Chitravina glitters, with able support
L. Subramaniam ... breath of fresh air. — Pic. by S. Thanthoni.
N. RAVIKIRAN'S SOUL-STIRRING recital on the chitraveena on Monday last will be remembered for a long time to come. Shorn of sensation and showmanship, the memorable evening was due in no small measure to Sriram Parasuram's support on the violin and that of the percussion trio Rohan Krishnamurthy (mridangam), Adambakkam Shankar (ghatam) and K. V. Gopalakrishna on the ganjira.
A brief glimpse of ragam Purnachandrika rent the air in an idyllic ambience and Ravikiran's refined touch was in evidence instantly. ``Palukavemi na daivama, parulu navvedi nyayama" (why don't you respond to my call Oh Lord? Is it right that people should mock at my devotion?) The manner, in which the childlike implorations in this Tyagaraja song was rendered was indeed endearing.
The maestro is conscious of the current context of the reproduction of this gem. He enquires with his audience about the quality of the sound. He is sensitive to the listeners' penchant to guess ragas as the rendition progresses. Ravikiran is keen that they do not get the finer details of the compositions wrong. So information about each kriti was revealed after it was delivered. This interactive approach to performance is extremely appealing.
``Nathajanaparipalaka," the K. V. Srinivasa Iyengar song in Simhendramadhyamam was rendered with elegance. Next to follow was a song in Huseini by Srinivasa Iyangar from Ramanathapuram, better known as Poochi Iyangar. Lay listeners may be excused for mistaking Huseini for its close cousin, Mukhari.
Homage
Ravikiran with Nedunoori Krishnamurthy explores the subtle differences between the two ragas in the album Karunyam in the Ragadevata series produced by Rajalakshmi audio Hiranmayi, the Dikshithar kriti in Lalitha was the maestro's tribute to the immortal M. S. Subbulakshmi. The presentations fully justified his claim that Lalitha at once lent itself to condole and celebrate life in all its vicissitudes.
Ravikiran and Sriram matched each other in excellence while rendering the ragam thanam pallavi in Nalinakanthi. The fusion of melody and technique was outstanding.
N. Ravikiran ... reaching the audience.
Curiously as the thanam commenced, the lilting jingle of anklets could be heard in the background. For a moment, one wondered if the recital was going to be visually embellished. But no! It was the dancers getting ready for their performance.
Taking the cue, Ravikiran rendered a short pallavi, ``Neerajakshi nalinakanthi sundari, vegame brovumu."
Stroking the Chitraveena in exhilaration, Ravikiran conveyed more than any words can describe, the majesty of the thani avarthanam presented by the trio.
You could well equate this threesome for the reputed trio in the Carnatic genre from the 1970s. Except this time round, the vichithra veena takes the place of the veena and Vijay Venkateshwar is the exponent donning all three roles. Those who have heard him play the three instruments vouch for his proficiency in each one of them.
On Sunday, proof of his musical imagination came in the form of his recital on the vichithra veena. Kapi, Kalyani and Saveri presented in that order, offered a glimpse of his versatility. ``Vihara manasa rame," the Swathi Thirunal kriti in Kapi was an apt build up for a quiet morning's concert. The celebration of Rama and nadam is the essense of ``Bhajana seyave" in Kalyani and Venkateshwar was sensitive to reproduce its many nuances. The Saveri song Ssri rajagopalam by Muthuswami Dikshithar was once again a throw back to the serene mood of a late morning hour.
A disciple of N.C.H. Krishnamacharyulu of Vijayawada, Venkateshwar's diligence to conform to established norms in performance is evident in his approach.
Although he maintains the tonal quality of the vichithraveena, his orthodox mode could extract a price on a concert platform.
This aspect of performance was evident when the soft strains of the vichithraveena were accompanied by M. A. Sundareswaran on the violin. Percussion support by Thrissur Narendran, on the mridangam, was sensitive to this particular dimension.
New interpretation
The standing ovation following the renowned L. Subramaniam's 90-minute recital on the electric violin was proof yet again of the receptiveness of audiences to new ideas in music. ``Pavamana suthudu pattu," the well-known benediction of Thyagaraja, was the lone truly Carnatic piece in the Kutcheri some may argue. But argument, debate and even dissent have been integral to this genre.
The arena of music was the battleground where Thyagaraja dared to challenge his peers on contending philosophies of Hinduism as well as the nuances of ragam and bhavam and the essence of bhakti.
A whiff of freshness envelopes the atmosphere in a typical Subramaniam Kutcheri. This time he breathed fresh life into the famous song ``Vathapi Ganapathimbhaje aham." Dikshithar had written this song in bare outline and, in the past two centuries or so, has been enriched by a thousand interpretations.
The expansive presentation in alapana, the main piece and kalpanasvaram for nearly an hour , depicting the many facets of Hamsadhwani. The rendition in Kapi likewise demonstrated his mastery over seemingly incompatible musical traditions.
Subramaniam's percussion support offered such a variety in Gopinath (mridangam), K Sekher (thavil), Giridhar Uduppa (ghatam) and G. Sathyasai (morsing). They enthralled the audience with resounding rhythmic patterns.
GARIMELLA SUBRAMANIAM
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