Sivasri Tejaswi Surya leaves Muscat spellbound

For more than four hours on Aug. 21, the Al Falaj Hotel in Muscat became the setting for a rare full-length Carnatic recital. More than 1,200 people attended Sivasri Tejaswi Surya’s performance, which held the audience’s attention from its quiet opening to its final item.

A five-item Bharatanatyam curtain-raiser established the evening’s measured tone. After the ceremonial lighting of the lamp, the recital unfolded in two halves, with vocal support, mridangam, dholki and harmonium. The second half included a thani avartanam that drew the loudest and longest applause of the night.

Sivasri Tejaswi Surya moved between meditative passages and more exuberant stretches of rhythm. Listeners followed the tala on their knees, while children who had arrived restless became still by the second item. After the closing performance, many people remained in the foyer instead of leaving immediately.

The performers repeatedly singled out the Muscat audience for its attentiveness, knowledge of the repertoire and willingness to stay with slow, elaborate passages. The article treats that response as a compliment not only to the concert, but also to the city and its listeners.

It places the evening within Oman’s broader tradition of making room for communities that have chosen to live there. Under Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, the article says, tolerance, openness and cultural coexistence have continued to shape Muscat’s cultural life, allowing artists from many countries to find a stage and audiences to gather for music from far away.