Videos: Violinist A Kanyakumari finally gets an award she deserves
The Sangita Kalanidhi award will go to a woman violinist for the first time.
The violin is called the queen of all musical instruments – for good reason. It is a symbol of large orchestras, is often played by the conductor, produces rich beautiful music, and takes years of practice to get right.
Enter India’s very own A Kanyakumari. She’s got both experience and genius on her side. The legendary musician has been performing at concerts as a soloist for the past 50 years. But it’s only now that the virtuoso performer is being rewarded for all her talents. She will be given the Sangita Kalanidhi award, a first for a female violinist in the 87 years that the award has been in existence.
Kanyakumari, born in Vijayanagaram, Andhra Pradesh, moved to Chennai in her teens to take advanced training. “I am indebted to all my gurus and artists like Bombay sisters, Balamuralikrishna, Ramani and Kadri Gopalnath and all of those who have encouraged me since I was a debutant,” she said.
The video above is of Kanyakumari's concert at Yale University in 2011. She plays the Endaro Mahanubhavulu – a popular composition in Carnatic music. The concert starts off slow and gently, but the instrument sings in the hands of the maestro by the end.
Here’s a short clip from an appearance on Doordarshan. (Appreciation of the music might be slightly hampered by the quality of the audio, though.)
Here’s one of her albums uploaded to YouTube in its entirety, titled Melodic Therapy. If that’s how good therapy gets, sign us up. Perfect to get out of feelings described by The Carpenters: “Nothing to do but frown, rainy days and Mondays always get me down.”
In the video below, the strength of the performance can be judged best by the audience of mostly children who continue to listen attentively – and clap to the music – to the end.
Kanyakumari will preside over the Music Academy’s 90th annual conference to be held between December 15, 2016 and January 1, 2017. The violinist's honour was the result of a unanimous decision by a committee meeting held by the academy on July 24.
Corrections and clarifications: An earlier version of this article stated that A Kanyakumari was the first woman to win the Sangeet Kalanidhi award. She is actually the first female violinist to win the award.