Interview

Interview with LALGUDI SRI G.J.R. KRISHNAN & SMT.VIJAYALAKSHMI

who performed on the Inaugural day of Mudhra's Seventh Fine Arts Festival on 7th December 2001



	Radha :	Basically, you are born into a great musical family, did music come to you quite naturally or was it inculcated in a disciplined manner?
	Krishnan:	Music was all around , so in such an atmosphere we couldn't have been otherwise. Music of course is in our blood also. So, it was both ways .
	Radha :	Though music might have come naturally to you both, concert music is something which requires disciplined training....
	Krishnan:	From 1971, I was put into music seriously. Vacation time meant full time practice of music. Even during college days, this training continued. You may be aware that earlier, my father and aunt were playing duets and later when she had to discontinue it due to family commitments, I stepped into her shoes.
	Radha :	Viji, what about your training?
	Viji :	It was not that serious in my case. I was not put into any pressure for performance. I had my debut with one of my father's disciples Akhila, and from then on my musical journey has continued successfully. Of course, earlier I used to accompany my father only when it was not convenient for my brother to play due to his exams. So, I wouldn't call it a serious entry but once you get recognition and realise the value of the family heritage, we do start taking ourselves seriously.
	Radha :	Were you both first initiated into vocal music or did you start directly with the violin?
	Krishnan:	We always vocalise first whatever we are going to play on the violin..
	Radha :	Each school has a particular training methodology. Could you highlight some salient features of your school?
	Krishnan: Viji : Krishnan: Viji :	If we take a raga for practice, we exhaust all possible forms in it. For example, we play varnam, kriti, swaras etc. in it. We maintain a time table so that even practice is done methodically. This is to get instrumental virtuosity. But as far as improvisatory music is concerned , we are only shown the way. Then it is upto us to practice and develop. Another thing is the rich experience I have gained while going with my father on concert tours. On stage, he would indicate some places of the music by showing his eye as if to say 'observe this!' I have heard innumerable concerts of my father and this has been a great source of education and inspiration to me. Not only this, we have always had the habit of self evaluation after a concert. We analyse our positive and negative aspects and try to improve upon what we feel has been negative. This habit continues even today.
	Radha :	What is the main musical focus of your school?
	Krishnan:	My father has always had the conviction that the violin must follow the vocal style, the two should not go on different tracks. Just mastery over the instrument will not suffice but when you play the instrument, its potential should also be brought out in considerable measure. So, we try to make our music a proper and optimum balance between the two.
	Radha :	Do you take care of conveying the lyrical impact also while playing?
	Krishnan: Viji :	We have had the opportunity of listening to so many lectures by our father and also several enlightening discussions he had with yesteryears stalwarts. Our father has everything in his fingertips and the way he quotes the lyrics of songs is just incredible. He always insists that a composition should be approached keeping in mind the mood of the lyrics, the context etc. That is how the feel of the composition can be conveyed in its entirety.
	Radha :	Violin trio or duets is quite a challenging feat as utmost synchronisation is necessary. How do you work upon a composition to achieve this perfection?
	Krishnan:	This is not only due to patanthara similarity but also due to the matching of the mind. So, concert alertness is required and at the same time there should be abandon.
	Radha	Viji, you have been performing a dual role - as the main artist and accompanist. While accompanying, you need to maintain some restrain and follow the main artist though your creativity may motivate you to explore on different lines...
	Viji :	I don't think I have developed my own way of accompanying . I only follow my father's method and guidelines. He always tells us that as accompanists, we should play a supportive and complementary role. It is also essential to follow the style of the main performer so as to make the concert blend well.
	Radha:	With regard to creativity, do you perceive any difference in the two roles i.e main artist and accompanist?
	Viji :	Defenitely. As a main artist ,we can feel the pulse of the audience and tailor our concert accordingly. As accompanists, we have to be very alert on stage. We should be able to grasp the music on the spot and reply instantaneously. So, the challenge is defenitely there here though the choice is limited.
	Radha:	Talking about manodharma, we definitely cannot say that every bit of it is created on the stage. We do need to make preparations even to present this. So, what according to you is manodharma in Carnatic Music?
	Krishnan: Viji : Krishnan: Viji :	In areas like alapana, we defenitely can exercise our creativity to a great extent. But when two artists play together, I feel prior practice is essential. After all, the audience are paying for the concert, so it is our responsibility to give out our best. So, we can't be experimenting on stage. We do need to have a proper understanding between the two of us about what we are going to play, then only the concert will have a proper build up. I strongly feel that there is nothing wrong in planning a concert. This is true even of vocal music or any other duets. Now, there are two aspects. We can practice a song and play it in a stale manner, another is to present it with a lot of freshness. So, expression is vital to music. No guru can instil life into his student's music, it has to come from within. Having performed for so many years together, we have developed a proper understanding. So, we do attempt creating on the spot in areas like Ragam Thanam Pallavi, keeping in mind the context.
	Radha :	Now, what do you aim at through performing "concerts"?
	Krishnan:	I basically aim at touching the heart of the people. I don't wish to make them over awed or thrilled.
	Radha :	So you don't believe in thrilling the audience?
	Viji :	No, I believe that melody should be predominant. People want to relax in the concert hall and carry memories of the good music. I personally feel nobody is going to be remembered for playing superfast phrases in the tara sthayi, it is only their melodic music which will stand the test of time. The audience can ruminate only on the bhava of the music, of course jugglery may give them instantaneous apppeal.
	Radha :	With regard to concerts, how do you generally conceive and plan each?
	Krishnan:	Representation of different sahithyakarthas is done unless it is a thematic presentation. Songs in various kalapramanas, different ragas are also taken care of. We usually take a ghana raga for exposition, preferably followed by a 2 kalai keertanai.
	Radha :	One specialty of your school is the fine sense of proportion you maintain in presenting each piece..
	Krishnan:	It is our father's training, he has put us in this groove.
	Radha :	There are musicians who take very minor ragas for lengthy exposition and the result becomes mechanical and devoid of aesthetic appeal...
	Krishnan:	It is equally challenging to present a raga briefly in a nutshell. Of course, I myself have presented a full length concert in Kambodi raga, my father presented one in Todi raga.
	Radha :	There may have been instances when you'd have wanted to dwell at length on a particular raga, but that can't be done in a concert keeping in mind the proportion......
	Viji :	Yes, sometimes this may happen when you get immersed in the music. But, then maintaining proper proportion is essential.
	Radha :	What are your feelings at the end of each concert?
	Krishnan:	I generally dwell on my negative points first and then only look at the positive aspects.
	Radha :	What according to you is the difference in listenership in India and abroad?
	Krishnan:	When you play to an informed audience, the satisfaction you get is something unique. Recently, we played at Amsterdam where the Indian audience were very few. But it was gratifying that without diluting standards, we were able to impart tranquility and a sense of awakening among the audience.
	Radha :	Would you think of compromising depending on the context?
	Viji : Krishnan:	That question does not arise at all. We can present good quality music and still reach the masses. When we play in perfect unison with the sruthi and rhythm, it can really touch the heart of people immaterial of whether they understand the intricacies.
	Radha :	Your school of music is spreading at the global level. How is the general response outside India?
	Krishnan:	Most of the people abroad are Sri Lankans and they show a lot of interest in our art and culture. I have never seen a Sri Lankan child idle without learning either music or dance.
	Radha :	What about violin in particular?
	Krishnan:	There should be a good teacher to initiate and promote the students. In our school, we have Dr.Lakshmi Jayan who has trained a lot of students. Only problem is that the music becomes an end in itself. They show a lot of enthusiasm till their arangetran but their interest diminishes after that. But though they may all not become performers, they atleast develop a good taste for music.
	Radha :	Do youngsters attend live concerts abroad?
	Krishnan:	Oh yes! Defenitely the average age of those attending concerts is much less abroad than in India. This is indeed a very heartening thing.
	Radha :	Finally, what are your plans to further spread the music of this great Lalgudi tradition?
	Viji : Krishnan:	We don't have any immediate plans but we do teach students who are interested to learn. This is our performing age. So we would like to concentrate more on that now. But when we go abroad, we do give free lectures in schools and colleges so that they can develop atleast some understanding of our music.