Zubin Mehta and Chennai remember
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*picture above intentionally stretched
A year ago, 'December 26' was the tag word for disaster. A year later, as the world remembers, Chennai relived the tsunami anniversary through music.
Zubin Mehta and the Bavarian State Orchestra performed for the first time in Chennai this evening. The Bavarian State Orchestra which is visiting India for the first time traveled on Christmas day in order to perform in Chennai on December 26. The concert, hosted at the Music Academy, was scheduled to coincide with the first anniversary of the terrible tsunami that hit the Coromandel coast this day last year.Organized by the German Consulate & Max Mueller Bhavan in partnership with TCS and Moser Baer, this rare performance saw a huge crowd turnout. There was a giant snaking queue along the entire parking area of the Academy as people clutched their entry passes and patiently waited to be allowed into the concert hall. The audience was dotted with Chennai's literati and glitterati. Among the notable people who spent a mesmerising evening at the Music Academy were Amartya Sen, the Argumentative Indian and Surjit Singh Barnala, the Governor of Tamil Nadu.
This concert was a fitting way to relive the first anniversary - tinges of sadness mingled with inspiration for the spirit. The programme for Chennai had three pieces - Guiseppe Verdi's "The Force of Destiny" Ouverture, Franz Schubert's Symphony No.7 in B Minor D 759 "The Unfinished" and the hugely popular Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No.5 in C Minor op.67. The concert was a scintillating display of excellence and passion. Each piece received a standing ovation from the audience. In a touching gesture, Zubin Mehta played Strauss as a special final piece. After two hours of bliss, the audience wanted "one more" before the curtains closed. The conductor and the orchestra willingly obliged and played yet another ouverture with great finesse.
An evening to remember, in more ways than one.
This is once in a lifetime experience. I envy all those who were there to see and feel it.
Jerk Moron
Posted by
Anonymous |
11:21 PM, December 27, 2005
An evening to remember, in more ways than one - Indeed.
Btw, were you there live?
Posted by
Karthik |
10:16 PM, December 28, 2005
Yes Karthik, we watched it live.
Posted by
Echo/Lavanya |
7:30 AM, December 29, 2005