Future maestros flex classical muscles

A assortment of young stars piece together an opera performance in Panjim

Nigel Britto

The divine but jejune and partially-extended strains of the classic Dona Nobis Pacem served only as starters. Perhaps, its beginning and end were too far apart. As Europe celebrates the life of the legendary Frederic Chopin this week, Goa had a celebration of a different sort as the state's future classical maestros strutted their stuff at a dazzling display of talent at Kala Academy on Tuesday.

The director was vocal instructor Juliana D'Sa, whose mission is to popularize classical music in Goa. In doing so, she dug into the formidable pool of young talent she has shaped over the years and concocted this presentation, which she compared to trying to make up a small bouquet of flowers from a large garden. As a result, the menu was anything but predictable.

The variety on display was evident from the range of songs presented, from Handel's "He shall feed his flock" to "Adele's Laughing Song" from Strauss's "Die Fledermaus" (brilliantly rendered by Chriselle Mendonca) to the classic "Somewhere over the rainbow". Clearly, a lot of work went into song selection. "I chose each song carefully, based on the performers and what they were comfortable with," D'Sa later said, adding that the biggest difficulty was deciding what to leave out. The second-biggest difficulty was fighting the nasty little sore throat virus that made a bee-line for her singers.

The free-for-all show was fully funded by the students' parents. Thankfully, it didn't have a 'chief guest', and as a natural consequence, started on time to the delight of the packed auditorium. It then ran like a well-lubricated machine till finish, a spectacular feat considering a vast majority of the performers were school and college-going students without any significant stage experience prior to the show. The accompaniment was provided by a string quartet, comprising Kala Academy's director of western music Teresa Figueiredo and other senior violinists, and later, two pianists.

While the first half boasted a delectable selection of songs, the intensity of the music and the preparation behind it reached its crescendo in the second half, an enactment of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro (the Marriage of Figaro), which provided the performance its crowing glory. Admittedly, it's a mere shadow to a Broadway presentation, but given the extremely limited human resources here, the play turned out fantastic. The story is that of a countess, her maid Susanna, and the count's man-servant Figaro, who was to marry Susanna, conspiring to get Count Almaviva to forget Susanna and return to loving his countess.

The setting is a garden in the palace of Count Almaviva, with an extravagant Goa-wedding-style backdrop and relevant costumes. The opera's direction is sedulous and its production suave, what with its intrepid eavesdropping, prevarication and Machiavellian scheming among the lead trio; the ballsy and kittenish Susanna (Kim Costa), Figaro (Chernoll Mendonca) and the Countess.

A girl playing a teenage pageboy is a strange twist, but Karla de Sousa pulls of the role of the overly-amorous Cherubino admirably, ably shifting from the jubilant to the cothurnal; and the dramatis personae's masterful delivery and presentation easily obnubilates the play's unusual casting, ostensibly attributable to limited resources. The presentation was enhanced by the string quartet antipodal to the main act, and succeeded in two aspects; the Count regaining his affection for his Countess, and injecting a large dose of steroids into Goa's dormant opera production scene.

D'Sa was elated at the response. "I didn't expect it," she said. And she was even more pleased that her two major requirements of the concert were fulfilled-the popularization of classical music and her students having fun. "I just told them, above everything else, enjoy the music", she said, and that's what the enthusiastic bunch did, because as it ended, she was confronted by her students bitterly complaining that "our show was getting over".

As the curtains dropped and the auditorium lit up again, the question in most minds was "What next". The reticent D'Sa doesn't like to divulge much; but speaking to TOI the following day, she dropped sufficient hints that Tuesday's show was just the beginning, and not merely a flash in the pan.

This article was first published on The Times of India, Goa, in the edition dated February 26, 2010

On a song and a prayer

The Monte festival that starts this weekend promises to be a cultural feast

Nigel Britto

It's that time of the year again when people make their way to a forgotten chapel on a hill for an annual pilgrimage they eagerly look forward to, arriving at one of Goa's most spectacular locations, Our Lady of Monte Chapel in Old Goa (Monte meaning hill in Portuguese).

Built by Portuguese conqueror Afonso de Albuquerque in the 1500s, the chapel is set against a breathtaking view of the Chorao and Divar islands on the Mandovi river. This picturesque place provides the perfect ambience for a three-day series of concerts that begin at dusk. Artists from all over the country come together to celebrate heritage and music in this quaint and rather off-the-touristy-circuit destination. The event marks the forgotten love affair between India and Portugal. Colonial romances are reminisced and shared histories relived.

From Portuguese choirs to Kuchipudi dancers to Indian sopranos, the festival, since its inception in 2002, has had all kinds of performances for the discerning spectator. Artists dressed in formal attires offer a glimpse to the audience about their history and culture.

The Monte Music Festival 2010 kicks off this weekend and is scheduled to run till Sunday. It wouldn't be a bad idea to be there.

Yvonne Rebello, who has coordinated the festival for the past eight years as part of Fundacao Oriente, a Portuguese organisation aimed at promoting cultural and artistic ties between Portugal and Asia, says, "It all started when the government approached us to renovate the chapel in 1999, which was then in a dilapidated condition." Since then, Rebello adds, the event has grown and attracts art aficionados from various parts of the country. A panel at the institute chooses the western music performers , while Anju Timblo, a Goa-based industrialist in whose hotel the performers are housed, selects the Indian performers.

For historical reasons, Fundacao Oriente is located in Goa, housed in an old Indo-Portuguese building in Panaji's most traditional neighbourhood. The building was purchased specifically for the purpose.

Since Fundacao Oriente used its funds to renovate it, Sergio Mascarenhas, the organisation's then-director , suggested having an annual festival there to celebrate heritage and music . Successive directors have ensured the festival has gone from being a mere 'experiment' to a 'global brand' . "There are lots of people who plan their vacations in Goa to coincide with our festival," Rebello says proudly.

Moreover, the bumpy ride to the chapel doesn't deter music lovers from flocking to this much-awaited event. One even has to leave his/her vehicle at the foot of the hill, and take a rickety shuttle up the serpentine roads. But that just makes the whole trip deliciously old-world .

At the venue, a makeshift platform serves as a stage for the performers while the fading Goan sun forms a magnificent backdrop. Acoustically, too, the setting is perfect. "In the past, Indian performers were apprehensive about the backdrop and setting; they were used to auditoriums with perfect sound and light synchronisation. But having performed here once, artists now believe that this experience is unlike any other," says Rebello.

But what's making organisers of the festival happier than anything else is the mix of crowds the event is attracting. There are the raucous college goers with their flashing mobile phone cameras -despite requests not to use them - and middle-aged and elderly quietly looking out for the best seats. In fact, it isn't unusual to see grandfathers and grandmothers being helped up the narrow winding staircase by their doting grandkids.

The focus of the festival is not only on international cultural bonding, but on retaining the local flavour. "We see to it that good Goan musicians get exposure," says Rebello. And this year, London-based mezzo-soprano Viola Da Cunha will join tabla player Amit Bhonsle, sitar exponent Chhote Rahimat Khan, the Goa State Symphony Orchestra and the Sta Cecilia choir of the famed Rachol Seminary to form the Goan contingent at the festival. They will make music with the likes of Portuguese guitarist Manuel Leao, Romanian pianist Delia Varga and Delhi-based Kuchipudi dancer Shallu Jindal , who is MP Naveen Jindal's wife.

Even in a music loving place like Goa, it's rare to see classical forms of music holding such sway and prominence at a public festival. In a world which seems to have left behind classical and folk genres, it serves as a refreshing change to spend three days at the festival in the 'rave capital of India' .

As a bonus, most of Goa's popular beaches—Calangute, Baga, Miramar, Anjuna—are all within half-an-hour's drive from the centrally-located chapel. And the fact that it's off-season means costs are low, the crowds are absent and tranquillity is guaranteed. Rejuvenation of the soul has never been so easy. For one weekend of solitude, scenery and songs, head to Old Goa.

This article was first published on the Times of India's Crest edition dated February 5, 2010