Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Beat Street
Nesara Nodu
CD, Aanand Audio, Rs. 75
Nesara Nodu is a CD comprising songs composed by C. Ashwath for Kannada plays. It has 21 songs culled from four plays — Kakana Kote, Nagamandala, Sangya Balya and Hayavadana. This CD has been produced by the amateur theatre group Nataranga and is another step towards taking theatre music seriously in Karnataka.
Haven't we so often heard theatre veterans complaining of our lack of concern for documentation, which has made us lose some of our best tunes to Marathi Natyasangeet? Not to forget that they also had the advantage of HMV House, headquartered in Mumbai, willing to bring our Natyasangeet tapes. In the recent times, however, we've had many theatre groups in Karnataka bring out albums, and this is one such endeavour too.
"Bettada Tudiyalli" rendered by C. Ashwath just lingers on forever. With a minimalist orchestra, Ashwath's baritone resounding in a very syncopated style over the tamate creates the deep, unfathomable stillness of the jungle. This song from the play Kakana Kote details the terrain of the region: the flowing water, the tip of the hill, the towering tree... . And Ashwath sets the poem to a simple, yet striking tune. In its tone you can even feel the love of the protagonist for his landscape; and that he can never have enough. So much so the short, lovely flute bits, timed at random points, give a sense of the unknown cowherd having decided to just join in the song at that instant. In all, it's a very natural tune.
All-time favourite
Not many would probably disagree if I said "Nesara Nodu", also from Kakana Kote, is an all-time favourite of many. The lyrics and the tune carry in them a sense of wonderment, which heightens with each passing line till it finally breathes a sense of eternity. And all this on a note of discovery. The flute passages are brilliant and the mandolin playing in two different tracks, in two different scales, makes for good effect. Supriya Acharya does an excellent job of it.
"Yaaro bandaaari andi" and "So Ennire" are nice, happy songs. "Namage Oppitavalla" from Hayavadana sung by C. Ashwath is poignant. But beginning from the background score to the tune, it sounds exactly like "Preetiya Kanasella Karagi Hoyitu" from the Kannada film Yene Barali Preeti Irali. In fact, Ashwath was the composer of that song too.
"Helteve naavu" is a typical theatre song, breezy and staccato. So is "Malegaalada Karimugilina" rendered by R. Srinath. "Gudu Guduginhanga" is adrenalin-packed.
"Yaava Desada" from Nagamandala by Sangeeta Kulkarni is outstanding. I love her typical folk accent, her intoxicated lilts which fit so beautifully into the context of the play. Ashwath doesn't go overboard with the orchestra and lets the singer and the song take its own course.
"Karesida Karaneno" from Sangya Balya by Divya Raghavan is too contrived. It has the sound of a company drama, and doesn't fit into the folk imagination of Sangya Balya. "Enu Ghatavanadita" by M.D. Pallavi is nice for its unanticipated flights, including its Carnatic accent. The song even uses the mridanga. I like its tone of banter.
Ashwath, one of the finest composers of our times, recreates the magic of theatre, its vibrant quality through this album. Though, in some songs, one wished the orchestration wasn't so grand, I mean too grand for theatre.
DEEPA GANESH
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
|
