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Aruna SairamDivine Inspiration (World Village) Indian vocalist Aruna Sairam performs the Carnatic music of South India, until recently overshadowed by Northern India’s better known tradition of Hindustani classical music. Deeply rooted in the region’s temple culture with its emphasis on devotional song, Carnatic music stretches back to ancient times and is organized around the system of melodic “ragam” and rhythmic “talam” (equivalent to the ragas and talas of Hindustani music). During a performance, much of the excitement lies in how a virtuoso soloist puts these organizing principles to their most stunning use. On this extraordinary album, Sairam unites poetry, language, and music from across centuries and from across India itself. These nine songs vary in structure, pace and mood, while the nine poets belong to different periods and speak many tongues. But they are as one in denouncing the distinctions of caste, creed, gender, and sectarianism. At the center of a line-up comprising violin, tampura, hand cymbals and a variety of hand drums reigns Sairam, whose rich and concentrated voice is a pure pleasure to listen to.
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More info: Indian singer Aruna Sairam is today the most sought-after vocalist of Carnatic music of South India. Her concert appearances regularly sell out - be it Chennai, or Paris - attracting record crowds that create “traffic jams around the auditorium.” She straddles the national and international music worlds with equal ease and popularity. Her panache for innovation has brought her accolades as a trail-blazer in Carnatic music. Sairam was born in Bombay - a city whose rich cultural life embraces the majority of India’s artistic fields - into a family with a deep love of music. Her mother, the singer Smt. Rajalakshmi Sethuraman, was her first teacher in the art of Carnatic music, while her father, a knowledgeable connoisseur, established their house as a favorite stop-over for the greatest musicians and dancers from both Northern and Southern India. It was in this propitious atmosphere, which was fundamental to the development of her art, that Aruna Sairam trained with some of the most outstanding figures in Carnatic music. Drawing on her long concert career and a number of significant encounters with other great musicians, Sairam is now recognized for her own style. Her voice is a beautiful blend of resonance and range. It has an unusual timbre which gives it uniqueness. Add to this the musical legacy rooted in the traditional classicism of her gurus, as well as her own openness, and you have Aruna Sairam. She has created a large Western audience for Carnatic music and she often performs in dialogue with internationally renowned artists from Europe and Africa. The deep emotional impact of Sairam’s music intensely moves her listeners and has deservedly made her the favorite of pundits and the public alike.
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