Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Delight and enjoyment Kadri Gopalnath (left) and Sudha Raghunathan on stage.

Kalasagaram chose to honour four artists on the occasion. The recipients included Kadiri Gopalnath, violinist Kanyakumari, dancer Ananda Shankar, and the dramatist T.V. Varadarajan . As customary, the reasonably good attendance on the inaugural day petered out to a disquieting thinness the following days, except for the dance and drama programmes. The 90-minute saxophone concert of Kadiri Gopalnath accompanied by Kanyakumari on the violin, Satish Kumar on the mridangam, Shyamkumar on the kanjira, Bangalore Rajashekar on the morsing, ran on the fast track.

KG is the one and only name that stands out as an architect of the alien instrument, saxophone, the limitations of which, in terms of carnatic music cannot be improved by any artist, however skilful. Gopalnath enjoys an extraordinary wealth of moods. Each task is for the mass of the public to understand, so that the effect of his music loses in breadth what it gains in depth.

For the rasika who listens to him for the first time, it is distinguished by a kind of dissipated curiosity, and a wild confusion of astonishment, alarm, alacrity and amazement.

The starting item Vathapi in Hamsadwani ran its race. The runner up, Marugelara in Jayanthisi was equally aggressive, each item with redundant playing of highly mathematical and extended koruvis in swarakalpana. The highly sensationalised violin accompaniment was additive to the novelty.

With the introduction of Khisrasgara sayana in Devagandari, some serenity was restored. The highlight of the concert was the RTP in Brendavana saranga, set to adi thalam.

Sudha Raghunathan is an artist who surmounts difficulties passing from one step of success to another, forming new wishes, and seeing them gratified. In her singing, art disciplines itself from incalculable curves and superfluous decorations to the sober simplicity of strait lines and structural form. Sudha was accompanied on the violin by Gopinath, on the mridangam by Palladam Ravi and on the morsing by R. Raman. Commencing with the Sahana varnam, the concert took the beaten track with the subsequent item of Sharanusidhi Vinayaka in Sowrastra. An elaborate alapana of mandari was a puzzle to the general audience and the rare krithi, Athisya Varaprasadini a composition of Muthiah Bhagavathgar was even more so. The navavarana krithi of Dikshithar, in Ananda Bhairavai was too classical for the common listener to enjoy. Sudha’s exposé of Sankarabharanam was the emphasis of the concert, the analysis at the higher octaves were inspiring, the routine sangathis, nevertheless, forming a good part of the essay. The neraval and swarakalpana in the charana added to the ornamentation.

The profound scholarship and acumen of Sudha were clearly visible in the RTP in Madyamavathi, which was set to thisra jathi ata thalam, an inimitable profile in the rhythmic configuration.

A swop to different kalais (fractions) and a conversion to different nadais were remarkable. The pallavi was decorated with a ragamalika ornamentation consisting of natakuranaji, sinhendramadhyam and kaanada and back to Madyamavati.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail