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Grand display of Todi
OVER THE years the approach of Bombay Jayasree Ramnath seems to have undergone a change. Soft-tone based exercises appear to be gradually giving place to a strong voice base, which is clearly noticeable in the lower and first half of the middle registers. If this welcome trend continues, it will help the artiste to give fuller expression to her manodharma, which can lead to realisation of her full potential and greater heights.
Jayasree's elaborate alapana in Todi, which was the main item of the concert, was replete with the grand characteristic sancharas of the raga, rendered mostly in a leisurely manner, bringing out the raga bhava effectively.
Tyagaraja's ``Emi Jesithe nemi Sree Rama" incorporated traditional sangatis with occasional decorative phrases. Niraval and swara exercises were done skilfully at 1/3 idam of the first anga of Misra Chaapu tala. Mridangist J. Vaidyanathan was closely following the kalapramanam established by the vocalist and the laya phrases were gentle, effective and full of clarity. He was well assisted by Trivandrum Rajagopal on the ganjira.
The tani avarthanam contained varied laya patterns arresting the attention of the listeners all the time, culminating in an engaging muthaippu, landing precisely at the proper idam.
R. K. Sriramkumar's violin accompaniment was excellent and full of raga bhava and during the swara exercises his answers were clear and attractive. He, however, was rightly content to play a purely supportive role, perhaps with the conviction that the concert platform involves team work and is not a place to play the game of one-up-man-ship.
An in-depth raga essay in Devamanohari was followed by Muthuswamy Dikshithar's rather infrequently heard ``Bharathimaddishana Jaadyaapahe" rendered in sedate manner and in good diction. Syama Sastri's ``Devi Brova Samayamide" was sung in slow fashion, keeping in view the devotional contents of the composition.
Senior Vidwan O. S. Thyagarajan was in full command throughout his concert, with good adherence to the sruthi, a clear and comfortable sweep over the entire range right upto the tara sthayi panchamam and a pleasant expressive voice. His Sankarabharanam raga alapana was elaborate and erudite, clearly featuring slow and fast phrases that define the raga. Thyagaraja's `Emi Neramu `was sung in a leisurely mood capturing the spirit of the sahithya. Neraval and kalpanaswaras were done competently at `Deenabandhuvani'. His laya intricate swara exercises in the Panthuvarali krithi `Sundarathara Deham `at an early stage of the concert appeared a little excessive, though well rendered technically.
Violinist T. K. V. Ramanujacharyulu supported with short and impressive answers. Mannargudi Easwaran's mridangam accompaniment was erudite and featured several interesting laya patterns in the Tani Avarthanam played in Adi Tala 2 Kallai. The sound level for the mridangam for certain portions of the concert appeared excessive. Percussion assistance on the ghatam by T. H. V. Umasankar was marked by clarity and subdued support.
S. R. Veeraraghavan has a vibrant voice that was not put to full use, as the style was flamboyant and the concert was full of contrived sangatis, except the lighter section towards the end, during which spontaneity and devotional fervour could be seen.
The main item was Shanmukhapriya featuring alapana and the kirtana, ``Kaanakkann Kodi Vendum" which, though technically correct, was not convincing as the emphasis was on ostentation and not aesthetics. A drastic change in approach with increased attention to nuances and subtle grace of the ragas can get rich dividends.
T. K. Padmanabhan on the violin was a picture of quiet efficiency and support, playing some raga-filled meaningful phrases in Shanmukhapriya and Nagaswaravali. Erode Nagarajan gave good support on the mridangam, playing a competent Tani avarthanam in a difficult tala pattern — Adi tala tisra nadai for a tricky eduppu.
S. R. GIRIDHAR
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