MUSIC ACADEMY
Kapi in lyrical edifice
ON HEARING Bombay Jayashree's cutcheri, beneath her apparently angelic simplicity in raga alapanas and rendering of kirtanas, there was a deep flow of musical intimacy. She has the talent to impart luxuriance of mellifluity bringing out the varied shades and charms of a raga. Her presentation of Kalyani and Kapi alapanas led the rasikas to a world of felicity. The sheer sweetness of Kapi taken up for ragam, tanam and pallavi, with aesthetic flashes peppering the raga's image was in every sense lyrical edifice. The rendering of the kirtanas "Bhajare-re-chitta" (Kalyani) "O! Jagadamba" (Ananda Bhairavi) "Venuganaloluni" (Kedaragowla with an alapana) and "Koluvaiyunnade" (Devagandhari) proclaimed her involved closeness to the resplendent artistry of the songs. Blending her art with experience in an elegant style and poised restraint there was sangita's rakti in every sangati and every sanchara that bestowed sowkhyam.
Set against these graceful qualities, the violin accompaniment by V.V.S. Murari was far from satisfactory. His raga versions of Kalyani and Kapi lacked sparkle and substance. Poongulam Subramaniam (mridangam) hardly captured the gentleness of Jayashree's soft texture.
Following this, Sudha Raghunathan's creative instinct showed the other face of Carnatic music - over-emphatic briga thrust. Her objective in framing the concert was to convey vigour. An astonishing ability to unleash briga after briga in her Todi alapana set her determined to capture rasika attention by the splendour of sancharas. In the same mood was her "Darini-Telusukonti" (Suddha Saveri) and "Eti-yojana" (Kiranavali) Raghavendra Rao's (violin) raga versions were flat and unimpressive. Palladam Ravi (mridangam) and R. Ramanan (morsing) were in charge of the percussive wing.
Aesthetic grandeur
As Malladi Brothers elaborated the Kambhoji, alapana the listeners were overwhelmed by the raga's aesthetic grandeur. Prodigious melodharma found its outlet through sheaves of sancharas. The centrality of the alapana rested on sheer classicism. In every turn of the phrases there was Kambhoji's glow. The Brothers got absorbed completely in the aura of the raga and the kirtana "Mari-mari-vachchuna" (a composition of Mysore Vasudevachar). This item was marked by dignity without pomposity. This can be called the crowning piece in the recital. Earlier the unfamiliar Asaveri song "Samayamu-telisi" would have caused emotional ripples in those who knew Telugu. Simhendramadhyamam was another raga essayed which was decorous and chaste. The song was "Pamara-Jana-Paalini."
A violinist of the calibre of Embar Kannan needs a good vocalist to draw the best from him which in this case was provided by the Malladi Brothers. Embar Kannan's response was equally elevating. It was a good measure of how the vocalists transmitted their mindset.
Where Mannargudi Easwaran (mridangam) and Karthick (ghatam) were the tala accompanists there could be nothing but percussive brilliance. The tani was significant for finesse and fertile creative imagery.
Maharajapuram Ramachandran's performance was bland. There were no contrasts in his expressional method, his creative instincts drawing sustenance from his father Santhanam. "Budham-aasrayami" (Nattakurinji) "Saramegani" (Pantuvarali) and "Enduku-beddala" (Sankarabharanam) were the selected kritis. Pantuvarali and Sankarabharanam were the alapana ragas with not much merit in them. Nagai Muralidharan lent a supportive accompaniment with long-term acquaintance with Ramachandran's way of singing. T. V. Gopalakrishnan was boisterous with the mridangam. Thirupunithura Radhakrishnan (ghatam) was in the shadow.
Kanyakumari and Embar Kannan provided a violin duet with the former handling the contact mike instrument. It was booming at her hands and Embar Kannan provided the familiar violin sound. There was disciplined smoothness in their play. "Nannu-vidachi" (Ritigowla) was rendered with heart-warming composure. The Harikambhoji raga alapana and song "Dinamani-vamsa" strictly adhered to the traditional patantara. The 14-raga malika piece of Muthuswamy Dikshitar "Sri-Viswanaatham-bhajeham" was a mega item rendered precisely and prettily. Satish Kumar on the mridangam and Bangalore Amrit on the ghatam, played with subdued beats to go well with the serene mood that Kanyakumari and Embar Kannan created.
Sallow
Raji Gopalakrishnan could put very little life into her cutcheri, her singing method lacking grit and impressiveness. The raga vistaras of Jaganmohini, Saraswathy, Suruti and Kalyani, though long and meandering presented a sallow appearance. The kirtana list included: "Dwaithmu-sukhama" (Ritigowla) "Anuraagamuleni" (Saraswathy), "Sri-Venkata-girisam" (Suruti) and "Talli-ninnunera" (Kalyani). Usha Rajagopalan as the violin accompanist could hardly get any inspiration from the vocalist to climb great heights. Melakkaveri Balaji, as his wont was enthusiastic on the mridangam with Tiruchi Murali on the ghatam to toe his line.
With her mannerism brand of emotional conveyance, Aruna Sayeeram presented her vision of the ragas Mohanam and Kambhoji with contrived flamboyance and while staying in the long notes of Gandhara, madhyama in the tara sthayi she appeared to have an amplifier in her throat. It made a discerning listener think whether in her technique the attitude of mind has taken over aesthetic modes of expression. Her stylistic devices found full play in the rendering of the kirtanas "Nanu-paalimpa" (Mohanam) "O! Jagadamba" (Ananda Bhairavi) and "Thiruvadi-Charanam" (Kambhoji). Thank God, she did not convert the concert to a bhajana session. Chandramouli (violin) except during his solo session was merely an onlooker. Neyveli Narayanan (mridangam) and Karthick (ghatam) saw to it that their percussive support took on a festive look.
With the voice in ruins, Neyveli Santhanagopalan's cutcheri effort was in the nature of reconstructing the kirtana "Meru-Samana" (Mayamalavogowla) and "Ramanatham" (Pantuvarali). The raga effort in the latter was like that of a convalescent patient's gait watching every step where it would stumble. His recital had to be received with sympathy rather than expectation.
With great consideration for Santhanagopalan's predicament R. K. Sriramkumar's violin support was in very low key. If it had been very vigorous as in other concerts it would have been an embarrassment for the vocalist. Umayalpuram Mali (mridangam) and A. S. Shankar (ghatam) were equally sedate in their beats.
Rarely does God endow one with talent unmixed with eccentricities. Shashank, the flutist, was over-obsessed with mike and amplification and often asked the audience if they were happy with the sound and not with his music. But he played well often switching between the long, short and medium flutes.
The beauteous shades of Mukhari eluded him ("Elavatara") though Simhendramadhyamam (ragam, tanam and pallavi) with ragamalika tags was soothing.
Embar Kannan (violin) did his best to keep in step with Shashank. The percussive team led by K. V. Prasad, the tuneful mridangist included P. S. Phalgru... (kanjira) Tripunitara Radhakrishnan (ghatam) and B.V. S. Prasad (morsing).
Violin casts a spell
T. N. Krishnan's mastery of his melodic power to move the hearts of listeners was in full play in his Music Academy's performance aided by his son Sriram and daughter Viji.
Endowed with the rich gift of ready and felicitous expression to an almost superhuman degree, his presentation dazzled the appreciative instincts of the rasikas and cast a spell of fascination, triumphant in music's beauty.
His melodic heights in raga alapana in particular made his sangita perception extraordinarily exceptional. The gathered audience had merely to enjoy it. The first two sancharas in Suruti before the commencement of the varna was an epitome of music's magnificence in capsule.
The following Sriraga Pancharatna "Endaro-mahaanubhavulu" was a homage to Ariyakkudi heritage. He bestowed on Purikalyani ("Meenakshi-memudham") Saveri (ragam, tanam and pallavi) and Sriranjani (``Sogasuga mridanga") all the solid graces of the ragas.
They served to emphasise that melody and sukham ought not be dissociated. The contribution of his son and daughter was equally noteworthy T. V. Gopalakrishnan on the mridangam and T. V. Vasan on the ghatam swayed between over-enthusiasm and submission to violin's softness.
Tonal exuberance got the better of T. V. Sankaranarayanan's performing abilities to thrust hard raga alapanas and songs, "Rama-bhakti" (Suddha bangala) and "Enta-Bhagyamu" (saranga) were images of his vocal power. "Sri Maathru Bhootam" (Kannada) brought some restraint.
"Iniyaagilum-ninai-maname" (Purikalyani, a composition of Ambujam Krishna) let him to soar again to revel in tara sthayi manipulations to emphasise the message of song which is a homage to Sri Thyagaraja.
The main Raga was Sankarabharanamu, well-structured with dynamic sancharas. H. N. Bhaskar (violin), Tiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam (mridangam) and Suresh (ghatam) contributed their share to make the concert lively.
SVK
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