,” Shashank recalled. “I got to play with the biggest
artists who were much more senior. That intimidation on the stage taught me a lot.” On day one, Shashank performed in Australia.
The Carnatic-Hindustani Flute Jugalbandi was a rare event in Madison. It blended the best of India into an unforgettable evening that will resonate in our
memories for years to come.
| Above: Shashank performs the Carnatic flute.Top: Ramdas Palsule (l-r), Ronu Majumdar, Shashank Subramanyam and Phalgun Parupalli |