Festival of
India at Moscow
"The year
1988, the place
Rachmaninoff
Hall, Moscow. M.
S. Subbulakshmi
sings a resonant
Kalyani, with
the nuanced
depth that would
move a diehard
Mylapore
connoisseur. But
the packed hall
of Russian
listeners, some
of them experts
in western music
as performers,
scholars and
students, are
mesmerised by
the vocal magic.
To most of them,
this is the
first exposure
to Indian, and
certainly
Carnatic music.
During a pause,
a woman comes up
to the stage to
offer flowers,
with tears
spilling down
her cheeks.
There is rapt
silence for the
two hours of the
recital. Then a
roar of thunder.
The standing
ovation
continues, the
applauding
listeners follow
the artiste as
she makes her
way out of the
hall, down the
staircase, and
into the car on
the street..."
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