In an old Goa chapel, classic Konkani hymns get a new touch

The first weekend of every February, the usually-desolate courtyard of the Capela de Nossa Senhora do

Monte

springs to life. It’s when music lovers from across Goa and beyond make their annual pilgrimage there. Once up the winding roads of Old Goa in a rickety bus, they embark on the final ascent — a massive flight of stone stairs that leads up to the epicentre of Goa’s classical music calendar.

On Friday night, they were there to see

Aradhon

. At the outset, it was an unusual choir. The ten-member unit is miniscule by Monte standards. Also, it’s not a classical choir. While its concert programme may have disappointed purists, it surely set Goan hearts aflutter. There was no Bach, but there was Bernardo (Cota); no Mozart, but Martins. The music wasn’t from across the oceans, but by our very own — a true celebration of Goa and the

Konkani

language.

“This hymn is significant because of where we are,” said Omar de Loiola Pereira, Aradhon’s conductor, guitarist, and singer, as his choir began with an exquisite rendition of Raimundo Barreto’s ‘Sam Francisku Xaviera’. It was an apt opening. The relics of the eponymous saint lie in a silver casket not far from the chapel. A little later, the programme would pay homage to the genial Jesuit Vasco do Rego, a living legend of Goan

Catholicism

, and a former rector of the Basilica that’s home to the saint.

Aradhon’s programme comprised extremely common Konkani hymns that are sung in churches and chapels across Goa every day. Most choirs do not possess the confidence to pull off a programme like it — the minutest mistake would instantly be recognisable. But this was Aradhon. And Aradhon isn’t most choirs.

Pereira, who recently returned to Goa after 15 years in Australia, started Aradhon in 2016 with a motley crew of talented singers from Salcete. At the Monte, he proved himself to be a master arranger, and challenged the notion that common equates boring, deftly adding rhythms, embellishments, and moods to the familiar melodies. The singers then executed the arrangements with admirable nuance and cohesion. The result was a delightful set of Konkani hymns everyone had heard before, but which, in their glorious new avatar, sounded nothing like they had ever been heard before.

In ‘revisiting’ these classics, Aradhon seemed to have drawn influences from around the world. Rego’s ‘Ekloch Amcho Somi’ seemed almost Strauss-like; the carol ‘Mari Matek Ballok Zala’, written by Manohar Sardessai, had elements of swing. At one point, Pereira even channelled his inner Tom Jobim and set ‘Dev Zata Monxachem Khann’ to Bossa Nova. Dichotomous as it may seem, Aradhon made it all work.

The Monte chapel is known for its acoustics, and necessitates no amplification. But the choir’s unusual decision to use microphones paid rich dividends, thanks in no small measure to professionals manning the audio; it showcased Aradhon’s sublime vocal harmonies, as well as the individual brilliance of its soloists, especially soprano Anushka Coutinho and tenor Ravi Carvalho.

To end the concert, Aradhon pulled one out of its nuptial hat (it is a prominent choir on Goa’s wedding circuit). The Gospel classic ‘O happy day’ was soprano Fleur Anne Dias’ chance to shine. She began cautiously, but then suddenly broke out a la Aretha and went full throttle, joined in by the rest of the choir to create an infectious, triumphant end to the evening.

The Monte chapel, which will turn 500 years old next year, is no stranger to stellar choral performances. The Paranjoti, the Fr Romeo Monteiro-led Stuti, and the

Goa University

choir have all performed here. Regulars would testify that inside the Capela do Monte, the bar is set very high. But, by the time the encores were over, the applause subsided, and all was done, nobody had any doubt that Aradhon had hit gold.