Memories of 2014: Purity in Motion

The moment the 76 member-BBC Chamber Orchestra hit the first note to Mozart’s fifth, one knew they will fire on all cylinders. The orchestra delivered some exquisite moments, bringing out the brightness of Scottish landscape in German composer Mandelssohn’s The Hebrides and the melancholic Fourth Symphony by Tchaikovsky. The orchestra also played Man dole mera tan dole on violins, cellos, flutes and horns; one of the most technically sound performances of the year.

Mau5-Mehndi Trap

There was enough hype around Canadian EDM star Deadmau5’s debut India tour, and he lived up to the expectations, no doubt. In Delhi, he invited our very own Daler Mehndi on stage. After a fair amount of chit chatting on Twitter and a video of the “coffee run”, the two entertained the crowd as Mehndi sang Tunak tunak while Deadmau5 mixed it live. From the intoxicated thousands to the bartenders and cops at the venue, everyone burst into bhangra.

The Blues Man

This year, Moses came to town to sing the blues. Ravid Kahalani, a Yemenite Jew from Israel sang of Insanya (humanity) as the song’s “heart fell in line with the ritual chanting in synagogue services”. Dressed in a flashy golden jacket, with an Arabic guitar strapped to him, Kahalani gave a powerful message with this one. Look at the blood of your own children on your hands/ You are looking for more revenge? Peshawar killings were yet to occur. It seemed like a stirring elegy for the departed in a controlled emotional outburst.

And the Twain Met

The year also saw a series of astute musicians score high on the fusion barometer. Grammy winning artistes sitar player Ustad Shujaat Khan and ghatam maestro Pandit Vikku Vinayakram combined forces with saxophone player George Brooks and violinist Kumaresh to take free flights of improvisation. At one point, when they came together, creating the same tune on their respective instruments, there was a whimsical blur in the atmosphere, leaving us asking for more.

Desert Rose

I beg you mother, don’t make them circumcise me, it hurts so much, Fatoumata Diawara crooned with all her gut and soul in Bambara, her native language, while strumming her electric guitar in what was to be the last gig at Delhi’s blueFROG (the space at The Qila has shut down). And with this one song, a plea to stop female genital mutilation in Mali, the country she comes from, became the song of women empowerment for the residents of India.