Calming and cultured
GUDIPOODI SRIHARI
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Jayaprada’s flute play exhibited her virtuosity at an in-memoriam evening.
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Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam
Erudite performance Jayaprada’s flute recital was soothing.
As part of Abhinandana’s programme of remembering Voleti Krishna Kumari, a musician who died young, a musical evening was held at Thyagaraya Gana Sabha, featuring flute artiste of the state, Jayaprada Ramamurthy, last week. The Thyagarayagana Sabha co-sponsored the programme.
Veteran violinist Neti Srirama Sarma was warmly felicitated at a function held later. Jayaprada is adept in using both the long and short flutes to play to cover the notes from Ati mandra to Ati tarasthayi covering a little above the three octaves. She has already played Thyagaraja compositions in cassettes some time back. She won the central government’s Tourism and Culture Department fellowship recently.
Her play is generally soothing and erudite, producing a continuous sound sans any breaks. Displaying all her virtuosity, she stuck mostly to popular numbers, keeping in mind that hers was an instrumental concert and the audience should understand the sahitya part in the compositions.
Her traditional background was reflected even in this shorter version of the concert. She started with a Natakuranji Varnam and followed it up with an invocation to Sri Rama, Raghunayaka, in Hamsadhwani. The raga essay of Hamsadhwani preceding the number was quite pleasing. So was the swaraprasthara carrying the melodic line. In the given time frame of an hour and a half she preferred to present major compositions in select ragas, presenting raga essays, swarakalpana and a nereval in the prime number, Abheri.
Then she took up Poorvikalyani and delineated it so well that the feel of the raga itself was captivating. Gjnanamosagarada, a popular number, was her choice in this melody. Then she went for Abheri, rendering it into a major showpiece of her concert. The raga essay was built carefully, displaying her virtuosity on her wind instrument. Incidentally, she used both bansuri (long flute) and the shorter one to cover the entire span of the raga in detail from Mandra to taara sthayi, at times playing it in thristhayis in one sweep. Nagumomu, another relishing piece, was her choice in this. She paused at the line, Jagamele Paramatma, for an impressive nereval, reflecting a bit of Sahitya Bhava too for which a neraval is generally meant. And the swaraprasthara that followed was a treat by itself. Nothing suits better for a memorial concerts than the famous Annamacharya kirtana, Nanati Bratuku Natakamu, with philosophic intonations that says the day-to-day life of all humans is nothing but a drama and nothing is permanent except Lord Venkateswara, who shows the way to mukti or kaivalyam (salvation). Set in Revathi, this turned out to be a moving presentation.
Generally, it is said that a memorial concert should have a number on Maha Lakshmi too that augers a real tribute to the departed soul and also invites the goddess into their house. This is a generations-old belief. Keeping this in mind, Jayaprada took up Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma in Madhyamavati of Purandaradasa and played it with a touch of expression. This also served the need of rounding up a concert with a devotional. She had in her company veteran violinist Kokkonda Subrahmanya Sarma, who has served All India Radio for a long time. His play at every stage elevated the total appeal of the concert. Lakshmi Narayanaraju on mridangam, also a good hand at percussion art, lent intuitive support and his tani avartanam in the Abheri number was by itself an imposing presentation. Jayaprada says her sole mission in life is to popularise the flute as a lesser number of women artistes are taking to it. The programme was attended by a good number of musicians.
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