A French toast to ragas & masala dosa
Mona
On his maiden trip to Chennai, French musician Yann Savel fell in love with two things – Carnatic music and masala dosa! The pull of these two has made him come back with his band Nyna Vales and the result is a beautiful amalgamation of pop Francaise and Indian music.
Nyna Vales, a French band, came calling to Chandigarh with renowned violinist-singer Akkarai Subhalakshmi. Together, they weave magic. Very rigid French music with equally disciplined Carnatic recital, what they offer is something very strange, and beautiful. Over to their journey...
“When we came to Chennai the first time, we bought music CDs and were pretty impressed,” opens up Nathalie Carudel, lead singer of Nyna Vales. The band name actually is an anagram of Yann Savel’s name that means the ‘feminine’ for the lead singer of the band is a woman. On the next trip, they were looking for collaborations and Alliance Francaise, Chennai put them in touch with Akkarai Subhalakshmi. Together they have made music, and post a gig at different locations in France; these artistes are currently enjoying their India tour.
“Nyna Vales’ music is very interesting and a chance for collaboration thrilled me,” shares Subhalakshmi, who has followed the family tradition, and earned a name for herself in the Carnatic tradition. Together they sorted music, corresponding ragas to go with French pop numbers and a brand-new piece was born. “When we play together, we try to maintain our unique identities.” Subhalakshmi’s vocals and violin rendition, which is every different from the western style, makes our songs more colourful,” quips Yann.
Having already played in Madurai, Chennai, Goa and Delhi, Alliance Francais, Chandigarh is their fifth stop and the artistes are pleased at the response so far. “We got great applause from youngsters and seasoned music enthusiasts are keen on discussing the nuances of our music post the recital.”
Post this gig, Subhalakshmi is looking forward to her Sweden tour with her sister S Sornalatha and band Nyna Vales is happy picking up the Shruti Box from India and hoping to use it back home. “Nowadays, making music for young kids – six months to three years — is a rage. We are aiming at that too.”
Music crosses boundaries
As musicians who love to take their music wherever they travel, both Akkarai Subhalakshmi and the French musicians are pained at the conflict in different parts of the world. They were to perform in Lahore too but it was cancelled due to mounting tension. Says Nathalie, “History plays a major role in carrying on the conflict over generations. We cannot like everything that everyone else is doing but at one point we have to stop, forgive and move on to make the world a peaceful place.”
India love
Ask the trio—Nathalie Crudel, Yann Savel and Guillaume Ozzanne—as to what they love about India. Food and music, pat comes the reply. Masala dosa wins hands down, and while in Chandigarh they cannot help but go gaga over paranthas. While they enjoy listening to popular music (not Bollywoood), it’s the classical music that they appreciate the most. Travelling for their gig, each one has favourites. Yann loves Chennai, “Though Chennai might not be the prettiest city in the country, but it is special for us for our music was born there.” Guillaume, who is the drummer, cannot have enough of the country, “Each city is so much different from the other. I love exploring the city, its culture and people.”
mona@tribunemail.com
