Music meets monsoon
RANEE KUMAR
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The monsoon magic was unfurled at the annual Barkha Ritu fest.
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Photo: H. Satish
Maestros at their best Pandit Satyasheel Deshpande
The monsoon music season in twin cities took off to an appropriate start with Hindustani concert titled ‘Barkha Ritu-Rains and Ragas’. The predominantly north-Indian genre has a rich relationship with nature in as much as being bestowed w
ith a specific raag for each part of the day (time), every season and various moods.
As a coincidence a sudden spurt of rain heralded the recital of Pandit Satyasheel Deshpande (vocal) followed by Hariprasad Chaurasia (flute) which conjured a climate of welcome warmth within the Ravindra
Bharati auditorium by sheer musical magic. In damp times like these, it ought to be raag Malhar (Malhar means ‘washing away) and so was it with an exploration of its derivatives like Shudh Malhar, Megh Malhar, Desh Malhar and so on.
The opening notes were from the sonorous, rich-throated Pandit Satyasheel Deshpande. His excellence lay in his brevity, never allowing the viewers to fall back into a state of stupor generally arising out of a moist external environment being countered by a meandering raag rendition within the warm confines of a closed theatre. The vocalist by all means adhered to the austere medium without being too orthodox.
This gave scope for him to present glimpses of his vast repertoire within a scheduled performance time to his listeners who were obviously thrilled by the varied fare.
The khyaal in Miya Malhar moved on towards the bandish but not before an expressive exploration of the song within it, in druth kaal. The bhol- Ghar morey jaanu naa the later Uska kya kehana jiske ghar barsaat ho were exquisite in their lyrical quality and Despande’s treatment only enhanced the sweetness. With a brief about the varied ways in which a cryptic mukda could be handled he was able to educa
te and entertain the viewers who were left wondering at his prowess. The spontaneity of improvisation is his forte as are his concise compositions (his ‘Kahen’ album). Folding up the concert was a bhajan of the ‘pure’ category in lieu of the oncoming Guru Purnima. The devotional was one of its kind so unlike the regular bhajans commonly heard by one and all.
The words were charged with devout fervour and Satyasheel Deshpande’s rendering breathed life into an already rich melody.
Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia can never fail to enthuse an eager audience even if it was listening for the ‘nth’ time.
He decided to take the Malhar derivative-the Brindavan Malhar for a change. Once the mood set in, the Chaurasia magic enveloped the atmosphere dissolving the physical presence of the ‘bansuri’ and the player into a mist.
The ‘visible’ was overcome by the ‘audible’-the melody of notes sounded divine as they gently touched the ears, transmitting the viewers into a state of bliss.
Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia mesmerise the audience at the Barkha Ritu monsoon festival in Hyderabad.
As usual, the veteran flautist’s staying power was amazing as he piped in the nuances of the Desh now like a rippling rivulet, now like the twitter of birds.
The raag got chiselled and polished to its purest form in the hands of this bansuri wizard. Chaurasia too experiments and innovates but within the traditional parameters.
The sensitivity in approach is something few musicians can achieve.
The restrained, smooth beat of the pakhawaz by Bhavani Shankar was stupendous throughout the concert. It did not sound like a percussion, melting as it did with the tunes of the flute.
If the viewers were pulled down to the earth, it was only with the musician’s own briefing about the next item. The other variations of the main monsoon raag-like the Megh Malhar completed the picture of monsoon in its myriad moods.
The serve and volley between the lively, vivacious Vijay Ghate, Bhavani Shankar and Chaurasia exhilarated the listeners who turned keen watchers waiting for the winner to be declared in this musical game.
The grand finale brought forth a natural blend of their respective expertise into a smooth flow of pure music.
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