Sankarabharanam casts a spell
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In her obeisance to Tyagaraja, Bombay Jayashree Ramnath underlined her faith in singing with emotion.
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INSPIRED: Bombay Jayashree Ramnath Photo: M. Karunakaran
In the Tyagaraja aradhana concert at Hamsadwani, Bombay Jayashree Ramnath stood up felicitously to the emotional demands of the saint's compositions. This she achieved by the finely shaped classicism, dignified in content, springing from a finesse-filled fluent melodic mind, responding to the promptings of inspiration. Her objective always dwells on the delicacy of expressional elegance.
Emotional singing has become an article of faith with Jayashree. She is gifted with a voice framed to represent sangita's subtlety and we do not expect anything less from her.
The first three songs, "Dasaratha Nandana" (Asaveri) "Hechchariga" (Yadukulakamboji) and "Enta Muddo'' (Bindumalini with a short alapana of rustling charm) were in the nature of preparing her voice to reach realms of ravishing resplendence in the items that followed.
Sparkling sancharas
The Sriranjani alapana was impressively inlaid with sparkling sancharas and its beauty lay in its quiet calming effect. The development had poetic and lyrical flavour fondling the delicate nuances. The rendering of the kirtana, "Soga Suga Mridanga Talamu" was reflective and gentle.
The next major raga was Bhairavi and its vinyasa represented the results of her explorations of its aesthetics. Sancharas marked by ease and grace served as richly crafted gateways to the monumental song, "Koluvai Yunnade." The rendering with all its delicious sangatis was delightfully first rate.
Sankarabharanam was the crowning item in the programme. It was her precious offering to the listeners. Anchored in a perceptive vision of the raga's exalted quality to keep the rasikas under a spell, with shimmering threads of sancharas executed with grace and karvais in the top octave like a devotee in prayer, majestic in stance, calm and controlled, Sankarabharanam spread enchantment from the start.
The supremacy of exquisite manodharma was woven into her alapana structure. The kirtana, "Swara Raga Sudha" and the neraval at the point, "Moolaadharaja Nada Merugudey" were musing music at its best. The raga-song-and-neraval provided a symphony of serenity.
H. N. Bhaskar was the violinist whose solo versions of the ragas gave adequate support. But the impact would have gained in appeal if the pressure of the bow had been tempered with softness.
Mridangist S. Vaidyanathan collected sheaves of the laya patterns to make his accompaniment sumptuous. His tani with B. S. Purushottaman (kanjira) was imaginative in design and dexterous in display.
Divine music
On the eve of Tyagaraja aradhana at Sri Thiagaraja Sangita Vidwat Samajam, V. V. Subramaniam, V. V. Ravi and V. V. S. Murari presented a violin performance. To an ordinary listener, Tyagaraja's kirtanas are pleasurable music.
The subtle experiences of the saint composer, his devout mind and intuitive God-realisation appeal to those who intensely yearn to share his divinity. The target of the violin trio was the latter.
V. V. Subramaniam, Ravi and Murari. Photo: K. V. Srinivasan.
When they rendered the songs, "Paramaatmudu" (Vagadeswari), "Gnanamosaga Radha" (Poorvikalyani) and "Chakkaniraja Margamu" (Karaharapriya) they created an impression of being in the shadow of the saint and their recital derived strength from it.
Umayalpuram Sivaraman (mridangam) in association with T. V. Vasan (ghatam) was fully reflective of the mood of the violinists. The whole team gave primacy to the sanctity that the occasion demanded.
Special charm
The inaugural concert for Sarvani Sangeetha Sabha in the Tyagaraja aradhana series was by Nisha Rajagopal. Her fluent appealing vocal manipulations exercised special charm on her interpretative method. The deep impression was a sense of intimacy between her and the songs she rendered.
Remarkably restrained, her presentation of the gracefulness of Sahana even at the beginning revealed her ability to grasp the brilliance of the raga.
She made it sure that each sanchara had a purpose set to accomplish the aim kept in view. The sancharas were perfumed with tonal felicity. The kirtana was "E Vasuda."
There was fullness of appeal in her Bhairavi alapana (``Raksha Bettare"). Fine vocal balance with gana naya in the range of beautiful sancharas spoke of the selective aspects of her manodharma. One could discern that Nisha has music vision to go with her natural delicacy of voice.
The other songs included "Sugunamule" (Chakravakam), "Enta Nerchina" (Udaya Ravichandrika) and "Aparadamula" (Durbar).
Usha Rajagopalan, on the violin, was competently supportive. Thanjavur Kumar (mridangam) and K. V. Gopalakrishnan (kanjira) were the percussion accompanists.
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