Vidwat and aesthetics join hands
SVK
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Gentle and sensitive, Ravikiran struck a rapport with the audience at the TTD Information Centre.
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Photo: R. Shivaji Rao
FINE BALANCE: Ravikiran.
What distinguishes mature music from the pedestrian? It is in the way an artiste enhances the musical values of kirtanas and in the alapanas of ragas, reaffirming the link between sound vidwat and dainty aesthetics.
It is these two vital factors of sangita that contributed to the excellence of the chitraveena concert of Ravikiran at the TTD Information Centre.
An experienced performer that he is, Ravikiran knows the value of the proper set of songs at the beginning that can put the recital on a high-level classical orbit. ‘Kripa Joochutaku’ (Chaya Tarangini) played with graceful smoothness cleverly concealed the kind of depth required in handling the instrument.
Energetic and impressive
Followed by the Mandari kirtana, ‘Paraloka Bhaya,’ this part of the programme was overwhelmingly energetic and incredibly impressive. What constitutes a concert’s balance? The liveliness of madhyamakala songs has to be laced with a vilambakala interlude. So, Ravikiran chose to play the Manji piece, ‘Brovavamma.’ The motivation in his interpretation was self-inspiration. This item particularly was an expression of emotional images — the contents of the song — by a fusion of serenity and sanctity.
Such a capacity can emerge only from a diligent cultivation of refined taste, which was to be seen in full measure in the technique of Ravikiran.
Till this stage, he kept the momentum going. The deep impression his music made created a sense of intimacy between him and the rasikas. But the Hamirkalyani alapana, ‘Purahara Nandana,’ somewhat slowed down the general tempo of the performance. Ravikiran came into his own with a remarkable Khambodi, ‘Evarimaata’. His alapana stirred a particular reflection. Every artiste builds up a major raga on traditional pidis, but what makes one enthralling and others prosaic? It is the sensitivity-lined phrases, the gentleness, kalapramana, the fading, tapering cadence at the end of every phrase and spacing between one pidi and another that make a raga blossom to exude its fragrance.
This combination in Ravikiran’s exposition provided sheer pleasure brilliantly reflecting Khambodi’s vitality. He made sure that each sanchara had a purpose set to accomplish the aim kept in view.
The concert was an emphatic assertion of the superiority of his bhani. Ravikiran had support in Visaal Sapuram.
Akkarai Subhalakshmi, the violinist, was the alter ego of Ravikiran. She followed him like a shadow with the same concern for gracefulness of exposition. Her raga sketch of Khambodi was fluently comprehensive. Poor amplification was the cross she had to carry. K.V.Prasad was the mridangist. The subtle varieties he evoked in the instrument spoke of his elite handling. The penetrative percussive patterns in his thani vibrated the chords of laya refinement. H. Sivaramakrishnan (ghatam) constantly looked up to Prasad for guidance in combining with the mridangam solkattu.
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