Leaving a mark of respect
MANJARI SINHA
|
Celebrating the artiste and the art, the Vishnu Digambar Jayanti Sangeet Samaroh-2006 presented a fine blend of the masters and the baton holders.
|
AN ECLECTIC MIX Pandit Jasraj in performance at the festival.
Gyanacharya Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar was a great philanthropist who devoted his whole life to removing the stigma and prejudice attached to music and trained a galaxy of musicians and teachers. Carrying on the haloed memory of the great savant of music, Saraswati Samaj and Gandharva Mahavidyalaya jointly organise the Vishnu Digambar Jayanti annually with a Sangeet Samaroh. Over the years, it has become a much-awaited event on the cultural calendar of the Capital. All the artistes perform here as a homage to the great soul without any remuneration.
The Vishnu Digambar Jayanti Sangeet Samaroh-2006 presented some quality concerts of vocal and instrumental music comprising sur-bahar, sitar, santoor, Shehnai and tabla at the Kamani auditorium this past week.
Highlight
Purbayan Chatterji.
The crowning glory of the three-day festival was Pandit Jasraj who gave an exquisite exposition of Darbari-Kanhara while rendering `Shivoham... .' with vivid vision of the raga and utmost emotional conviction. The pivotal points of this majestic raga like the aandolan of atikomal gandhaar for instance were treated superbly.
He went until the mandra shadja elaborating the raga with full gusto. Raga Desh came next as a complimenting contrast with the bandish set to Rupak, followed by the charming `Gum gayo re naadan hiyara' in Teentaal (Addha Theka), where Akram Khan on tabla also won a few rounds of applause.
Mahmood Dhaulpuri on harmonium followed the vocalist with utmost earnestness. Pandit Jasraj presented a memorable recital and the festival culminated with his Bhairavi `Niranjani Narayani... '.
The Jayanti Samaroh took a flying start with Purbayan Chatterji's sonorous sur-bahar. A challenging instrument, rarely heard in concerts these days, sur-bahar was no doubt a thoughtful inclusion in a festival of this stature. Initiated by his father Parthpratim Chatterji, himself a disciple of Pandit Nikhil Bannerji,
Sanjeev and Ashwini Shankar.
Purbayan is further groomed by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. But for the kansuri (off tune) chikaari of the instrument this evening, his in-depth treatment of Shudh Kalyan's aalap jod jhala on sur-bahar and the following compositions in raga Gaoti on sitar proved him to be `one of the shining stars' of Senia Maihar gharana. Akram Khan on tabla was equally brilliant.
Padma Talwalkar's Kedar and Gaud-Malhar, Neela Bhagwat's Miyan-Malhar, dadra `Hamse na bolo raja' and tappa and Jayateerth Mevundi's Maru Bihag were some of the high points of vocal recitals where Vyas Murty Katti on harmonium, Prasun Chatterji and Suryaksha Deshpande on tabla and Bharat Bhushan Goswami on sarangi gave excellent support. Ulhas Bapat presented raga Gorakh-Kalyan on santoor with a detailed aalap and a slow composition in an 11-beat cycle.
No doubt, he has done thorough research in the tuning and technique of the santoor, which was evident in his meends (glissando), but the unwanted teevra madhyam which also echoed like Komal Rishabh at times (if you took madhyam to be the tonic) had no justification to be there time and again, disturbing discerning listeners.
Young talent
Padma Talwalkar.
Twelve-year-old Yashvant Vaishnav's tabla solo came as a pleasant surprise, with the kind of maturity and clarity in bols (mnemonics), which he displayed.
The `bedam tihai', the `ateet-anagat' intricacies, the chakkerdaar tukre, the lilting gats and above all the crisp parhant was never expected of a young lad studying in class VIII.
The shehnai duet by young Sanjeev and Ashwini Shankar was also impressive. Grandsons of Pandit Anant Lal and the talented sons of Pandit Daya Shankar, the brothers have music running in their veins.
The tutelage under Pandit Ravi Shankar has groomed them . They played a detailed aalap-jod followed by two compositions in raga Bageshri, before concluding their recital with the melodious dadara `Hamare dil de na jana... '. Anant Shankar on dukkar, and Mithilesh Jha on tabla gave them commendable support.
There could have been no better tribute to the late Ustad Bismillah Khan than the assuring competence of the young duo heralding the flag of shehnai.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
