Upbeat recital
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Sisters Bhairavi and Malavi's duet performance received a mixed response.
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IN CONCERT Bhairavi and Malavi.
Kalasagarams' effort to encourage up-and-coming artistes of the younger generation deserves all praise. The duet vocal concert of teenage sisters, Bhairavi and Malavi arranged last week was one such. Ambika Prasad accompanied them on the violin while the mridangam was played by Sai Ram from Delhi.
Having undergone training under stalwarts, they have achieved the traditional style and evidently are capable of taking on any complex treatise. In a situation like duet singing, unwittingly comparisons crop up however undesired. In that context, Bhairavi evidently has a more mature approach both in terms of her interpretation, style and confidence while Malavi has more balanced approach. Again the voice of Bhairavi is richer while the scholarship of the latter is more obvious. They have an excellent sense of sruti although in terms of manodharma music, they need more experience. This is the common need of almost every young artiste and it is bound to be acquired with more exposure and hard work. Besides, duet singing needs a performing technique in sharing the event holistically as well as in details. The sisters must give greater attention to this fact. They should carefully avoid a clash of ideas. Yet another underrating feature is the unwanted hurry in implementation.
The concert had its upbeat and downbeat episodes, particularly in the initial stages but soon settled down to a solemn phase. Kamboji Ata Thala Varnam started with an unobtrusive limp and the following item Nadupai in Madhyamayathi was perhaps wide off the mark in terms of solidity. Madhyamavati generally comes up late in the concert unless deliberately intended. Poorvikalyani thereafter was good choice but they missed the trend in not preceding with alapana, which would have added glamour at the right place. Kaaranam Kettu Vaadi is a piece of good lyrics. Had it been accomplished with attractive swarakalpana, the incident would have attained added allure. Bhairavi (a composition of Dikshithar) was rendered with ease and conveyed the bhava in full strength. The krithi, nine nammithinayya in Simhendramadhyamam was well received. The sisters chose Begada for Ragam, Thanam and Pallavi. The Pallavi was set to Mishra Jampe, a long extended rhythmical cycle and provided with two aridis (stress points), an uncommon feature. The exercise was well completed with Thri-kala-sancharam, but overall, it looked like a highly rehearsed exercise, providing little or no fresh creativity. While on the whole the concert had its merit, their juvenile attempts to sing the thanam did not carry well.
Ambika Prasad has a good perception of playing ragas and he did it very well for most of the ragas, but he too did not measure up in his thanam rendering and indeed faulted in reaching the planned points in the Pallavi. Young Sairam is young and enthusiastic, which led to overplaying and needless thirmanams at the end of each Pallavi, Anupallavi or the Krithi; he was also too loud. All in all, the concert was enjoyable in parts and the large gathering enjoyed it well.
B.R.C IYENGAR
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
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Thiruvananthapuram
