Dedicated to young artistes
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Ananda Rajyalakshmi has started an organisation to promote young talents in Veena recital, while Kalaimamani' A. Kanyakumari made a rare appearance for a concert.
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INSTRUMENTAL DELIGHTS A. Kanyakumari
Veena concerts are becoming rare these days. At one time learning Veena was the second best choice after vocal. But Veena still carries a celestial appeal. This is one reason that maestros in this art like Ananda Rajyalakshmi are worried that it may become extinct one day.
To keep the interest alive, Rajyalakshmi and others launched an organisation Sumadhura Sangeetha Sourabham, purely with the intention of teaching and promoting young talent in this art form and feature them along with seniors in music festivals. Ananda Rajyalakshmi is presently working as lecturer in the Government College of music and dance, Hyderabad. She belongs to the famous Vasa tradition of veena players. She is the disciple of the late Vasa Krishnamurthy, a legend in this field.
As part of the programme, the new sabha organised a concert of Ananda Rajyalakshmi at Thyagaraya Gana Sabha. She put to view once again that rare style of Vasa family, which is well-known for its flowing style that is marked with ease and a total control over the fret board.
She began the show with a Valaji Varnam, and then went to Dikshitar's Mahaganapatim in Gowla as an invocation. She then went on to essay Hamsanadam for Thyagaraja's famous number Bantu Reeti. This was also marked by fluent swara prasthara. After Niravdhi Sukha in Ravichandrika and a fine Sarasaangi delineation for Neekela Dayaradu, she played the instrumental delight and brisk Raghuvamsa in Kadana Kutuhalam and presented some interesting sangaties. Kharaharapriya was the main melody of her concert, which she delineated with comfort and displayed some virtuoso skills on her instrument. Her choice in this was Thyagaraja's Chakkani Rajamargamu, which she played with a vocalist touch. This piece was with that inevitable tanam, scholarly neraval and swara prasthara.
The end pieces included a sweet Yamunakalyani piece Krishna Nee Begane and a Rageswari Tillana of Lalgudi. For a change, Ananda played a famous folksy Yenki Pata- Padavelli Potondi of Nanduri Subba Rao, which she herself set to music. Ananda had good support from M L N Raju of Vijayawada on mridangam and Haribabu of Guntur on ghatam.
At a brief function held on the occasion, the chief guest, Dr. C. Narayana Reddy conferred Rajyalakshmi with the title `Veena Vadana Vibhushita'. Mahamahopadhyaya Dr. Nookala Chinna Satyanarayana, Dr. Mudigonda Veerabhadriah and Veena duo Ayyagari Syamasundar and his wife Jayalakshmi were felicitated to mark the inauguration of the new Sabha.
Memorable concert
There was a rare violin solo performance last week by `Kalaimamani' A. Kanyakumari, at Thyagaraya Ganasabha, organised by Sangeetha Ksheerasagara Sabha as part of the celebrations of 93rd jayanthi of Uppalapati Ankaiah, known as Sangeetha Ksheera Sagara. Kanyakumari's was a rare appearance and most valued too for she treated the audience to a pure musical note and mellifluous music. Though from Andhra Pradesh, she moved to Chennai, along with her parents, where she is settled now. She is considered one of the top violinists of the country.
Ananda Rajyalakshmi during their performances.
The entire concert gave an electrifying touch with a never heard feel. She is rarely seen as soloist. Audience enjoyed the entire show, to their heart's content. Kanyakumari was the student of Ivaturi Vijayaeswara Rao of Vishakapatnam and after moving to Chennai, she was tutored by M. Chandrashekharan. Sangeetha Kalanidhi M.L. Vasanthakumari had always had Kanyakumari as her accompanist. This also helped her (Kanyakumari) grow further. She was playing for MLV for nearly two decades. She cut gramophone records for HMV. Her own contribution in any concert always carried special flavour.
Kanyakumari began with an exercising Natakuranji varnam Chalamelara and then Mahaganapathim (nattai), in which her swara presentation was of outstanding quality. Reetigowla was the first raga essay from her, which she dealt with in great detail. Nannu Vidachi Kadalakura, a Thygaraja composition was her choice presentation in this. Bhuvaneswari (mohana kalyani) was a quickie before she chose to delineate elaborately the raga essay Entha Muddu Enta Sogasu (bindumalini). The raga was neatly built, spreading it across all the three ocataves. Santamuleka Soukhyamu Ledu a vilambakala kirtana was another delight. Vanchatonu Naa (karna ranjani) was a brief presentation before she took up bhairavi as her showpiece of the concert. She played Balagopalala with ragamalika swaras.
Then there were Annamacharya composition Yedutanunnadu' (bujangini), a Tamil composition of Rajajai and a Desi Tillana of Lalgudi in the concluding part of her deserving show. At one stage she volunteered to play whatever the audience wished for. Anuthama's violin support was balanced while D.S.R. Murthi on mridangam lent wonderful support. It was a memorable concert.
G. S
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