I recently attended a Candlelight concert at Leela Palace, Chennai and the experience surpassed my expectations on all levels. 

Concert Ensemble 

The ensemble included Rajhesh Vaidhya on Veena, J.A.Jayanth on Flute accompanied by Praveen Narayan on Tabla and Bharat Damodaran on Keyboard.

Settings

The setting was thoughtfully designed.Thousands of flickering candles that were aesthetically placed created an ethereal and other worldly setting. The venue ( Ball room at Leela Palace) was magical and the ornate decorations, palatial hallways/room, and Victorian chandeliers complemented the settings.

Unlike a usual concert where artists perform on a stage facing the audience, here, the artists sat on a centre pedestal and the audience sat concentrically around them. This enabled view from all angles. One notable thing was that all the artists were dressed in black to blend with the atmosphere as it was their music that was being highlighted. 

The Concert 

Amidst the heavenly glow of the candles as I sat in absolute silence, the concert commenced. An absolutely mellifluous and mesmerizing rendition of best movie soundtracks that lasted for 90 minutes tugged at my heartstrings. The concert included bilingual evergreen songs like uyire, inkem inkem, Raja raja cholan, Ilaya nila, Pehla nasha, Sangathil paadadha, mitwa and many more…

While the notes from the flute seamlessly meandered through the high and low pitches, the soul stirring notes from the veena travelled in unison with it. The beats from the tabla struck chords in precisely calculated moments and the keyboard was played in perfect coordination to bridge the rendition flawlessly. The artists owned the stage and showed their mastery throughout. 

A Muti-Sensory Delight

The experience was completely immersive and a multi-sensory delight. Eyes feasted on the dreamy glow of the soft candlelights, ears soaked in the music that seeped in ways gentle, lips hummed the lyrics to the songs being played, hands clapped and feet tapped at regular intervals in response to the spectacular performance.

At times the experience seemed transcendental, as the ecstatic soul seemed to be greatly touched by the pleasing notes being weaved.

They say music is an emollient to the soul and in my opinion, this concert ticked all the boxes that one could list to substantiate the fact.

My Recommendation

Candlelight concerts are being held throughout India and worldwide in historic, iconic and spectacular venues. It is one of a kind unique experience and I strongly recommend one to add to their bucket list. It is perfect for date nights, soul reflection or meaningful getaways with friends. It is a shared experience that is sure to resonate with all and will remain gilded as fond memories.

Check for the event schedule in your city from the ’Live your city’ app. 

My Vlog on Instagram

Here’s the link to my short vlog on Instagram about the concert.https://www.instagram.com/reel/DV8G37FACou/?igsh=MTFiOWt6NzA0NTQ0aw==