Subtlety was the missing factor
SVK
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Flautist Prapancham Balachandar was competent but finesse was lacking.
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The flute recital of Prapancham Balachander under the auspices of Sri Thiagaraja Sangeetha Vidwat Samajam was markedly competent, but lacked the subtleties of Carnatic music. He played the Saveri varnam `Sarasuda' and the Hamsadhwani kirtana, `Vatapi Ganapathim' spiritedly, but it did not take him beyond a point, to make it musically impressive.
The Sri Raga Pancharatna, `Endaro Mahanu Bhavulu,' provided a measure of corrective steps. An instrument cannot capture the sahitya's heightened emotion, like vocal enunciation can. To stress the divide between swaras and sahityas, they were shared between Prapancham Balachandar and violinist Usha Rajagopalan. Anyhow the structural grandeur of the composition had its say.
The Ganamurti raga alapana and song with neraval only served to emphasise that good music has to capture feelings and not be brainteasers of scale-based presentation. Elaborate vinyasa can be avoided in such a raga. In the dexterity of scale management Usha Rajagopalan displayed she could do it better on the violin than Balachandar on the flute.
The main raga was Kalyani. Is it necessary that a major raga should always be over-exploited? A surfeit of flowery sancharas in all the three sthayis — often repetitive — was painstakingly built up. The mandhara sthayi exposition was replete with just sound sophistication. Usha Rajagopalan too followed the same pattern, but with significant difference of melodic overtones. Refreshingly free of contrivance, the sancharas on the strings flowed smoothly and their trajectory was meticulous. It showed that there was more to Usha Rajagopalan's music than mere technique and talent.
The most enthusiastic member in the team was the mridangist B. Sivaraman. The terminal korvais at the end of all the songs had punch. As is always the case, kanjira artiste Nirgunam Shankar was the fifth wheel.
Many musical qualities
There is nothing wrong in an aspirant desiring to adopt the bhani of a vidwan who had built massive reputation with his distinctive style. But blotting-paper imitation serves to degrade the original. A youngster has to weigh stridency against sangita sowlabyam.
Sriram Gangadharan's concert, exclusively of Swati Tirunal's compositions, for Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, had more of rhetoric than sensitivity. He revealed by his rendering that he has many musical virtues, although subtlety, the most essential is not one of them.
Gangadharan's raga alapanas of Poorvikalyani (`Deva Deva Jagadeesara') and Kanada (`Mamava Sada Janani') were quite elaborate, without grace or elegance marking the sancharas. The kirtana patantara was good, but the rendering was overbearing laying heavy burden on his voice. Creative process calls for more than imitative expression.
There was musical generosity in the way V.L. Kumar on the violin extended his support. Though his version of Purvikalyani was not something to feel exhilarated about, his Kanada vision stimulated the direction of his manodharma, which was well translated into charming, well-sliced, bewitching sancharas.
Ramesh, the mridangist, satisfied himself with modest accompaniment.
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