KARTHIK FINE ARTS
When everything went right
GOWRI RAMNARAYAN
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Sanjay Subramaniam's recital was banked on alapana, each different in mood and delivery.
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Photo: R. Shivaji Rao
WHOLESOME: Sanjay Subramaniam
`Ooril Oru Kaani Illai.' This spellbinding Mohanam in the viruttham could have emerged only from total involvement with the aesthetics of the raga.
With the first Sankarabharanam phrase you knew that Sanjay Subramaniam was going to do almost everything right, for a hall overflowing with attentive listeners. So he did until he sang resonantly of `mangai paal' in the folkish siddhar song tailpiece.
The varnam evoked the exhilaration that composer Madurai Subramania Iyer had packed into it. Relish, not showmanship, was ascendant, even in the fast `Ninnu Juchi' (Saurashtram) despite the deafening mike, later mercifully adjusted.
The recital was banked on alapana, each different in mood and delivery, as the singer allowed the raga's temperament to shape his imagination.
Full-throated voice production evoked robustness. Mukhari did have characteristic mannerisms, but in a form mingling stateliness with sentiment, perfect for `Sivakamasundari.' A contrastive Khamas had heart-melting sangatis. Softer, riper Todi had more akaram in worshipful treatment.
`Dasukovalana,' with its jhampa tala tang, was a fine choice to follow, though the neraval and swara did not quite match its pageantry.
What impressed you with Abheri was its just-right tempo and unmistakable raga identity. No maudlin frills either.
True, Sanjay's penchant for brigas had full play, not all with sharpness or precision. But the long self-forgetful karvais broke into joyful phrases tumbling over each other, modulated effectively, and so unaffected.
The violin (M.A.Sundaresan) rose to the demands of this kind of imagination.
Kalpanaswara? In `Sujana Jivana' (Khamas) the long series of single avartana swaras plunged into unusual combinations without any mechanical gimmickry.
The exploratory dattu swara passages kept the modulation and melody intact.
Veteran Karaikkudi Mani (mridangam) and young Bangalore Amrit (kanjira) outdid themselves in leaping, splashing, dancing rhythms.
`Bhajare Re Manasa' (Abheri) had dreamy, lucent swaras. The singer needed no arudi to arouse programmed applause.
The accompanists bonded well. Sundaresan's violin had energy and melody, often with rasa, as in Todi, which decreased when the strings became restless, as in Khamas.
The impact of the percussionists was seen in the hall remaining packed even during the tani avartanam and the thunderous ovation. A little loud in volume, but what variety and considered formatting!
The short exchanges were brilliant, with the kanjira that rose to the mridangam's challenges in sharpness and modulation.
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