Enthralling Emiliano

Emiliano da Cruz's "Nostalgia 2000", a tribute to good music and excellent musicians, took off at the Kala Academy on December 30, 1999, with the children's choir singing the theme song "Jesus you're the sweetest name of all".

Emiliano packed all sorts of styles, languages and artistes in his programmes. Few Goan showmen have dared to mix up things--like Ninoshka Gracias' Bharat Natyam performance, and classical Hindustani music like that played by Chotte Rahimat Khan on the sitar, Nigel on the harpsicord and Tulsidas Navelkar on the tabla--with the run of the mill Goan programmes.

"Midnight Dream" was Emiliano's typical fusion of rhythm and harmony embracing the wondrous elements reflecting the maestro's mystique, with which the 40-piece orchestra, teeming with music students, their teachers and maestros, played with gusto.

Emiliano created music that struck a chord in every heart and assembled the right cast to translate his intricate score in lovable music. The violins of Myra Shroff, Valentino Mendes, Roy Braganza, Juvencio Carvalho, Martinho Dourado, Sheryl Pereira, Dominic Andrade, Jenica Andrade, Cipriano Dourado, Priville Lourenco, Bendicto Fernandes and Suzy Jearson struck the symphonic pitch which symbolises rich music. Saxophone, trombone, trumpets, cello, mandolin, banjo...

There was a special instrumental by Emiliano's trio--Emiliano (mandolin), Avelino (Mandolin and recorder) and Mario Menezes (12-stringed guitar). "Carnaval", "Tabitha" were numbers which revealed different dimensions of the vibrant, performing serenader. His beguiling violin flirts with the senses…and the mandolin has music lovers airstruck.

There was a profusion of sweet voices: Lulu with a classy medley, Ruth Gomes vocalising dulcet "La Paloma" backed by daughter Elaine on the Spanish guitar,  journalist-musician Sigmund de Souza handling the mike not only for singing by for compering as well...Sigmund sang "Save your Love" and Emiliano's Konkani duet "Rajan ani Prema", along with Elaine.

Messias Tavares and Grupo Alegria added the pucca Goemcho charm to the programme with a Konkani "Kot'tti Fugddi", returning moments later with the "Marcha de Fontainhas".

Emiliano sprinkled the evening with a bit of old-gold. Veteran musician-vocalist Lucio Miranda sang a solo "Malaguena" and signed off with his own composition "Devotion".

And Portuguese too: Jose Velho Pereira sang "Ai se os meus olhos falassem" and "A severa"--two nostalgic solos.

Joaquim D'Souza gyrated as he sang a Konkani medley. Sumitra and Balakrishna rendered Emiliano's Hindi duet "Goa se aye hai".

No Goan evening matures into a night without the mando. The mando provided by the Cotta family took us back in time, with period costumes: tailcoats for male dancers and their partners in glittering age-old Goan attire, unseen for well nigh half-a-century.

In between, young Ramiro Mascarenhas provided melodious trumpet solos. Ramiro played the tabla, the recorder and the keyboards with equal dexterity. Young magician, Savio from Calangute, wielded his hocus-pocus and gilli-gilli filled wand to mesmerise the crowd. 

Emiliano's composition "No meaning at all" meant so much magnificent music. There were superb solos particularly the jazzy interlude between Emiliano's violin and Josinho D'Souza on the trumpet.

Emiliano's "Millennium Song" rendered by various artistes, with the lyrics by Sigmund, wrung down the curtain.

Emiliano felicitated Goa's popular musicians and music teachers for their valuable contribution to the culture and folklore: Fr Peter Cardozo--composer, arranger and director known for his unique orchestration of Western and Indian fusion music; Mariano Rodrigues--Konkani folk music composer and arranger for hundreds of Konkani cassettes; Josinho D'Souza--Konkani music composer and arranger who has been a must for Konkani tiatr; Martin Dourado--a violin teacher; Myra Menzies Shroff--a violin teacher; Margarida Miranda--reputed piano teacher and director of the department of Western Music at Goa's Kala Academy; and Odette Colaco--piano and solfeggio teacher.

So much traditional music for the asking but who cares to sponsor Goan events? Sigmund remarked rightly, "It is sad that events like these are not sponsored as much as they should but rave parties which don't have any music in them are being sponsored with lakhs of rupees."

A decade ago Emiliano da Cruz had presented his first dose of "Nostalgia". That score was much more complex because there were the type of musicians who could render the music. Several of the top musicians, who had played then, are no longer alive. Unless efforts like Emiliano's are not made, Goan music would be found written only in books but not played by anyone.

Emiliano has set a new and harmonious note to a new century...millennium, fanning furiously the dying embers of rich Goemchem muzg, song and dance, and adding English, Portuguese, Hindi styles to our own Konkani.

Joel D'Souza.