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ShareBangalore: Playing the saxophone was his destiny as was enthralling the world with his talent as a vocation. Padmasri Kadri Gopalnath, a Kendra Sangeeth Natak Academy Awardee, still claims to be an eager student. On November 29, he will be presented with the KK Murthy Memorial Chowdiah Award--2009. The stalwart says it is "regular, intense, devoted practice, devoid of any arrogance" that brought him this far.
With childlike excitement, hedescribes his trip to Mysore from school, when, as a 15-year-old, for the first time, he witnessed a saxophone recital and was "instantly attracted to its sound and style." This changed his life forever. "I explained the concept to my father but he, a nadaswaram player didn't encourage me. However, I was adamant. It was a do-or-die situation for me," he explains. But his mother egged him on, and in 1965, he had his very own saxophone for Rs650 -- a time when gold cost Rs100 per sovereign.
He spent nearly two years to acquaint himself with the sarala swaras, after which he shifted to Mangalore from Sajipa, his hometown, and became a disciple of Vidwan N Gopalakrishna Iyer. "I would merely listen to my guru sing and then translate them to notes on my saxophone," he says. Later, in Guruvayur, when he met Vidwan TV Gopalakrishnan, he decided to continue under his guidance. "I learnt the nuances of performing on stage, maintaining a good relationship with the accompanying artistes and attuning one's performance to the audience's reaction," he says.
He reveals: "The knack is in manoeuvring the leather pads on the tips of the holes in the saxophone. It requires intense practice, but it's not impossible," he nods.
Subsequently, this innovation took him places and how! He represented India at several jazz concerts abroad, accompanying John Hendy, Even Parker and James Newtonto name a few. The international audience remained zapped by his breathless performance, but he says: "Whether it is Kenny G or Kadriji, we all depend on our tricks and techniques of the art. Wonder why the westerners are stunned by breathless playing of instruments because we use that technique in our villages all the time!"
Where tradition takes a backseat, does he endorse the guru-shishya parampara? "Now, parents ask me how long it will take their children to learn the saxophone -- may be six months? I say, why, he can play it right now!" he chuckles, adding,"Those 14 years of gurukula is a thing of past."
For him, performing at BBC Royal Albert's Hall in London remains his most memorable moment. The not-so-happy moment was in Chennai, when despite his efforts, his performance had fallen flat. "In the midst of the performance, my guru, TVG, walked onto the stage and indicated that I was pathetic. My heart sank. I then did some introspection,and gave it my all." A standing ovation followed, he recalls, adding that music is a penance with no room for slack.
On receiving the KK Murthy Memorial Chowdiah award this year, he says, "KK Murthy is a genius of a musician. I am deeply honoured."
Know your artist
Kadri Gopalnath has the distinction of being the first Carnatic musician to be invited to perform in the BBC promenade concert in 1994, in the Royal Albert Hall at London.
He has participated in the Jazz Festival in Prague, Berlin Jazz Festival, International Cervantino Festival in Mexico and Music Hall Festival in Paris.
His distinctions include Saxophone Charkravarthy, Ganakala Shree, Nadapasana Brahma, Sunada Prakashika, Nada Kalarathna, Nada Kalanidhi, Sangeetha Vadya Rathna, Karnataka Kalashree in 1996, Vocational Excellency Award from the Rotary of Madras, Tamil Nadu State Award 'Kalaimamani' and Karnataka Rajyotsava Award in 1998.
