Madras Musical Association to host an evening of orchestral and choral music

Flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, violin, viola, cello and double bass, along with a group of over 100 performers — it is not every day that such a grand ensemble takes the stage at Chennai’s Egmore Museum Theatre.

But then, an evening featuring two symphonies is hardly an everyday affair. Composed in 2018, the symphonies have waited several years to be performed on stage. “We had been trying to organise this concert since 2022, and we have finally been able to make it happen,” says Abner Immanuel Carlos, a member of the Madras Musical Association (MMA) orchestra and IB Performing Arts Music Educator at Chennai’s Shiv Nadar School.

Finding musicians who could play instruments such as the oboe and clarinet, for which there are relatively few players in Chennai, was one of the challenges, he adds. The event Symphonia will feature Symphony No. 1 in E-flat and Symphony No.

2 in D and will run for approximately 40 minutes. A few choral works will also feature in the programme. Though composed by the same musician, the two symphonies draw inspiration from different periods of classical music.

Abner modelled his first symphony on compositions from the late Baroque and early Classical periods, paying attention to the orchestral structures and textures associated with these styles. The second draws from the late Classical and early Romantic periods, with a broader tonality and greater musical flexibility.

“MMA’s motive is to promote Western classical music in this part of the globe. We’ve been doing it for over 130 years. Now it’s a great opportunity to premiere an Indian Symphony. May be the first to do so. Indian Symphony played with an Indian Orchestra under an Indian conductor,” says Augustine Paul, music director of the Madras Musical Association.

For Abner, the concert is an opportunity to bring the work of a homegrown composer to the forefront. He credits conductor Augustine Paul and concertmaster Clement Sasthriyar for organising Symphonia. “Usually, when an orchestra or choir travels abroad to perform, audiences often ask them to include a composition by a composer from their own country.

There are already several orchestras performing mainstream classical works by Mozart, Chopin, and Beethoven. I think it is equally important to encourage and showcase compositions by native composers,” he says. The evening will bring together around 30 to 35 musicians in the orchestra and approximately 80 choir members, comprising sopranos, altos and other vocal sections.

Mozart’s Gloria from the 12th Mass will be one of the four pieces performed by the choir and orchestra. Abner also has words of praise for the musicians who have brought his compositions to life. “The musicians at MMA are an extraordinarily talented and dynamic bunch.

They are excellent sight-readers. You can give them an entire page of music, and they can go through it within minutes,” he says. Describing them as one of the best groups of musicians he has had the opportunity to work with, Abner adds that the entire rehearsal process took just two months.

Symphonia will be held on November 20, 7pm at Museum Theatre, Egmore. Tickets are priced at ₹ 500 and ₹ 1,000 and are available through bookmyshow.com