It’s true. Classical music never gets old and no matter what genre you kick-back to at the end of the day, you have got to admit that this has its own allure. The Bangalore School of Music is all set to take you on a magical journey of the compositions of Franz Schubert on August 19 at Alliance Francaise. What can you expect? An evening with an eclectic mix of flowing male-choruses, tender and dramatic lieder and dreamy piano solos.
If you thought a concerta of this nature was something elitist or too tricky to understand, think again. “The music of Franz Schubert is very accessible for audiences at all levels. It tells stories, conveys emotions and often relates to feelings we all have experienced – love, anger, sadness, joy and so on. Schubert is really a master of painting these feelings with his music,” says Jonas Olsson, who is an integral part of The Bangalore Men, an all-male ensemble and doubles as a voice coach at The Bangalore School of Music.
This, he says, was one of the many reasons for choosing Schubert and his vast production of art songs, choir music and piano music that could be considered gems in the classical repertoire.
“We have a responsibility to carry this heritage forward, by presenting it to new audiences. We are really excited to be able to do this programme in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Hyderabad, and to collaborate with fellow musicians, spreading Western classical music in the country,” he says, taking to the baritone.
The performance will be a mix of male choruses performed by The Bangalore Men, sometimes unaccompanied, and in some pieces together with Natallia Kapylova on the piano and Payal John, a lyric soprano from Pune.
“I believe that people are still hungry to listen to good music. When the younger generations come and listen to classical music for the first time they like it, can relate to it and want to learn more,” observes Payal.
Since Schubert had a vast production of choir pieces for male voices, Jonas believes that this music fits what The Bangalore Men do in a perfect way. “It will also present some of Schubert’s most loved Lieder (German art songs), such as Erlking, Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel and Serenade from his art song cycle Swan Song,” he says, letting us in on it. For Natallia, Schubert is a personal favourite because of the philosophical quality to it – “Each time I play it, the phrases get a new meaning and I love sharing that with the audiences,” says the Belarusian pianist who has now made this city her home.
The musicians hope that the concert will inspire the audiences to discover and learn Western classical music too. And that’s the quality that Natallia believes Bengaluru already has. “They appreciate good music. There is no other reason to go to a concert here – it is not socially glamorous and we don’t lure them with free food and drinks,” she concludes.
