Praising the saint composer
THE RACE for conducting annual programmes of music in the name of the Thyagaraja Aradhana in Secunderabad is reaching alarming proportions. Evidently it is held more as competition rather than of any devotional aspiration. While it certainly offers opportunities for amateurs to sing clear of the prime time, the wastage of money in building the infrastructure for such programmes is certainly imprudence. It is also observed that except for the prime programme, the attendance for the rest is negligible. This psychosis is slowly taking the shape of the madness of the music season in Chennai. It would certainly be wiser and sensible if all the organisations combine together to get up a well-balanced festival and avoid the race.
In their annual Thyagaraja Festival, the Chandrasekharendra Educational Society (CSES), Secunderabad conducted a five-day programme of music, which included artistes both leading and amateur. The well-got-up `shamiana', lights and furniture at Keyes High School was attractive. The inaugural day, was also chosen to felicitate Sri Varanasi Venkatasubbarama Sastry, the veteran `mridangam' artiste. This was followed by a vocal concert by R. Ganesh, V.V. Srinivasa Rao accompanied him on the violin while Umyalpuram Mali was on the `mridangam'. Shyam Kumar played the `kanjira'. Ganesh, a professional veterinary surgeon is the disciple of the late Maharajapuram Santhanam, and has imbibed the true style of his guru.
Like his guru, Ganesh is often luminous, sometimes eloquent, although like the rest he may be charged with repetitions.
Take for instance the commencing item, `Gajavadana beduve'. The `sangathis' were original but they did not convey the raga `bhava' of Hamsdwani in its pleasing shades. The asset of Ganesh is his rich voice and at `Thara shadja', it is captivating and blends perfectly with the `sruti'. If only he was careful in his selection of the items, the concert would have been more impressive.
Ragas like `Vanaspathi' (Pariyachakama), `Neelambari' (Amba neelambari), `Huseni' (Raguvira), and `Atana' (Ra Ra Raghuivira) were off the beaten track but they were in a low profile. `Arabhi' was good, but the `alapana' was over packed with speedy phrases.
The `Pancharathna', `Sadhinchene' was needlessly fast. The `Swarakalpana' in the `kriti', `Shambho mahadeva' was decidedly a strategy to generate applause.
When it comes to `bhava', he can be very valuable, both in diction and body language. In overdoing it at times, he splits the lyric to the point of converting it to prose order.
The central piece in the concert was `Todi' and the `kriti', `Srikrishnam bhaja'. All this contributed to the lacuna of missing `Misra chapu tala' in the concert, a vital but inadvertent slip. The `mridangam' was too vociferous and destroyed the tranquillity. The contribution of the violin was inadequate.
Delightful duet singing
The prime programme on the second day was the vocal concert of the Malladi Brothers (Sriram Prasad and Ravikumar), the disciples of Nedanuri Krishnamurthy. The brothers have emerged as popular duet singers. The essence of their style is order and form, moderation in design, expression and decoration, proportion in the parts and unity of the whole. Their presentation in the raga `alapana' part therefore takes a less significant role. The rich repertoire consists of `kritis' well chiselled and richly rehearsed; they bear intelligent `sangathis'. Each song is built like a temple, wherein every part is carefully finished in detail, but has its subordinate place in the whole. The understanding between them is excellent and the competence of each is as good as the other. If there is a downside, it is in their diagram of extending the `swarakalpana' beyond reason, when what has been built with great effort crumples with impunity.
As per the items, if Ravikumar built up the treatise of the raga, `Ramapriya', (Sri Rajarajesari) with great care and impress, Sriram Prasad's extended efforts in building up the image of `Kharaharapriya' was rather ineffective. `Abhogi', was a great success and the `Swarakalpana' by turns for the `kriti', `Manasunilpa' was charismatic, although all this is the outcome of relentless rehearsals. The rendering of `Sringaralahari' in `Nilambari' was captivating.
The `sangathis' in the `kriti' `Rama niyeda' was alluring. The highlight of the concert was `ragam', `thanam' and `pallavi' in `Mohana' set to `Khandajathi triputa thalam', `Thisra nadai'.
The work was impressive in terms of creativity in all the inherent features. Peri Sriramamurthy on the violin contributed his might in making the concert more impressive, while, D.S.R. Murthy on the `mridangam', and Somayajulu on the `ghatam' put in their expertise to the teamwork effectively and made the concert memorable.
The advantage in duet singing is the coordinated effort in putting across the musical facet with greater impact; the disadvantage is the limitations of individual contributions in terms of `manodharma'. Nevertheless, duet singing has greater impact with common audience.
Consistent rendition
This fact was vindicated in the duet vocal concert of Priya Sisters (Shanmukhapriya and Haripriya. M.A. Krishnaswamy was on the violin, Skanda Subramnyam on the `mridangam' and Madipakkam Murali on the `ghatam'.
The concert moved on expected lines with each piece running its predestined course with consistency. The tendency to practice excessively and to determine every detail in advance, as was evident in their exercise of `swarakalpana', or even `alapana', each taking over from the other as predetermined line did create an impact. Unwittingly this approach rejects the enjoyment of moods, as it indeed happened in the concert. In short, it was a routine concert.
In essence, the highlight of the concert was the `Tahniyavarthanam'. It was in the presentation of `Bhairavi' (Lakshya Bettave), that the sisters made the impact. The other item that proved interesting was `Ramapriya' (Mathangi). `Rithigowla', (Nannuvidachi), a composition of Arunachalakavirayar in `Hindola' and a couple of Annamayya's kritis carried the crowd to pleasurable heights.
B.R.C. IYENGAR
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