Devoid of devotional message

IN WHATEVER way a musician today handles Carnatic music, its exquisite and composite culture can never be exhausted,but continues to inspire. It is the works of the great vaggeyakaras that have moulded the ennobling values and fundamental ideologies. Observance of tradition is nothing but to reinforce and elaborate the basic ideas embodied in them. Though Carnatic music draws strength from spiritual motifs and an equally fascinating sangita part, it is the latter that has come to rule the minds of artistes. The sahityas that are being sung today are completely devoid of the devotional message that they convey and every spacing between words is packed with sterile sangatis more to display vocal propensities than to stress the sukham aspects of music.

Numerous compositions, old and new, are sung for the benefit of listeners and a very powerful commercial component is the driving force behind the interpretative glamour. Contrived softness of voice is to make it rasika-friendly. Communicative skills have taken new shapes and the vision of artistes has shifted from loftiness to the Internet and CD.

Thereby a new liberal ideology has come to grip the mental make- up of musicians. Like obsolescence in technology, loftiness of Carnatic music seems to be going through this phase today. This trend came to the surface in the several concerts by well- established and trying-to-become-popular artistes in this music festival season.

The swiftness of Sudha Raghunathan's singing technique is to give a pleasant push to make it appealing. The concert provided satisfaction by way of full-blooded brigas. Frugality of sancharas was not the hallmark of her raga elaboration, particularly Bhairavi and Mohanam. But the beauty of the kirtana ``Nannu Palimpa'' was well brought out. In the interpretation of songs ``Ennallu'' (Subha Pantuvarali) ``Chintaya Mam'' (Bhairavi) ``Mohanakara'' (Neethimathi) and ``Kanchadalaya dakshi'' (Kamalamanohari) and in the swara patterns Sudha wanted to give personal identity - decorative in content.

The performance proved the astuteness of the vocalist, but the bhava she evoked was minimal. The raga vinyasas of Bhairavi and Mohanam were done with tonal eloquence, but were not rich with the charms of melody. The melodic part came towards the end where she sang the Purandaradasa's piece ``Hari Smarama'' and ``Kurai Ondrum Illai Govinda''. The high sruti was a problem for violinist Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi. She presented a neat picture of the two raga alapanas that Sudha sang. Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan (mridangam) was exuberant in his support and with R. Raman (morsing) played a vibrant tani.

Speedy approach

Brought up in the same school as that of Sudha Raghunathan, Trichur V. Ramachandran tread the speedy approach to tonal articulation. The initiative instinct can gain meaningful dimension only when melodic experience forms part of the depth of music purveyed. There was enormous zest in his recital a commitment to stand firm on keeping alive the memory of his guru. The ragas Hindolam, Karaharapriya and Kalyani (ragam, tanam and pallavi) received the exclusive touch of his overwhelming vocal vigour. The programme included the songs - ``Gam Ganapathe'' (Hamsadwani), ``Neerajakshi'' (Hindolam), ``Balakrishnam'' (Dhanyasi) and ``Chakkani Raja Margamu'' (Karaharapriya). The pallavi in four Kalai was in Kanta Triputa talam. V. V. Ravi (violin) not drawn by the briga orientation played with great restraint. V. Kamalakara Rao (mridangam) and Papansam Sethuraman (kanjira) quietly discharged their roles.

Well balanced

Raji Gopalakrishnan well balanced the temptation of present day needs and the demands of Carnatic music. Dharmavati (``Ramachandrasya Dasoham'') and Todi (``Araginpave'') were the main items on which she she concentrated. There was maturity of musical thought and an unhurried expository method in her recital. The creative process was linked to the sleight of voice. She was well accompanied on the violin by R. Hemalatha whose versions of the ragas Dharmavati and Todi were impressive. Melakkaveri Balaji (mridangam) gave exhilarating percussion support combined with S. V. Viswanathan (ghatam).

Following the guidelines

The flute recital by N. Ramani, R. Thyagarajan and Atulkumar was good according to the guidelines of Carnatic music built by great vidwans. Ramani gave directions to the other two, his son and grandson, in the matter of swaras.

Thyagarajan presented Kamboji alapana in detail and Ramani Hindolam. ``Sri Mahaganapathi'' (Gowla) ``Sri Rama Padma'' (Amritavahini) ``Smarane Sukham'' (Janaranjani) and ``Evarimata'' (Kambhoji) provided life to the performance. The touch of cutcheri experience was evident in Ramani's musical perspective.

Mysore Manjunath was impulsively lively in the alapana session. Srimushnam Raja Rao (mridangam) and Mayuram Somasundaram (kanjira) were generally accommodative to the soft play of Ramani and the other two flautists.

Professional expertise

For Sikkil Sisters Neela and Kunjumani, every performance is a planned conscious process aimed at optimisation of professional expertise.

There was not even a faint suggestion of faltering in alapana lines or kirtana rendering. Neela's play gave extra accentuation to kirtanas and swaras. Kunjumani's was more sedate. Bhairavi raga alapana by Neela and the swarajati ``Kamakshi'' were the main props of the cutcheri. Earlier Kunjumani expounded Harikambhoji followed by the song ``Dinamanivamsa''. With great exhilaration Mannargudi Easwarn (mridangam) and E. M. Subramanian relished the breezy approach of the flautists. M.A. Sundareswaran (violin) answered the musical statements of the main artistes with competence.

Of an earlier era

Nedunuri Krishnamurthy, in his excellently structured cutcheri invoked the specific aesthetic image of the ragas and kirtanas he sang. His vidwat and training spread over nearly three to four decades were evident by the way he imparted visranti to his exposition. As the performance progressed the listeners could feel that Nedunuri was reviving the lustre of Carnatic music of an earlier era. The first two kirtanas ``Gajananayutam'' (Chakravakam) and ``Samayamide'' (Kedaram) set the tone for the loftiness of the recital. The two Annamacharya songs ``Bhavamulona'' (Suddha Dhanyasi), ``Paluvicharamu'' (Shanmukhapriya) and Bhadrachala Ramadas piece ``Emayya Rama'' (Kambhoji) were rendered with vibrant emotional intensity.

The Begada raga alapana, tanam and pallavi were inspired with quality consciousness. Begada's features were outlined with glowing aesthetic sancharas creating an impression of immensity. Soaring inspiration and compelling technique were in perfect fusion. Earlier Nedunuri elaborated Shanmukhapriya raga. ``Sringaralahari'' (Nilambari) and ``Himagiri Tanyae'' (Ananda Bhairavi) were the other songs which found a place in the programme. H.K. Venkatram's (violin) solo versions of Suddha Dhanyasi and Begada were rich in musical expression unfolding the beauteous facets of the two ragas.

Mahadevu Lakshminaraya Raju (mridangam) and Pudukkottai N. Ramachandran (ghatam) provided an interesting tani avartanam.

SVK

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