Mandolin sings
LALITHAA KRISHNAN
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Flawless play in near-vocal style marked the mandolin concert of Raju and Nagamani.
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CLASSICAL: Subhashini Parthasarathy. Photo: V. Ramamurthi.
The seemingly effortless flow of U. P. Raju's and Nagamani's improvisation spoke volumes about the sheer dedication and hard work with which they have honed their artistry. The main raga Pantuvarali provided ample scope for display of their combined prowess.
Meditative phrasing gave way to dizzying flights traversing three octaves, flawlessly executed and more important, eschewing excess. Tyagaraja's ``Ninnunera" (Rupakam) was rendered with startling accuracy of the sahitya meetu.
What really impressed in the swara segment was Nagamani's sensitive intermeshing of (sa and pa) varja phrases with regular ones, thereby evoking a different colour without resorting to the Hindustani idiom. The mandolin duo's other strength, their near-vocal style of kriti rendition, was also evident in the tukkadas.
FLUENT: Nagamani and Raju.
What happens when two young percussionists brimming with energy and the need to prove themselves launch into a tani avartanam? It rains fireworks! Sparks flew as beats thundered and korvais crashed to a finale, garnering bemused applause for N.Ramakrishnan (mridangam) and Tiruchi Murali (ghatam).
The Trichur Brothers, Srikrishna and Ramkumar Mohan have a lot going for them. With youth on their side, singing in tandem with pleasing, sruthi-aligned voices, and accompanied by their father, Trichur R. Mohan on the mridangam, they displayed considerable potential. However, their pursuit of a higher ideal remained largely unrealised in the main raga, Sankarabharanam, mainly due to the technique employed.
The alapana was developed as a succession of unbroken planes without contrasting relief. This approach deprived the raga structure of the all-important chiasroscuro, that is, the play of light and shade that brings the raga into bold relief by juxtaposing contrasting elements like kaarvai, jaru, crisp phrasing and briga. In addition, in a ghana raga, all these elements should rest upon the rock-solid foundation of traditional ``pidis" which impart the required ``azhutham."
The Tyagaraja Krithi ``Enduku Peddala" bore testimony to their adherence to patanthara. A melodiously tuned Ashtapadi was rendered with sensitivity. M. Rathish (violin) and D. V. Venkatasbramaniam (mridangam) provided enthusiastic support.
In her vocal recital, Subhashini Parthasarathy sought to explore within the framework of tradition, with rewarding results. The Poorvikalyani alapana preceding the Ponnaiah Pillai krithi, "Saatileni"(Misra chapu) was chaste, the neraval and swaraprathara were neatly executed. "Raamanukku Mannan Mudi," the Rama Natakam composition of Arunachala Kavi formed a brisk interlude. In the main piece in Sankarabharanam the vocalist reaffirmed her commitment to classical values. The violinist, A. G. A. Gnanasundaram in turn portrayed a commendable raga sketch. Ganapathy Raman (mridangam) and Madipakkam Murali (ghatam) essayed their roles with ease and understanding.
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