The Azure Quartet’s journey to India celebrated connection by music, from performing Messiaen’s profound Quartet for the Finish of Time to vibrant collaborations. Every venue and viewers highlighted music’s energy to unite throughout cultures.
In the summertime of 2023, I had the privilege of listening to a younger quartet carry out Olivier Messiaen’s spectacular Quartet for the Finish of Time in London. Composed throughout Messiaen’s imprisonment in Stalag VIII-A throughout World Battle II, this eight-movement masterpiece makes use of a novel mixture of devices: clarinet, violin, cello, and piano. Premiered by Messiaen and his fellow prisoners in 1941, the work is riveting, dissonant, expressive and demanding for each the performer and the listener. Impressed by the quartet’s exceptional talent and musicianship, I invited them to deliver their artistry to India to share this work with younger musicians and audiences in India.
The Azure Quartet agreed, and what adopted was unforgettable. The quartet, made up of Thomas Knollys (clarinet), Elana Kenyon-Gewirtz (violin), Hoda Jahanpour (cello) and Joel Banerjee (piano) carried out two distinct repertoires throughout their journey: the entire Quartet for the Finish of Time and a lighter mixture of works (Repertoire 2) by composers similar to Poulenc, Vivaldi, Debussy, Boulanger, Piazzolla, and others. That is their travelogue.
India Worldwide Centre – Quartet for the Finish of Time
Our first live performance passed off on the prestigious India Worldwide Centre, hosted by the Delhi Music Society.
Launched by the eloquent Sunit Tandon, whose partaking prelude introduced Messiaen’s work vividly to life, the efficiency was the primary in a few years to current this haunting quartet in Delhi.
The viewers’s centered attentiveness heightened the expertise as we navigated its dissonance, thriller, and wonder. It was a pleasure to attach with viewers members afterward, a lot of whom shared their distinctive reflections on the piece.
Ashoka College – Quartet for the Finish of Time
Live performance preparation at Ashoka College; Instrument, acoustics and lighting checks
At Ashoka College, we have been welcomed with a sunny campus tour earlier than performing within the intimate Black Field Theatre.
Joel testing out the Black-box Theatre’s beautiful-toned Kawai piano
The setting—on the similar stage because the viewers slightly than on a stage—fostered a larger sense of collaboration and interactivity.
Hoda and her cello; Elana together with her violin
The scholars, a lot of who’re budding musicians and creatives, engaged deeply with the efficiency, sharing exact observations about particular actions and themes.
Live performance at Ashoka College
One memorable second was assembly Po, Ashoka’s sole cellist, after the live performance. After I (Hoda) talked about I used to be studying Bach’s Sixth Cello Suite, Po excitedly revealed he had by no means heard it dwell.
Full home
I had the pleasure of performing the prelude for him and a small group of associates in a campus hall—a spontaneous and joyful connection over our shared love of music.
British Council – A Combine from Each Repertoires
Our efficiency on the British Council provided an opportunity to introduce faculty college students to Western classical instrumental music. Regardless of the early 9 a.m. begin, the scholars’ attentiveness and enthusiasm all through our combined programme—together with a motion of Messiaen—was heartening. Assembly college students afterward and listening to their inventive views on music made this a very rewarding expertise.
Grand Venice Mall – Repertoire 2 – with Dancers
Performing on the Grand Venice Mall was a novel expertise, that includes choreographed dances by Benjamin Jacob, Joe Matthew, Safia Livingston, and Aadya Jain.
Their routines, set to items similar to Gershwin’s American in Paris, Piazzolla’s Libertango, and Debussy’s Cello Sonata, introduced an unimaginable number of types, from humorous storytelling to modern motion.
Regardless of the challenges of amplifying our devices for the unconventional venue, the full of life environment and engaged crowds made this a spotlight of our tour. A very magical second was the free improvisation between musicians and dancers, an inspiring interaction of motion and sound.
Kiran Nadar Museum of Artwork (KNMA) – Quartet for the Finish of Time
The resonant acoustics of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Artwork added an ethereal high quality to our efficiency of Messiaen’s quartet. The strings soared over the piano’s accompaniment, and the viewers’s respectful silence amplified the profound great thing about the work. This ultimate efficiency of the quartet throughout our tour was notably transferring, and we’re grateful to KNMA for his or her heat hospitality throughout our time in Delhi.
Related Board of the Royal Colleges of Music (ABRSM), Lucknow – Repertoire 2
In Lucknow, we carried out throughout the Metropolis Montessori Faculty’s Christmas Spectacular, sharing a vibrant repertoire from Vivaldi’s La Follia to Feliciano’s festive Feliz Navidad. The next day, we gave a brief live performance for 500 schoolchildren, hoping to encourage them with new musical types and items. Assembly college students, of various ages, making ready for ABRSM exams was a privilege; their confidence and willingness to carry out was spectacular.
KNMA + Vatican Embassy – Mirai: The Miracle of Hope
Our ultimate concert events in Delhi showcased the debut season of Mirai, an all-women’s vocal ensemble, based and performed by Sharmila B. Livingston, that we had the pleasure of accompanying. This 15-member treble ensemble, comprised of girls from numerous ages, professions, and musical skills, share a typical ardour for music spanning quite a lot of genres. Their repertoire included timeless works by Vivaldi and Lotti, together with extra modern picks from Gershwin and John Rutter.
The Mirai concert events on the Kiran Nadar Museum of Artwork (KNMA) and the Chapel on the Embassy of the Holy See Vatican have been memorable not just for performances, but additionally for the collaborative spirit that infused every efficiency. The ensemble’s camaraderie and dedication have been evident as we labored collectively to create moments of musical magnificence.
Our concert events with Mirai concluded our musical journey in India, leaving us energized and hopeful that our music as a quartet, and on shared platforms impressed different younger musicians to develop in their very own musical experiences, collaborations and connections, at the same time as we did by our experiences in India.
IIC, Ashoka College and Grand Venice photographs by John Bonion Nayak
