Picture of purity and classicism
M.S. JAYARAM
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Through impeccable melody and sense of involvement, Aruna Sairam imparted an altogether different dimension to music.
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SOUND PRESENTATION: Aruna Sairam. Photo: S. Thanthoni.
Aruna Sairam, one of the most popular and sought after artistes, has delighted a large number of music lovers in recent years. With her keen sense of sruti alignment, unique powerful voice, original approach and choice of popular compositions, Aruna has won over large sections of listeners. While it is true that it was the abhang that drew them initially, her sustained popularity is mainly due to her enjoyment of music and meticulous work at the basics of sound presentation.
Aruna sang for the Kartik Fine Arts accompanied by Embar Kannan on the violin, Mannargudi Easwaran on the mridangam and S.V. Ramani on the ghatam. She rendered "Sri Manini," Tyagaraja's composition in Poornashadjam, in all its elegance and charm . A breezy Pantuvarali with a long drawn karvai at panchama was absorbing; the good sruti alignment for the various small and neat sancharis enriched the raga bhava. Well- balanced sarvalagu swaras for "Siva Siva Enaradha" got the audience tapping its feet. The stylistic and sensitive rendering of Gopalakrishnana Bharathi's "Enneramum Undan Sannidiyil" proved that Aruna's early training under T.K. Brinda is indeed the backbone of her endeavours. It was given the rich treatment it deserves and was musically enriching. One hopes Aruna adds more such vintage compositions to her concerts.
Todi was the main raga taken up for the evening and Aruna, with her well modulated voice, covered the entire range, weaving beautiful patterns into a well structured alapana. She elaborated on it at length and indeed the finer elements of this often-sung melody was amply present. Kannan played some tried and tested strokes and portrayed a good picture of the glorious raga.
GNB REVISITED: Trichur Ramachandran.
The Tyagaraja masterpiece "Kaddanuvariki" was rendered with poise; the neraval and the swara prasthara for "Niddura Nirakarinchi" were meaningful. Aruna made a good attempt to convey that when music is rendered with suddamaina manasu and suswara, it assumes an altogether different dimension.
Easwaran and S. V. Ramani presented an effortless, crisp tani avarthanam. "Eppadi Padinaro" of Sudhananda Bhararti, popularised by DKP, in Aberi raga recreated old memories. Two lovely pieces, Oothukadu's "Madhura Madhura Venu Geetha" in Atana and an Abhang in Bageshri, "Pandareche Vasa," were the closing pieces which drew a rousing applause from the audience.
GNB is a legend who lives in the hearts and minds of many. Anyone who can reproduce the nuances of his brigha-clad music is well received. Trichur Ramachandran has a tailor-made audience that comes to get a glimpse of the musical flights GNB traversed, and to refresh old memories. Ramachandran aptly obliges his fans. A frontline and admired student of GNB, with his resonating voice he is capable of producing the best of his master's legacy . He sang for the ardent GNB fans, who braved the rain to attend his concert at the P.S. High School hall.
The brilliant Kalyani Ata tala varnam `Vanajakshi' gave the right start . The heavy Ananda Bhairavi Dikshitar piece "Kamalamba Samrakshatumam" was rendered with great involvement. Ramachandran sang a short and neat Narayani alapana bringing out the raga swaroopa in great measure and the song "Rama Ni Ve Gani" of Tyagaraja was rendered with elegance. The swara prastharas that followed were imaginative.
Mohanam was the main raga and Ramachandran brought out its flavour with crisp flowing brighas and brilliant sancharis around gandhara in the tara sthayi, while the stances at the Panchama and Dhaivata were pregnant with raga chaya and rakti. M.A. Sundaresan, accompanying him on the violin, dealt more on the staccato version of this pentatonic scale wherein the grace and charm of the raga bhava in the classical Carnatic style were reduced considerably. Ramachandran rendered Tyagaraja's "Nannupalimpa" with competence. The grandeur of the kriti was well maintained. Here too, the violinist was more of an intrusion giving his version rather than following the main artiste. Percussionists Umayalapuram Mali on the mridangam and Adambakkam Shankar on the ghatam did a wonderful job to elevate the level of the concert. The ragamalika of Hamsanadam, Darbari Kanada, Bageshri and Sindhu Bhairavi for "Janathu Ramam," a popular GNB shloka, was rendered faithfully in that style to the joy of the listeners.
The technicians at the auditorium would do well to reduce the decibel level, .The pleasure of listening to this concert would have been several times more but for the poor amplification.
Saketa Raman has been singing for well over five years now and has made great strides in understanding the beauty of the classical framework, and building the manodharma within the confines of tradition. With his silken voice in unison with sruti, Saketa has enriched himself with commendable imagination and repertoire of heavy compositions. He enthralled the audience with an exquisite Dhanyasi alapana. . It contained all the good elements of the raga swaroopa along with good imagination. Mysore V. Srikanth was brilliant and effortless in rendering his version of Dhanyasi and proved that he will be a violinist to reckon with in the days to come. The kriti, "Minalochana Brova," of Syama Shastri in Misra Chapu tala was given due respect.
Saketa sang a neat and colourful Mohanam for Mysore Vasudevachar's, "Ra Ra Jivalochana," a beautiful composition wherein he and the violinist rendered imaginative swara prastharas. A tidy tani avarthanam by Harinarayan was followed by a ragamalika of Sahana, Hamirkalyani (rendered in the mould of Hindustani Kedar) and Kapi.
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