Melody drowned by decibel

INTERPRETATIVE REFINEMENT in performances today is at a discount. It is compounded by musicians competing for loudspeaker amplification on the plea that the quality of music is very much dependent on the feedback they get, unconcerned about how the listeners are annoyed. Many musicians are insensitive to the distinction between the decibel and the dulcet, unmindful of how the aesthetic values of Carnatic music are thereby ignored. In the current musical environment it looks unlikely that tenderness of melody will be given priority as much as loudspeaker consciousness. The contribution of artistes in general seems to be to legitimise loudness in preference to sweetness.

O. S. Thiagarajan's inaugural cutcheri under the auspices of Asthika Samajam in the Sri Rama Navami series was a display of the slight of his voice in reeling off to and fro the brigas in the development of the alapana of Keeravani. That was the way he sought to measure the dimensions of Keeravani. In contrast, the impressiveness of vinyasa by the violinist V. V. Ravi was to be sensed in the brevity containing telling idioms of the raga with proper spacing between sancharas. There was warmth in Ravi's version of Keeravani with pertinent phrasings showcased in compact arrangement. The kirtana ``Kaligiyundegada'', as rendered was decorative in effect. The other items of the programme were: ``Neevadanegana'' (Saranga) ``Evarura'' (Mohanam) and ``Appa Rama Bhakti'' (Pantuvarali), every song burdened with rattling swaras. Palgaht Raghu's mridangam support in the company of Abhishek Raghuram (Kanjira) was vigorous and energetic.

Suguna Purushottaman's performance for Guruguhanjali was characteristically scholarly and erudite to suit the occasion of Muthuswamy Dikshitar Jayanti, including an alapana of Suddha Mukhari for the song ``Murraharena Mukundena'' with swaraprastharas. She drew much from her musical resources to give substance to Dikshitar songs particularly the one in Aarabhi ``Akhilandeswaryai'' and created interpretative excitement by laying stress on the well-packed sahitya content of the long charanam. As she sang the song, the rasika could feel the intensity of kirtana structuring.

Great music is as much due to elevated values held in view as to the grandeur of the composition chosen for a recital. Suguna Purushottaman deployed her vocal nuances to coax the alapana of Sumadhyuti (family Simhendramadhyamam in the nomenclature of Dikshitar school) followed by the kriti ``Neelachala Natham''. The other song she introduced to the listeners was ``Sri Swaminathaya namaste'' in Kamas. The rest of the programme included ``Sri Mahaganapathi'' (Gowle) ``Sri Parthasarathina'' (Suddha Dhanyasi) and ``Sri Venkatagirisam'' (Surati).

Embar Kannan on the violin played with great modesty. Whether the kirtana - rare of familiar - is not of great concern to a mridangist as he is guided only by the tala and J. Vaidyanathan touched the power of his instrument gently and firmly. Suganta Kalamegam framed her homage to Dikshitar under the auspices of Saraswati Vaggeyakara Trust with the songs ``Renuka Devi'' (Kannada Bangala) ``Bharati Maddistana'' in Devamanohari, a piece on Saraswati at Tiruvarur, though the concert began with the Aarabhi song ``Sri Saraswathi Namostute''. The thrust of the recital was in the Kalyani alapana before the song ``Bhajare-re- chitta.'' The shrillness of her voice gave a sharp edge to the sancharas in the top octave, which the violinist Hemalatha cleverly managed by playing them in the corresponding lower sthayi. Earlier she sang the Lalita song ``Hiranmayeem Lakshmim'' prefixed by a lengthy alapana and the Madhava Manohari Kirtana ``Mahalakshmi''. From Neyveli Skanda Subramaniam Suganta Kalamegam got good percussive support.

- SVK

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