Veritable treat to good music and dance
A. RAMALINGA SASTRY
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The performances of renowned artistes marked the grand finale of the five-day music and dance fete.
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PHOTOS: C.V. SUBRAHMANYAM
ARTISTIC ENDEAVOURS Flautist Shashank
The third evening of the five-day fete of music and dance, organised by Visakha Music and Dance Academy at Kalabharathi, featured young flautist S. Shashank from Chennai. While Nagai R. Sriram and N. Govinda Rajan from Chennai excellently supported on violin and ghatam, local AIR staffer Vankayala Venkata Ramana Murthy lent vibrant support on mridangam.
Starting with the Bhairavi Ata taala varnam, Viriboni as per the choice of the audience, Shashank left an impression of being an invincible flautist.
The aalapanas of Sarasangi for Neekela Dayaradu, Chandrajyoti for Bhagayeneyya, Saramathi for Mokshamugalada, Saveri coupled with taanam in ragamalika comprising Kalyani, Dwijavanthi and Mohana, pallavi with delightfully sublime sojourns into Ranjani, Valaji and Malayamarutham appeared to be manifestation of the musician's genius and creativity.
His indomitable mastery negotiating swaraprastharam in break-neck speed was also amazing.
Ramana Murty executing thani with Govinda Rajan appeared to be his peer in all aspects. Venkataachalanilayam in Sindhubhairavi, a piece in Kandanakuthuhalam and Vandemaatharam contributed a haunting finale.
Malladi Brothers
Vocal duet
The next day figured a recital by noted vocal duo, the Malladi brothers, Sriramkumar and Ravikumar.
They are known for being in possession of good quality content which they imbibed with zeal in a large measure from their gurus, Sangeetha Kalanidhi Nedunuri Krishna Murty in particular.
Understandably, theirs seemed to be an arduous effort simulating Nedunuri's style of rendition. Reflecting enough glimpses of such an appealing niche of their guru, including his mannerisms, the recital turned out to be a sumptuous feast of Carnatic music.
Traversing a thoughtfully chosen repertoire constituted of Kambhojivarnam, Ninnujoochi Dhanyudaithi (Sowrashtram), Evarikai Avathaaramettitivo (Devamanohari) with neravu on the lyrical phrase Vedavarnaneeyamou and brisk swaram, Gowri Sukumari, a composition of the noted poet-musician-musicologist N.Ch. Krishnamachari, elaboration of Mathangee Raja Rajeswari of Deekshitar (Ramapriya) and Kamalaabjakula of Thyagaraja (Brindavanasaranga), they enthralled all alike.
Then they spiritedly rendered ragam, tanam and pallavi in Sankarabharanam. The swarakalpana in Ragamalika (Saveri, Mohana and Amirkalyani), rendered in the reverse order to conclude, attracted resounding applause.
Malabika Sen.
H.N. Bhaskar on violin and Trichy Murali on ghatam from Chennai, in the company of AIR-Vijayawada staffer and adroit mridangist M.L.N. Raju, lent commendable support. The thani by Raju and Murty, replete with erudite exercises, contributed to the grandeur.
Rendering of a couple of lyrics of Thyagaraja's rare kirtanas, Paahi Parama Dayalo, and Ksheenamai Tiruya Janminchi and Annamayya compositions (all exquisitely set to tune by Nedunuri) constituted the absorbing tailpiece.
Overwhelming solo
The Bharatanatyam solo by Malabika Sen followed by group dances including a few episodes from formerly performed ballets, marked the grand finale of the Visakha Music and Dance Academy's five-day fete in Kalabharathi.
Malabika, who was initiated into Kathak and Hindustani vocal at the age of six, later had training in Mohini Attam and Bharatanatyam under the tutelage of noted gurus of the traditions. In the early 1990s, Malabika settled down with the noted guru of the Tanjore baani of Bharatanatyam, Tankamani Kutti. She has also become synonymous with Kolkata Kalaamandalam, which was established by her guru along with the noted exponent of Kathakali, Govindan Kutti in 1968.
Malabika's Pushpanjali followed by a composition describing the characteristic attributes of the Lord Ganapathi (Ananda Natanamidum Bhavaye set in Gambheeranata in aaditalam) delightfully manifested an ineffable harmony between music and her dance. In the next item, a pada varnam in Sankarabharanam, the nritta seemed to vibrate with her romance with the laya every moment. Her nritya along with the abhinaya of Abhisaarika and Virahotkanthika in tune with the lyrical content looked like achieving a bodily form of subtle emotions in her fine movements, fluid face and empathetically communicative eyes.
Her dance for Rathisukhasare, an ashtapadi of jayadeva in yaman left an impression as if the picturesque sculptures have come alive on the stage evolving a flow of seamless plastic visions of the subtle and intricate human feelings. She concluded with the Brindavani Thillana of Balamurali. Soaring like a bird on the intricate jathi patterns of laya, she looked again crystallising a bodily form to the abstract taalam. The second half comprising a few group dances and brief episodes from some of the ballets were also sublime and enchanting. The Dasaavatara dance based on Jayadeva ashtapadi replete with sculpturesque visualisation of the circumstances in which Mahavishnu manifests different forms, was the piece de resistance.
Students of Kalaamandalam, Arpita Sen, Madhumita Samanta, Mounikha Chaterjee, Senjti Sengupta, Arpita Chakroborthy, Banmali Dutta, Jalsa Chandra and Jinook Mukherjee, participated in the recitals. The excellent backdrop of music had expert nattuvangam by Guru Tankamani Kutti and her son G. Mohan Kutti, evocative vocals by Sukumar G. Kutty, mirdangam by G. Suryanarayana, A. Satyavishal (violin) and D. Raja Rao (flute).
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