Ode to barkha ritu

In a city like Bengaluru,  music  is quite the religion and there are no ways about it. Pegged as a haven for music lovers of sorts, this season, it’s all about dancing in the rain – to some soulful monsoon ragas at the Barkha Ritu. We talk to the artistes who’ll be performing at the classical music extravaganza, to give us a peak into what’s in store...

“As somebody who’s performed across the country, Bengaluru is one of the best places to perform. I attribute it to the friendly crowd, who is   receptive to all genres of music. It’s my first performance at the Barkha Ritu, but I believe it’s going to be worth the effort as the city appreciates great music without any boundaries,” shares  Mandolin U Rajesh, a renowned mandolin player, who will be performing at the monsoon music raga festival alongside  flautist, Dr B Vijayagopal.

The national thematic festival is a tribute to the legendary guru and maestro, Bharat Ratna Pt Bhimsen Joshi. Emphasising on how the concept is fast catching up, Dr B Vijayagopal pipes,  “While this is the first time I will be sharing the stage with Mandolin Rajesh ji, and I’m  elated to be performing here, as I always have, because this is one city where even the younger crowd places equal importance to classical and traditional forms of music. It also allows us to present innovative ideas within the classical idiom. I see this as a healthy trend, which must be encouraged with more conventional and unconventional live music feats. We will be performing two to three pieces and the main theme is going to be a composition based on a monsoon raga. We will have a Mrudangam and Khanjira accompaniment. The main highlight is the fusion of the flute and the electric mandolin the soundscape and the tonalities of the instruments, making it  exciting for us artistes as well as the audiences.”

In a bid to promote India’s vast treasure of performing arts, the event is pegged as one of he biggest all India monsoon music festivals of all time. Speaking about his association with the same, vocalist of national repute, Ustad Rashid Khan, a vocalist and tarana maestro, opines,  “I’m honoured to be a part of this. It makes all the sense as it’s raining here in Bengaluru, and the concept really does seem like an ode to one of the most celebrated seasons in the classical music fraternity.”