Madurai Muralidharan blends dance with Budapest Scoring Orchestra to present a Kalidasa’s Sanskrit play

Abhijnanasakuntalam was a blend of dance and music.
| Photo Credit: Sant`s Fotos

Recreating an ancient Sanskrit play for a contemporary audience is no mean task. During a brief post-performance chat, Muralidharan shared, “It involved a lot of research and took almost a year to choreograph the music and dance. As for roping in the Budapest Scoring Orchestra, since I am familiar with their work, I was keen to come up with a production where I could involve them. This is the first time they are collaborating with an Indian classical dancer. I felt Abhijñānaśākuntalam beautifully lent itself to this blend of music.”

Held under the auspices of Aalaap at Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Concert Hall, the musical started with a brisk invocatory number set to the tune of nagaswaram, where a group of dancers paid obeisance to Saraswati.

Nature plays an integral role in Abhijñānaśākuntalam reflecting the mood of each of the characters. 
| Photo Credit:
Sant`s Fotos

The dancers were precise in executing intricate footwork and conveyed a range of emotions through their expressive eyes. The music accompaniment kept perfect pace. The story unfolded through the narration of the Sutradhar, in this case, the Shakunta birds that initially find and take care of the abandoned baby Shakuntala.

Muralidharan was assisted in the choreography by Kavya Muralidharan and Chithra Muralidharan.

The lighting, costume and animation added to the visual appeal of the play Abhijñānaśākuntalam.
| Photo Credit:
Sant`s Fotos

Nature plays an integral role in the play, reflecting the mood of each of the characters. The Sanskrit verses were set to tune by Muralidharan, and the instrumentalists included senior artistes such as Rajesh Vaidhya on the veena, N.C. Kesavan on the mridangam, kanjira, chendai and mathalam, and Raghavendra on the violin. Muralidharan’s composition in Vijayavasantham was rendered by more than 60 members of the Budapest Scoring Orchestra, conducted by Zoltan Pad and scored and orchestrated by Balaji Gopinath.

The lighting, costumes and animation recreated the idyllic world of the play.