Imaginative dancer
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Tracking the highs and lows of the Mysore music and dance scene this week
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MIXED BAG A bit of disappointment was followed up with sudden artistry that saved Sathyavathi's concert
An anticipation of a distinctive experience lingered in the air as Yamini Muthanna presented a Bharatanatya reciteal at Jaganmohana Palace Auditorium under the auspices of Shrimad Sai Rajarajeshwari Trust.
It was for the simple reason that she was trained under Vasundhara Doraswamy, and hence capable of catering to the needs of a serious connoisseur.
Her stances were quite deep and symmetrical, rendering the postures pleasing. In addition to it, meticulous adherence to the rules of hastha kshetra and anga shudhdhi made them picturesque.
Tastefully framed adavus, enriched by appropriately inserted Bhramaris, gracefully narrowing down to sthanakas to bloom once again with ease and competence, spoke of the dancer's imagination and expertise in presenting such a composition as "Mathe Malayadhvaja" (Daru - Muththayya Bhagavathar - Khamach).
Reflex and resiliency
A pronounced firmness in her stage activities overpowered her reflexes and resilience, marginally undermining both lasya and lalithya.
Ecstatic audio effects can be dramatic and at the same time distractive depending upon the level of refinement in one's receptivity. Her presentation portraying the manifestations of Goddess Durga had both the above merit and demerits.
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Sathyavathi gave her vocal recital under the auspices of Surabhi Gana Kala Mandira, as part of Purandhara Thyagaraja Aradhanothsava.
Accompanying her were H.K. Narasimha Murthy (violin), Jayachandra Rao (mridanga) and Guruprasanna (khanjira).
Her shaarira may have refused to budge or the manodharma lost its inspiring track — somehow the alapanas could not enter into any considerable depth. They were filled with bland and klishta sancharas that in no way complemented either the raga or the text.
At times there appeared faint signs of enlivenment in "Mahaganapathim" (Thodi- Dikshitar) following the varna "Sarasakshi" (Natakuranji - Thanjavuru Ponnayya Pillai), but soon they waned into disappointment.
These discrepancies threw their shadows on the other presentations too: "Varashikhi Vahana" (Supradipa - Thyagaraja) and "Bhajare Bhaja Manasa Ramam" (Kannada- Thyagaraja).
It was only when the learned artist selected raga-thana-pallavi in Ananda Bhairavi that the concert took a striking turn, bringing about a drastic change in the whole scenario. It was as if her artistry and scholarship sprang up into action from deep slumber to hold off the failing situation, not to look back any more. Though not much to brag about in the raga section, the exposition of thana and pallavi "Ninnu Neranammithi" (Anandabhairavi) strongly vouched for the gamut of her voice effortlessly spanning over the octaves, her intuitive imagination emotively expanding the pallavi and her versatility in ornamenting it with compactly woven swara prashtaras. Further, she took the audience to greater heights by knitting kalpanaswaras in Amrithivarshini, Chandrajyothi, Ranjani and Varali bringing them to harmonic closes ending with the names of the respective ragas.
V. NAGARAJ
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