All tempo and dexterity
THE PERFORMANCE of Ranjani and Gayatri for Nadopasana was an emphatic declaration of the profundity of their professional competence adhering to the letter present day cutcheri pantha of tempo and vocal dexterity. In raga alapanas, Ranjani served as a launching pad for Gayatri to carry the payload of brigas to the top octave, a specialist in tara sthayi scanning. The first such essay was Durbar shared between the sisters. They roved over the raga in rapid pace. Charumathi Raghuram, the violin accompanist young in age but mature in musical mind, presented Durbar appealing in substance and poetic grace. The phrases were composed with classical simplicity and directness of expression, rich and at the same time without any superfluous ornamentation. The exposition reaching cultivated excellence erased the earlier raga impression by the vocalists. The kirtana was "Ramaabhirama" rendered with disciplined precision.
The other two raga alapanas were Subhapantuvarali and Sankarabharanam. The former with the song, "Sri Satyanarayanam" was decent and decorous. The main raga, Sankarabharanam, was left for Gayatri to provide penetrating passion in tara sthayi. While with the sisters the vision was expansiveness, Charumathi's was exquisiteness. The kirtana, "Sarojadala Nethri" was well aired. The recital provided the two dimensions of music — the tonal manipulative charm of the vocalists and the violinist's aesthetic elegance and poise. Neyveli Narayanan, on the mridangam, with K. V. Gopalakrishnan (kanjira) saw to it that the tempo of the songs was kept at top level.
Rooted in sampradaya
Prarthana Rao gave a concert for the Rasika Ranjani Sabha rooted in the sampradaya pattern. It looked as if she considered modern trends in music beneath her notice.
Such was the image she presented while rendering the songs, "Jaya Jaya Swamin," the Nattai Pancharatna, "Jaga Daa Nanda Kaaraka" and "Pahi Jagad Janani" (Vachaspati). She elaborated Hindolam ("Ramanukku Mannan" - Arunachala Kavi song) and Vachaspati on traditional lines. S. P. Anantapadmanabhan understandingly lent violin support. S. R. Ethirajan (mridangam) kept the laya wing.
SVK
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
