It was a real ‘Taal se Taal Mila’ moment at the Théâtre Les Salons at Geneva on the 10th February 2018 – as the audience meditated, clapped and cheered along to the classical tunes of renowned Carnatic vocalist Bombay Jayashri Ramnath.
Keerthana Nagarajan and Manasa Mukka spent their evening at the concert.
Jayashri was in Geneva for a two-day concert on February 9th and 10th, 2018, where she performed along with her team of musicians. For many, it was a dream come true as they saw their favourite singer perform for the first time! The rich set up of Théâtre Les Salons with its splendid interiors and acoustics set the mood for what came to be a concert of a kind.
There was excitement in the air as the hall full of music lovers – Indians, Swiss and the International segment residing in Switzerland took their seats, ensuring a good view of the singer. It felt like the audience had gathered there for a ‘desi’ festive get-together: the women exuded elegance in their finest silk sarees and dresses and the men looked their traditional best in their kurtas.
As the curtains opened, the hall resounded applause, welcoming the musician and her team. This was Jayashri’s third performance in Switzerland and her first in Geneva; the second being just a day before in Lausanne (9th February). Her first concert was at the Museum Rietberg in Zurich in 2009.
The concert began with the soulful rendering of ‘Kandhan Seyel Andro’, a popular ‘krithi’ in the praise of Lord Karthikeya. It was presented in the Carnatic raga ‘Nattakurunji ’ and composed by Violin Maestro and her Guru, Shri Lalgudi Jayaraman.
The audience was mesmerized and transformed into a different world as the concert continued with Jayashri’s songs. After performing two more songs – ‘Mokshamugalada’ in ‘Saramati’ raga, and ‘Saroja Dala Nethri’ in ‘Shankarabharanam’ ragas, Jayashri delightfully surprised the audience singing a medley of Hindustani and Carnatic songs.
Then came the audience favourite, ‘Krishna Nee Begane’ in raga ‘Yamuna Kalyani’ – classical composition in the praise of Lord Krishna often heard in many homes in south India; especially while putting kids to bed.
The talented team of accompanists at the concert included – her son Shri Amrit Ramnath playing the ‘tanpura’, Carnatic Violinist Shri Mysore V.Srikanth, Mridangam Artist Shri Delhi Sairam and Shri Krishna Sriram playing the Ghatam. Their ‘Jugalbandi’ time with the Mridangam, Violin and the Ghatam along with the Gamakams (ornamentations of the tunes) by Jayashri made the evening all the more special.
The concert ended with Jayashri singing her Oscar-nominated lullaby from the film Life of Pi.
The fantastic concert was organized by Aeka Academy, Institution of Fine Arts, run by Bharatanatyam dancer, Aparna Raghavan who continues her artistic pursuits by way of her own dance institute in Geneva.“It was an amazing concert. I have organized many concerts, but it was my dream to organize a ‘Bombay Jayashri concert’ in Geneva for Aeka Academy. That dream has come true for me. I feel blessed,” said a proud and humble Aparna.
The content of this article is sponsored by Aeka Academy. The event coverage is provided by Namaste Switzerland.
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