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Refreshing contrast
IT WAS more than appropriate that the authorities of R.R. Sabha, one of the oldest music sabhas in Chennai should have thought fit to conclude this season's concert series on a note of vintage music. Lalita Sivakumar and Gayatri Sundararaman's concert had an oldtime charm. Lalita's Bhairavi alapana was a classroom demonstration. The step by step progress with minimum of gamakas and brigas came as a refreshing contrast in this jet propelled current day music. In Tyagaraja's Rakshabettare the saint has pleaded for a `drishti pariharam rakshe' for his ishta daivata, Lord Rama. After singing the kriti in clear and telling diction the duo indulged in a neat neraval and swaras at the last line of the charanam, "Sangitapriyatyagaraja... ". Earlier Gayatri's Latangi alapana for Papanasam Sivan's ``Sri Jagadambika'' and the pair's brisk singing of Mysore Maharaja's ``Sri Jaalandara'' (Gambiranattai) with its jawbreaking (yet pleasant) chittai swaras and Dikshitar's ``Ekambresanayike'' (Karnataka Suddha Saveri) were rendered in the traditional style in keeping with the DKP bani. Chertalai Sivakumar's violin play and Thanjavur Ramdas's mridangam beats fitted well.
Geetha Sundaresan from Muscat continues to be one of the best advertisements for the high quality NRI music. Her Purvi Kalyani alapana for Poochi Iyengar's ``Paramapavana'' with neraval at Kanakambaradhara, Dikshitar's soulful ``Akhilandeswari'' (Dwijavanti) and her grandfather Devakottai A. K. Mahadeva Iyer's homage to Saint Tyagaraja spoke of Geetha's dedication to carnatic music in a foreign land.
A well prepared RTP in Dharmavati highlighted Geetha Raja's brisk concert. Set to Khandajati triputa and with the pallavi line, "Maal Maruganai ninaithiru maname... " she sang ragamalika swaras in Sahana, Abheri and Sindubhairavi.
She has a sweet voice and a fair laya which coupled with total support from V. V. Srinivasa Rao (violin), A. S. Renganathan (mridangam), Papanasam Sethuraman (Kanjira) and A. S. Krishnan (morsing) made a good impact. But she could, with advantage, have sung Syama Sastri's ``Tarunam Eedamma'' (Gowlipantu) at a slower pace, for the motif for this kriti is compassion. Koteeswara Iyer's ``Velaiya daya'' (Saveri), Purandhara Dasar's ``Yadava Nee'' (Tilang), ``Vellai Tamarai Poovil'' (Bimplas — Bharathiyar) and an abhang in Sivaranjani call for special mention.
After overcoming an initial hesitancy which affected the fluidity of her Khamboji alapana for Gopalakrishna Bharathy's ``Tiruvadicharanam'', Aruna Ranganathan improved and sang a satisfying ``Palinchu Kamakshi'' preceded by a neat Madhyamavati alapana. The neraval at Kantamaguperupondi and swaras evidenced her grown confidence. The Todi tillana, Tanjore Sankara Iyer's ``Pazhani'' (Revati) were other numbers in the programme.
Violinist R. Hemalatha's accompaniment guided the vocalist well.
— K.S.
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