Monday, July 03, 2006

This one is on Music and my attachment to it.

The other day went to PlanetM to add to my collection of Violin performances and this time opted for Vanessa Mae and wasn't I pleased to see a set of 3 CDs to take home. On an impulse made a decision to grab them and boy did they make a dent in my pocket you bet. Well the purchase was worthwhile. But imagine my shock when my MP3 player wouldn't play them. Looked up CD and found a nice picture of Copyright Control, which effectively means that I have to buy a player which can read those cds. And the bull crap (please excuse the profanity) the CD mentions is to protect the artists interests by not pirating or copying or duplicating the CD. Well I don't intend and have not done it before. but if protecting the interest of the artist is to deny the pleasure to the audience, then I know not whose interest is protected here. Do you? Had to borrow a compatible player from my friend (God bless him); may all the unfortunate ones (of copyright-control i.e.) have such friends nearby, to listen to them, 4 hours of ecstatic music with Fraulien Vanessa Mae playing the Fiddle/Violin. God bless her and her music. I must say the music is divine. And this teaches me a thing or two about buying music CDs anywhere. First ask the shop assistants about the Copyright-control part and if they are not in the know, check the logos and nothing is there and you are in doubt-DUCK. Don't buy or if you must first find a friend who has a CD player that can play it.
While at PlanetM, somebody told me that Kishori Amonkar's albums are available there and that hit the lid. I was not a big fan of Classical music (Carnatic, Hindustani or Western). I was only interested in filmi music (minus the ghazals - boy I hate those things except for a very few ones). One of my good friends and well wishers whom I call Papa bear/My Moses (Sorry papa bear had to say it) saw this trend and took me home where he gave me a cup of divine coffee and Yanni playing in the background. That started the trend. He introduced me to the track of Prince of Thieves; since then I became interested in instrumental. Showed my collection to another friend of mine(don't worry I don't have many) who introduced me to carnatic instrumental and then Mile Sur mera tumhara happened on DD - remember that track where all the known musicians happen to be giving a small treat to the viewers; well that happened and I hit the post and so started my small collection; a track here, a track there and so on. When I attended the Gandharv Mahotsav (I am stationed in Pune) last year, I was ready to forgive Pune for all its lapses and cold and distant attitude. A city which still hosts the vestiges (I must say vestiges) of Indian music deserves respect. And didn't someone say music is the language of the divine, well I agree with them. The artists send you to raptures and I wish them well. Can somebody bless one who is already blessed with musical talent.
Music lovers out there -> suggest you also lookup Bond (1 Cello, 2 viola and a violin)
Golden Krithis - Colors (Jugalbandi between Shri. Zakir Hussain and Shri Kunnakudi vaidyanathan). Forgive my lapse of not putting in their "DESGINATIONS", but I believe that they have trancended such requirements.