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Connecting Cultures Through Music
KOCHI: For renowned musicians Padma Shri Aruna Sairam and Dominique Vellard, their camaraderie in music goes back to approximately 22 years. Having collaborated with each other for a number of musical projects, the pair are back together for a piece ‘Heaven and Earth’, which is to be performed today at 6.30 pm at Bharat Bhavan in the city. Showcased as part of the Indo-French cultural exchange festival, the ‘East-meets-West’ piece will be a unique treat for music lovers, according to the noted Carnatic vocalist. However, the Padma Shri awardee prefers to call it an interactive piece rather than a musical blend.
Speaking more on the performance, the musician says, “The idea behind this is to give the audience a glimpse of the special connection that exists between the music and culture rather than blending the two together. There are connections at so many levels, be it the content of the lyrics or maintaining the same melody. It is a conversation which takes place through music.”While Aruna Sairam will explore the poems of Thirukkural through her Carnatic music, it will be complemented by the Gregorian Chant, a style of medieval music.
For French artist Dominique Vellard, who has also received the title of Chevaliar which is one of the highest recognitions in France, exploring medieval music has been a process of continuous research and analysis. Elaborating more on his piece, Dominique Vellard says, “The piece I perform is a form of monophonic music with one line and one melody, popular between the 10th to 14th century. The performance explores the single melody and the number of possibilities it has.
