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Emphasis on melody
NOTWITHSTANDING THE compulsions of fame and modernity, there are certain music families that still stick to their own tradition. Lalgudi Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi prefer to tread only the path their father has paved with the emphasis on melody and no room for medley. In this concert, the main raga, Kalyani, came a trifle behind the sub-main Abheri. ``Nagumomu" was played with great piety and especially Krishnan's neraval at ``Jagamella paramathma" though brief but poignant. `Nidhi chala sukhama' was played with grandeur and the swaras at the pallavi with `sa ri ga' as anchor were exchanged between the brother and sister with many permutations. The duo also proved to some extent that they could handle peppy styles in ``Varanarada" (Vijayashri) and ``Neekeladayarada" (Sarasangi). The Lalgudi School still goes too sweet, leisurely and sugary. Krishnan, why not spray a little more salt and pepper here and there? Mannargudi Easwaran and Vaikom Gopalakrishnan were in high spirits and emphasised it in thani avarthanam in misrachapu also.
Sudha Raghunathan's stardom and popularity indirectly put the onus of raising greater expectations from one group of audience while the other is ready to accept whatever Sudha serves. Anyway, whether or not Sudha accepts this as a compliment or condemn as criticism one could not help appreciating what a good chef Sudha is as far as concert is concerned. She always arranges the items in such an array that the aroma of her voice and music almost envelope the audience like a spell of magic. She served a variety of items of different composers like Veenai Kuppaiar (``Sami Nine" Sankarabharanam varnam), Thyagaraja ("Sri Ganapathi," Sowrashtram), Dikshitar (``Swaminatha," Nattai and ``Sri Ramachandram" in Sriranjani), Annamacharya (``Sriman Narayana" Bhoopalam), Koteswara Iyer (``Arul Seyya Vendumayya," Rasikapriya), Ambujam Krishna (``Guruvayoor appane" in Ritigowla). Nice, is it not? The first major chore was Sriranjani with a well-conceived and structured alapana and a neat segment of niraval at `Seetharamakalyana Vaibhava' and swara train with a lot of jandai application for `Sri Ramachandram.' Her conscientious plethora of brigas is also accepted as her special flavour. The latter part of the concert was devoted to the elaborate Ragam Tanam Pallavi in two ragas: Madhyamavati and Dharmavati.
Pretty heavy feast! Embar Kannan asserted himself, especially in his swara answers to Nattai and Sriranjani alapana and swaras. Neyveli Skandasubramaniam was a little inconspicuous, thanks to the imbalance in sound system. Raman, the morsing man most of the time looked lost. Dr. S Sundar was given the unenviable siesta slot. Sundar has a fairly good voice and delivery.
His elaboration of Poorvikalyani and the rendition of ``Intha paramugam edu?" and his niraval at `Silayo nee en kurai keetilayo?' were competent. But, his singing suffers from some invisible anaemia, which only the doctor in him can cure. _ G. S.
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