If the flamenco Spanish gypsy tunes transported the audience to open meadows and the countryside,the rendition of the popular number The Good,the Bad,the Ugly reminded them of open deserts. The applause could be heard from outside Zorawar auditorium at Manekshaw Centre,on Wednesday evening,when the stage was occupied by the Army Symphony Band Orchestra. The men in uniforms,with trumpets,clarinets and saxophones,were commemorating the Kargil Vijay Diwas,through music. For this particular show,we put in a good one months practice. Otherwise,we religiously practice from 8 am to 12 pm everyday, said subedar Rajendar Rana,one of the three conductors of the band that comprised 70 musicians,belonging to different ranks,from sipahis to subedars. Organised under the aegis of AG/CW-1,the performance that began with a rendition of Mozarts 40th symphony,also comprised a heart-rendering saxophone solo,titled Moon River,by Naik Suraj Lepcha,and popular tunes like Yanis Aria,the hymn Amazing Grace and a medley of retro Hindi hits like Piya Tu Ab to Aaja and Oh Haseena Zulfon Wali. The high point of the performance is the inclusion of string instruments,like cello,violin and the bass. Since our inception in 1990,we were essentially a brass band,but now we have been upgraded to an Army Symphony Band and play a host of instruments,such as the santoor,sitar and jaltarang, said captain Mahendar Das,the band inspector.
