For the discerning purist
LALITHAA KRISHNAN
|
With their amazing vocal reach, the Hyderabad Brothers provided classical fare.
|
OF A HIGH ORDER: Seshachari (left) and Raghavachari. Photo: S. Thanthoni.
The Hyderabad brothers, D. Raghavachari and D. Seshachari, offered music of a high order. For starters, there was the Nattakurinji varnam "Chalamela" whetting the diehard purist's appetite for classical fare. The kritis that followed proceeded to pay uninterrupted homage to saint-composer Tyagaraja.
"Dasaratha Nandana" in Asaveri shone in solitary splendour while Hamsanadam mesmerised the artistes and audience alike, drawing them effortlessly into its silken web.
With evocative play on the `nrn mnm' vadi-samvadi device and madhyama kala phrasing, reminiscent of Nedunuri Krishnamurthy, the artistes exhibited their amazing reach to the mandrasthayi shadja in the most natural manner.
Hats off to the discerning listeners who refrained from breaking into ill-timed applause, and chose instead to reserve their ovation for the raga's conclusion.
The vocalists communicated their obvious enjoyment of the sahitya in "Bantureethi," and their neraval at "Rama Naama" was capped with a cascade of 1-avartana swaras.
The Arabhi alapana showered benediction. There was surprise in store with shades of Hindustani raga Durga creeping in around deliberately-constructed prayogas to dance twinkle-toed among phrases woven around the dhaivata. But it was the strands of firmly knotted classical pidis below the madhya-sthayi panchama that strengthened the overall raga fabric.
Violinist M.A. Sundaresan gladly followed the vocalist's lead, coming up with a distinctive portrayal. "Naada Sudha" with bhava-soaked lyrics and the spirited swara exchange interwoven with imaginative twists completed the picture.
In the Harikambodi rendition, the rasikas were fortunate to experience manodharma sangeetam in full flow, free of gimmickry.
With gradual unfolding planes, subtle turns and definitive phrasing at the tara sthayi shadja and gandhara, the raga opened up to yield its jealously-guarded treasures.
The swaraprasthara complementing the kriti "Dinamani Vamsa" was a fascinating meld of sarvalaghu and kanakku.
"Akhilandeshwari" and "Krishna Nee Beganey," languid and lyrical by turns, acted as a restorative. The main artistes were very vocal in their appreciation of Sundaresan's impromptu responses on the violin.
The smooth, resonant strokes of Neyveli Narayanan on the mridangam and E.M. Subramaniam on the ghatam enabled the group to work wonderfully as a team.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Music Season
