An Evening of Carnatic Music

Raga Mandalam Concerts
An Evening Of Carnatic Music by Manickam Yogeswaran And Ensemble, and Vocal Piano Duo with Lawrence Ball

Concert Schedule

Dinner (18:30 - 19:30)

First Half (starts at 19:30):

• Yogeswaran And Carnatic Music Ensemble
• Manickam Yogeswaran - Vocal
• Balu Raghuraman - Violin
• M. Balachandar - Mrdangam
• A. Sriniavsan - Mohrsing

Intermission

Second Half:

• Manickam Yogeswaran - Vocal
• Lawrence Ball - Piano, Synthesisers

Carnatic Music
Southern Indian classical music tradition is known as Carnatic music. Yogeswaran will be singing Ragas and compositions of the Trinities ("Sathguru” Shri Thyagaraja, Shri Muthuswami Dikshidar and Shri Shyama Shastri) as well as songs and bhajans from modern composers in various Indian languages. Yogeswaran is joined by the most sought after instrumentalists and teachers in London, Sri Balu Raghuraman, Sri M Balachandar, and Shri A Srinivasan.
The second half will be predominantly featuring selected Ragas from Yogeswaran repertory and poetry of Thirukkural (300 BC). Thirukkural by the author Thiruvalluvar expresses the highest and the purest expressions of human thought and is one of the most important works in the Tamil language. Thirukkural is a collection of 1330 couplets organised into 133 chapters. Each chapter has a specific subject ranging from "ploughing a piece of land” to "ruling a country". It preaches simplicity and truth throughout its verses”.

About the music of South India (Carnatic music)

The origins of South Indian music are traced to prehistoric times. Many musical instruments form a favorite subject for sculptors and painters just as the authors of ancient Tamil and Sanskrit texts. Vocal and instrumental genres have since been amalgamated which explains the absence of a distinct instrumental repertoire.

Several strands have been intertwining throughout Indian music history. Nobility and common people alike cultivated music. A mere glance at India's literary heritage, including poetry, drama, mythology and scholarly texts, reveals an ongoing quest for new ideas. The same can be said of performers, instrument makers and skilled amateurs. The resulting "art music" is in fact an amalgam of different "regional" or "indigenous" styles (desi). Today it is being studied all over the world on account of its continuity, infinite variety and a rare capacity for self-rejuvenation.

Carnatic music owes its name to the Sanskrit term Karnâtaka Sangîtam which denotes "traditional" or "codified" music. The corresponding Tamil concept is known as Tamil Isai.

Purandara Dasa (1484-1564), a prolific poet-composer and mystic of Vijayanagar, introduced a music course that is followed to the present day. Since the 17th century, 72 principal scales have yielded hundreds of ragas (melody types). The type of song prevailing today, known as kriti (lit. "creation"), was popularized by the most revered poet-composer of South India,

Tyâgaraja (1767-1847). Its predecessor is the kirtana, a simple devotional type of song also used in congregational singing. Comprising two or three melodic themes, these pieces still kindle creative expression as they lend themselves to being blended with improvised passages.

The present concert format evolved during the 20th century. Depending on a performer's background and outlook, a performance may be inspired by ancient scriptures, the great epics, mythology, philosophy, the customs and legends associated with a particular place of pilgrimage, lullabies or love poetry.

Whatever a musician's background or outlook may be, the aim of a performance is undiluted aesthetic experience (rasa). This is achieved by means of three concepts: raga (tuneful rendition with minute intervals and rich in embellishments), tala (rhythmic order marked by mathematical precision), and bhava (genuine expressivity).

Courtesy: Introduction by Ludwig Pesch www.carnaticstudent.org

Raga Mandalam Concerts

Raga Mandalam series started in Berlin several years ago. These recitals were performed as acoustic vocal recitals accompanied by tanpura and in an intimate atmosphere at Yogeswaran’s studio for invited audience. The Colet house and Yogeswaran are collaborating to present the experience with all audience who are interested in Indian music in the UK. The organisers are pleased the Raga Mandalam is going to be staged in London for the first time,

voice/piano duo

Manickam Yogeswaran and Lawrence Ball have collaborated as a duo for 20 years. Using South Indian raga scales they perform compositions and improvisations with a joyful interaction and rapport. They have performed "Flights Of Sound" at the South Bank Purcell Room, and also a live/online concert at Pete Townshend's Oceanic Studios.

Musicians:

Manickam Yogeswaran

Yogeswaran photo credit: Peter Engelke

Manickam Yogeswaran is a versatile singer and composer. His concerts are marked by a rare blend of virtuosity, creativity and teamwork. The “first ever Tamil voice in Hollywood" rendered film scores include Stanley Kubrick's “Eyes Wide Shut”, Spike Lee's “The 25th Hour” and British movie “Brick Lane.” In 2012 he performed Jocelyn Pook’s musical tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee in London.

Yogeswaran is based in Berlin where he teaches South Indian Classical vocals, voice technique, mirdangam, kanchira and flute at the Global Music Academy. www.global-music-academy.net. He also teh artistic director and the coordinator for South Asian Music at the GMA.

Yogeswaran's musical expression has reached the festival audiences at Chennai music season just as those at the BBC Proms, Glastonbury, the Arts and Ideas Festival (USA), Spitalfield festival in London and Womad (UK).

Yogeswaran’s music is inspired by modern living in a global context. His versatility and accomplishment is conveyed in CD recordings like THIRUKKURAL IN 133 RAGAMS and TAMIL CLASSICS. His album PEACE FOR PARADISE dedicated to the peace process in Sri Lanka, was launched at the British Houses of Parliament. “Life Goes On” an audio visual track was donated to UNICEF for raising funds for the people whose lives were affected after the Tsunami in 2004.

www.myogeswaran.com

Reviews

“The contemporary feel of the music is a result of the catchy harmonies and melodies melding perfectly with the historical roots and Tamil musicianship. ... Astounding!” – Matthew Forss – insideworldmusic.blogspot.com

“A singer in the Indian classical tradition, a great improviser and someone who brings a completely different approach to intonation." - SINGER MAGAZINE

"Laced with haunting Tamil vocals by British-based musician Manickam Yogeswaran ... shaping its emotional crescendo." - FILM SCORE DAILY ("25th hour" filmscore by Terence Blanchard)

"skilful modulation ... soft and malleable voice" - THE HINDU

“For Yogeswaran’s flight of imagination there was only his own piece, a South Indian Ave Maria ... a high point.” (The Shout Christmas Show) – THE GUARDIAN

"Yogeswaran’s vocal technique comfortably manages a range of pitch, intensity, volume and speed ... designed to carry words of peace, love and devotion. - (CD review “Peace for Paradise”) Matthew Shorter – GLOBAL MUSIC CULTURE

"A concert of Carnatic fusion-jazz recently served up exactly what the label promises. Karuna Kshetra, a project put together by Pusch and vocalist Manickam Yogeswaran in 2003, is founded on the premise of playing Carnatic compositions with a Western rhythm section. … intricate, and filled with very talented musicians."– THE HINDU

Balu Raghuraman - Violin

Balu Raguraman, a sought after violinist in the field of carnatic music here in the UK, has established himself as multi faceted artist, teacher and an educator. As an A Grade artiste of All India Radio, His experiences as a performer with many senior artistes of the past make him a popular accompanist with many popular artistes of the present generation also. As the resident teacher at the Bhavan Centre in London, Balu Raguraman takes pride in continuing the tradition of Indian classical music and training a number of students to an exceptional level.

M. Balachandar - Mridangam

Bio coming soon

Srinivasan - Mohrsing

Sri. Ampalavanar Srinivasan hails from a family of musicians. He is the youngest son of the late Mrdangam maestro Sri. Ampalavanar of Jaffna who was a well known Mrdangam exponent and teacher. Srinivasan hails from a family of musicians, his brother Sri. A. Ragunathan is a well known Mrdangist in Sri Lanka. Srinivasan has accompanied Sri M. Yogeswaran in Sri Lanka and Europe for more 42 years.

Lawrence Ball

Ball grew up surrounded by music of all kinds, perpetually, in the home. He is a largely self-taught composer and musician, who began playing melodies by ear at age 4. He holds a Computer Science BSc Hons. degree from London University, 1972, when he also researched and created computer-generated music.

Notable collaborations include those with The Who’s guitarist and principal songwriter Pete Townshend on the Lifehouse-Method project, which resulted in over 10,000 generated music portraits over the internet. A related album, METHOD MUSIC, was released in 2012 on Navona Records.

Over the course of his career, Ball has covered a broad palette of media expressions, scored over 200 musical pieces, recorded a wide range of music including electronic, programmed computer software, and created a multitude of improvised piano recordings.

As a composer, Ball is interested in Innovation with deep meditative states in music, (including the invention of liquid rhythm) and ways of generating music (with graphics) using Harmonic Mathematics — a math of aesthetics — both with and without fractals.

Ball is currently in an ongoing collaboration with Mike Tusch (www.synthaesis.com), where they develop and perform audiovisual experiences and events which deeply integrate music and visual imagery, also incorporating Harmonic Mathematics.

Ball has worked with sarod player Lisa Sangita Moskow as well as Manickam Yogeswaran on music based on North and South Indian raga scales.

His musical output is usually self-initiated and presented in Planet Tree Music Festival alongside championed composers’ work (e.g. Kaikhosru Sorabji, Jean Catoire, Alan Hovhaness, Keith Barnard, James D’Angelo). The Navona Records 2016 album ENERGY DIAMOND showcases selected festival performances of his music.

Ball has performed in over 10 different countries including a concert on composer Ciurlionis’s piano in Vilnius, Lithuania. He has composed eight symphonies and counting.

His compositions have been performed by a wide range of performers including:

Pianists: Carlo Grante, Nicolas Horvath, Giusto DiLallo, Mark Swartzentruber, Javier Negrin, Tim Ravenscroft, Alessandra Celletti, and (the late) Yonty Solomon.

String soloists: Robin Ireland (violist – Lindsay Quartet), violist Neil Davis, cellist Rosa Bugarin, and (the late) cellist Susan Rennie.

String Quartets: Smith Quartet and Solem Quartet.

Vocalists: Rosemary Forbes-Butler and Sarah Leonard.

Small Ensembles: California Ear Unit (septet), various ad hoc quartets and septets, and Rosy Voices (female vocal quartet).

David Bowie organized the first public performance of Ball’s electronic/rock band Snowfish (Soft Machine with electronic music), featuring Charles Hayward and Adrian Segar in 1969 at the Beckenham arts lab.

“METHOD MUSIC by Lawrence Ball, released in 2012 on Navona Records, hailed by Pitchfork for its “wondrous, rippling, and startlingly tactile music.”

“And pieces by Ball… — including the delightful Waterfall, and Brightness demonstrated skills usually lacking in unreconstructed tonal composers, and imaginative and entertaining ways of elaborating simple materials.” — Keith Potter (author, American Minimal Music and reviewer) The Independent, U.K.