may 2020 ON Stagevolume 9 • issue 10 BRING HOME THE ARTS with the NCPA@home digital series and other cultural offerings from around the world NCPA Chairman Khushroo N. Suntook Editorial Director Radhakrishnan Nair Editor Snigdha Hasan Consulting Editor Contents Vipasha Aloukik Pai Editorial Co-ordinator 08 Hilda Darukhanawalla Art Director Tanvi Shah Associate Art Director Hemali Limbachiya Graphic Designers Gautami Dave Sanjana Suvarna Advertising Anita Maria Pancras ([email protected]; 66223835) Tulsi Bavishi ([email protected]; 9833116584) Senior Digital Manager Jayesh V. Salvi Produced by Editorial Office 4th Floor, Todi Building, Mathuradas Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai - 400013 Printer Spenta Multimedia, Peninsula Spenta, Features Mathuradas Mill Compound, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai – 400013 Materials in ON Stage cannot be 06 16 reproduced in part or whole without the Reflections Reflections on a pandemic written permission of the publisher. Views Hard Times. By Anil Dharker Renowned names from the and opinions expressed in this magazine world of Western classical are not necessarily those of the publisher. and Indian music, jazz, dance All rights reserved. 08 and theatre weigh in on what The Shows Will Go On cancelled concerts, suspended NCPA Booking Office With the world at a standstill, travel, trepidation about 2282 4567/6654 8135/6622 3724 www.ncpamumbai.com attending a concert or watching large gatherings, and the gift a play might seem like a of gestation entail for the memory from the distant past. performing arts. If you are reeling from the lack of culture, here is how you can use the internet to experience 22 the magic of the stage from the The Eternal Sound of Music safety of your home, starting In moments of social with the NCPA’s very best confinement, art, once again, offerings. is man’s companion, like it has MANUEL HARLAN 28 been in war and peace, sickness birth anniversary of legendary and health. By Snigdha Hasan Bollywood singer Manna Dey. Vidhi Salla explores the singer’s multifaceted career and the 26 strong roots of classical music 28 The Learning Never Stops that revealed themselves in the In the absence of classroom songs he sang. lessons, the SOI Music Academy shifts gears and switches to online teaching, bringing 32 together musicians and students The Dance Renaissance under one virtual roof. In the concluding half of a two-part series, eminent public intellectual Jawhar Sircar writes a 28 sweeping history of the renewal Music First and revival of each of the eight Two stellar pianists, cognoscenti classical dance forms of India. may seldom hear under one roof, were brought together as part of the latest SOI 36 season. Vastly different in Archives: The world’s a stage their musicality, they share in In the final instalment of a common what ties together all three-part story, Vijay Tendulkar great artistes. writes about the various forms By Jehangir Batiwala of the performing arts – from experimental theatre to wrestling tournaments – that 30 not only shattered his beliefs Pandit of Playback but shaped his ideas of what is 32 SHUTTERSTOCK This month marks the 101st ‘theatrical’. EXPRESSION THE SHOWS WILL GO ON With the world at a standstill, attending a concert or watching a play might seem like a memory from the distant past. If you are reeling from the lack of culture, here is how you can use the internet to experience the magic of the stage from the safety of your home, starting with the NCPA’s very best offerings. 8 • May 2020 NCPA COVER STORY ust about when misplaced doubts on the Morganfield, classical dance presentations by future of the performing arts began to be Mallika Sarabhai, Aditi Mangaldas and Malavika cast in the wake of the current pandemic, Sarukkai, and more. Also on the channel are the art fraternity the world over, as if in a some dazzling performances and much-loved THE SHOWS spontaneous comeback, opened up its workshops across all genres from the ADD ART treasures in the online universe. So what Festival, which was a grand coming together of if you can’t come to the theatres, it seems world-class artistes to celebrate the golden jubilee to be telling audiences, we bring theatre to of the NCPA last year. Jyou. And how! With live-streaming and webcasting The process didn’t end at digging out these being used like never before, institutions and artistes treasures from the archives, built painstakingly over WILL GO ON are giving a new meaning to keeping the cultural decades. The videos then had to be edited to suit diet healthy in these unusual times. the needs of the online medium, which can be very The NCPA@home digital series is a step in that different from the auditorium experience, and duly direction. Curated by the genre heads and senior subtitled with commentary wherever applicable. members of the NCPA, it brings you the best of Text accompanying the videos to help viewers concerts, recitals and performances on its YouTube appreciate the nuances of the performances was channel. Through April, viewers were able to see prepared for the webcast. Subscribe to NCPA Girija Devi presenting iconic compositions of the Mumbai1 on YouTube to make sure you don’t miss Benaras gharana at the 2012 edition of Bandish, Zakir anything and take your pick from our list of online Hussain’s concerto for tabla and orchestra, Peshkar, cultural offerings from the world over. And above the Symphony Orchestra of India’s presentation everything else, stay safe and be well. of Puccini’s La bohème, full-length concerts by For more information, visit www.youtube.com/ the New York Round Midnight Orchestra and Mud TheNCPAMumbai1 WESTERN CLASSICAL MUSIC By Nikhil Sardana For your eyes only and erudite set of presenters and all this is free to In the beginning, there was the word, and among air. The radio station has been regularly updating the many online classical music magazines that its Instagram page with information on all the major pack in some pretty wonderful words in the form classical music venues, events and concerts closed of interviews, reviews, features and profiles in the and cancelled due to Coronavirus, free streaming classical scene are Hong Kong-based Interlude, services by cultural centres of repute as well as Canada’s Schmopera and Serenade, which operates heartwarming videos of balcony performances by from India. These three platforms provide fresh musicians and healthcare workers breaking into an reading material every month at no subscription fee. aria from across the world. For more information, visit You may subscribe to their free monthly newsletter to www.classicfm.com be delivered to your inbox or bookmark the following If you are interested in podcasts, you cannot do links: better than Aria Code, which has been put together For Interlude, visit interlude.hk/sign-newsletter/ by The Metropolitan Opera, WQXR radio station and For Schmopera, visit www.schmopera.com/get- WNYC Studios. As the name suggests, they explore our-newsletter-stay-in-the-loop/ opera’s most legendary arias with commentary by a For Serenade, vist www.serenademagazine.com/ range of personalities from noted actors and writers to subscribe even scientists. Opera lovers will find new light being shed on their pet passion. For more information, visit Listening pleasure www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/aria-code Going back, not as far as the word but far back enough, By itself too, WQXR, a New York-based radio is the radio. Winning the popularity stakes here is station which offers various channels featuring Classic FM – the U.K.’s largest national commercial classical music, is worth exploring. On the WQXR radio station. It offers an almost limitless voyage of Blog, read a fascinating account of operating a radio discovery about classical composers and performers. station during COVID-19. For more information, visit Their playlist is managed by a remarkably engaging www.wqxr.org NCPA May 2020 • 9 period of 90 days. So if you cannot make it to Salzburg or Verbier, medici. tv will bring you the next best thing. Its repertoire offers concerts, ballets, operas, documentaries, interviews, masterclasses and some intriguing behind-the-scenes clips as well. For more information, visit www.medici.tv For extraordinary times Apart from the general, permanently available online resources mentioned here, many performing arts organisations the world over, including the NCPA, are opening up their archives to make this time a bit more bearable. Known for exceptional singers and having The Bolshoi Theatre’s Tosca consistently engaged the most talented artistes, The Metropolitan Opera is one of the preeminent centres of opera. The Music unlimited company is currently streaming for free a different So how do you feel this morning? Upbeat, a little presentation from The Met: Live in HD series every melancholy or somewhat nostalgic? Perhaps some day on its website (with each performance available music to match your mood would be just the thing. for a period of 23 hours.) For more information, visit Primephonic and Idagio are two streaming apps www.metopera.org/user-information/nightly-met- that have curated music according to mood and opera-streams much more. Both, like all other major streaming When it comes to technology the Berlin services, allow you to search by composer, album Philharmonic has been a pioneer in many ways. or performer, but also go well beyond these basic Back in 2008, it started its Digital Concert Hall to options by even letting you look for such specifics broadcast concerts live on the internet by installing as catalogue number, recording label, HD cameras around the concert orchestra and conductor, year of issue platform that capture all the action on and so forth.