With melody as their vehicle
LALITHAA KRISHNAN
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Sadasiva Brahmendra's songs were rendered with the spirit in tact, by Bhushani Kalyanaraman and Mathangi.
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PHOTO: T. SINGARAVELOU
IN PERFECT HARMONY: Bhushani Kalyanaraman.
This is one duo that richly deserves to be heard more often. Voices blending in perfect harmony, Bhushani Kalyanaraman and S. Mathangi (niece of the late S. Kalyanaraman) presented a memorable concert devoted to the compositions of Sadasiva Brahmendra, under the auspices of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
A single-composer concert is always an educative experience for artiste and audience alike, in terms of exploring a wider repertoire, conveying the spirit of the composition, and juxtaposing contrasting ragas, talas and kalapramanas.
In interpreting the oeuvres of Sadasiva Brahmendra, the artistes chose melody as their vehicle to convey the lyrical expression of this eighteenth century mystic saint-poet. The structuring of the sangathis in every composition bore the stamp of Kalyanaraman's unique musical vision to reveal the creative energy of a master craftsman at work.
A melodic spell
"Gaayathi vanamaali" wove a spell with its strong undercurrent of melody and effervescence. The Hindolam alapana flowered on the vine of intention.
Eschewing ostentation, the effulgent raga swaroopa spoke volumes for Mathangi's commitment to the credo of non-strident aesthetics. Also on display was the effortless soaring of her voice all the way up to the ati tara sthayi shadja.
Akkarai Subbalakshmi on the violin sustained the dulcet mood. Sentient of the ambience created, she allowed herself to be led by pure intuition, coaxing the strings to yield stanzas of rare beauty feathered with delicate strokes. ``Bhajare Gopalam" was the kriti. ``Manasa sanchara re" (Shama) followed.
S. Mathangi.
Bhushani presented a lucid sketch of Kiravani as a prelude to ``Sarvam Brahmamayam" (Rupakam), her to-the-point approach doing much to capture the essence. The neraval and kalpanaswaras at ``Sarvatra sada" were simple and uncluttered, in keeping with the aura of the composition. The mood was upbeat in ``Thunga tharange Gange" set to Kuntalavarali.
In the main piece, Kalyani, both vocalists shared the honours, with Bhushani commencing the initial suite, and Mathangi taking over from the tara sthayi shadja.
The shadja-varja passages in the upper register (g r n d n r g) made a telling impact. Absorbing permutations added spice to the swara sallies following the krithi ``Bhajare Raghuveeram" (Misra chapu).
The violinist was in her element as she glided through Kiravani and bent a pliant Kalyani to her will.
B. Sivaraman on the mridangam made a statement by playing with restraint and sensitivity, presenting a tani that was short and sweet.
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