Concert on a fast track
SVK
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Tradition and creativity came together at T. N. Seshagopalan's vocal recital.
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T. N. Seshagopalan.
Though charisma was the predominant feature of T.N. Seshagopalan's technique, his performance for the Carnatica series was an impressive revelation of his aim to re-discover the past with as much emphasis on tradition as on exploring new vistas of creativity. His singing style proclaimed his provocative approach to interpretation of ragas and songs.
Dwijavanti with many seductive shades was in Ustad mode followed by a chaste Carnatic Bhairavi providing the high watermark of his recital. Both alapanas were a wide-ranging and all-embracing overview of their grandeur. His rendering of `Cheta-Sri' (Dwijavanti) and `Bala Gopala' (Bhairavi) gave an inkling of his art in making the ordinary extraordinary. His exposition was reflective of the robustness of his manodharma.
Surprisingly, his Todi essay was very brief and was followed by the song `Brindavana-lola.' Earlier `Sarasaaksha-Paripaalaya' (Pantuvarali) with an alapana put the concert on a fast track. Violinist M. Chandrasekhar was very enthusiastic in meeting vocal depth with bowing pressure.
Umayalpuram Sivaraman's mridangam accompaniment was a matching answer through pharans flying like sparks from a forge. His tani aartanam with T.V. Vasan (ghatam) was an exciting display of percussive fire. He transferred Seshagopalan's bursts of vocal force to mridangam's strokes — a clear understanding of the proper role of an accompanist — meeting sensitivity with sensitivity and the spectacular with the spectacular.
Truthfully Tyagaraja
With solid endowments, which make real dignity of a concert, Gayatri Girish, placed with great vividness and consistency, the two nada-rich Tyagaraja kirtanas `Sitavara Sangita Gnanamu' (Devagandhari) and `Swara Raga Sudharasa" (Sankarabharanam) in her singing for Nadopasana. The way she rendered them spoke of her fidelity to Tyagaraja songs, tasteful in exposition, reflecting their structure and nuances.
In the alapana part, she gave a clear perspective image to Sriranjani (`Maru Balka') and Poorvikalyani (`Nadammadum Naathanadi') a Gopalakrishna Bharati song. The most satisfying item in the concert was the Sankarabharanam vinyasa. It brought out the sparkle and range of the raga, though in the tara sthayi, her voice was a bit strained. Good sense in the choice of the kirtanas contributed to the success of the concert.
Ganesh Prasad was the violinist. His accompaniment was marked by sustained interest, without being intrusive. His picturisation of ragas in his solo effort was modest and restrained. The mridangam play by Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan was at a high-decibel, lacking sound refinement.
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Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
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Thiruvananthapuram
