It was 37 years ago, when the French minister of culture, Jack Lang and music composer, Maurice Fleuret started the tradition of celebrating Fête de la Musique or World Music Day, on the day of the summer solstice. The primary reason was- to bring out all the musicians on a public platform, where their art can be shared and appreciated by others, free of cost.
In keeping with the tradition, Alliance Française du Bengale in association with Siddha Foundation, Calcutta Classical Guitar Society and Littlei, brings to you a unique musical extravaganza, in the week leading up to World Music Day. There will be live musical performances by new and upcoming bands, such as, The Fifth Harmony, Kolkatar Gaanwala, Mondegreen, Projjwal and Friends, The Miliputs, and students of the Calcutta Classical Guitar Society, along with a presentation by DJ and music producer Varun Desai.
Kolkatar Gaanwala, a two-year old music ensemble, who won the Radio Mirchi Soundcheck Award this year will be performing both Bengali and Hindi numbers, like Ke abar bajay bashi, Woh shaam kuch ajeeb thi, Hain apna Dil to awara, along with some fusion music, such as Monsoon Jam (tunes of Malhar with Tagore, The Awakening (Aigiri nandini) and Naino ki qawwali (Kajra mohabbat wala), among others.
“We try to combine our classical roots and newer musical influences, both from within and outside Calcutta, to create an entirely new soundscape. This World Music Day, Kolkatar Gaanwala, will try to choose various elements from different cultures and genres, to paint a unique picture of the Indian musical scene at present,” says Sneha Chakraborty, the female lead vocalist of the band.
“While the first song tells the story of a woman’s liberation who learns to love herself, the second one is about women empowerment. In the Monsoon Jam, we have tried to recreate the feeling, which an overcast sky, followed by heavy showers, incites in us. But it also covers the emotions like loneliness and anguish, apart from the feeling of love and romance,” she shares with a smile.
Varun Desai, who has worked as a music producer, designer and video artist will be giving a presentation on the history of electronic music. Varun has been producing concerts for jazz legends and pioneering underground club culture in Calcutta for the past 15 years.
His solo venture, 5volts, has been active since 2015 and merges technology with music, which carries strains of classic techno, ambient and Kraut-rock.
Miliput, another folk ensemble will be performing Kamalay nrittya kore, Haar kaala and Krishna pokkho, among others. “We have performed at different venues but performing for World music day remains special, because the week-long celebration is dedicated to musicians hailing from different parts of the world; breaking the barriers of language, color, nationality and gender. A few years ago, we celebrated World Music Day with some specially-abled children of Iswar Sankalpa, which remains the most memorable celebration for us,” shared Sharoni Poddar, the female vocalist of Miliput.
Students of the Calcutta Classical Guitar Society will also be performing some solos, duos and group compositions. Treize Jours En France by Francis Lai and Gavota- Choro by Villa Lobos are two such ensemble pieces which will be performed by a group of 12 musicians- between the age of 12 and 40 years.
The festival will conclude with a day-long open mic, where students of Alliance Française du Bengale will perform different genres of music.
At Sienna Café. June 14- June 21 6:30 pm onwards