Consummate artistry
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Priya Gurumurthy’s leisurely rendering and Neela Ramgopal’s scholarly presentation were quite a treat
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COMMENDABLE Excellent control over the instrument
Priya Gurumurthy’s veena recital, accompanied by Prakash (mridanga), and Gurumurthy (ghata), was part of the Every Friday Evening Cultural Programme of the ICCR, Bangalore, at Yavanika last week.
The concert began with “Valachi”, the navaragamalika varna in adi tala, and “Sri Mahaganapathim Bhajeham” in Athana. A short sketch of Jaganmohini raga was prefixed to the Thyagaraja krithi “Shobhillu Sapthaswara”, rendered at an unhurried pace, and adorned with a few avarthanas of kalpana swaras. “Nagumomu” in Abheri, rendered without excessive flourishes, followed a condensed alapana of the raga, and was also supplemented with kalpana swaras. “Bantureethi” in Hamsanadam, another composition of Thyagaraja in adi thala, featured an outline of the raga and some kalpana swaras.
The alapana of Karaharapriya, the main raga of the evening, made a quick progression to the thara sthayi and back, and was reinforced by a well-executed thana. Thyagaraja’s “Pakkala” in mishra chapu thala included a neraval and fluent kalpana swaras, and concluded with a concise, but skilled tani avarthana. The swara composition originated by Madurai Mani Iyer, and “Bhagyada Lakshmibaramma” in Madhyamavathi brought the concert to a close. While the artiste displayed excellent control over the instrument and commendable self assurance, a deeper exploration of the improvisational aspects of raga alapana and of raga bhava, fuller interpretation of gamakas unique to ragas such as Athana, and better planning of the concert structure within the allotted time frame would have made the performance more enjoyable.
Dikshitar Day was celebrated at the Sri Rama Lalitha Kala Mandira with a vocal concert by Neela Ramgopal, accompanied by Mysore Srikanth (violin), Poongulam Subramaniam (mridanga) and Guruprasanna (kanjira).
The sedate tempo of “Mahaganapathim” in Nata, suffixed with some kalpana swaras, provided a propitious start to the concert. The compact alapana of Lalithapanchamam, in this case a derivative of Vakulabharanam, the rendering of “Brihadeeswareem Bhajare Chita” set to adi thala, and the kalpana swaras appended to it, illumined the haunting beauty of both raga and composition. The elaboration of Khamach, that followed, was an example of consummate artistry, replete with phrases drenched in the raga bhava that was explicit also in “Sri Swaminathaya Namasthe” set to khanda chapu thala.
A leisurely “Chetha Sribalakrishnam” in Dwijavanthi preceded a fairly expansive alapana of Ramamanohari, enriched by a wide variety of sancharas, and the krithi “Shringara Shakthyaayudhadhara” set to jhampa thala. The main focus of the concert was on Shankarabharana, elaborated in detail with a plethora of phrases around critical swaras, the most notable being some unusual and captivating ones ending at the thara sthayi rishabha, and at the madhya sthayi madhyama during the closing stages. “Akshayalinga Vibho” in mishra chapu thala incorporated a neraval at “Badarivana”, a seamless blend of musical patterns and rhythmic combinations punctuated by the sahithya syllables, and a spate of kalpana swaras, enhanced by exceptional support from the accompanists and concluding with a vibrant thani avarthana.
The concert, a fitting tribute to the great master, concluded with “Maye” in Tarangini, “Sri Venugopla” in Kurinji and “Sarasa Souvira” in Suvarnangi.
MADHAVI RAMKUMAR
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