MUSIC ACADEMY
Grand compositions well rendered
V. SUBRAHMANIAM
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With perfect sruti alignment Sangeetha Sivakumar made brilliant work of old gems.
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Photo: K.V.Srinivasan.
Sangeetha Sivakumar.
It is often heard from rasikas of Carnatic music that our artistes (vocal) do not bother about perfect alignment with the sruti whereas the Hindustani musicians train themselves to align with the sruti so well from the start to the finish of the concert. No wonder they are carried away by this. As the adage goes `Sruti Matha Layam Pitha.' One aspect our rasikas should remember is that Carnatic music which is full of gamakas and half-note prayogas, is tougher and deeper to handle on the voice compared to the Hindustani counterpart which has mainly straight plain notes. Voice training for this style is easier than for Carnatic. They spend considerable time and energy to achieve sruti alignment. This is certainly not beyond our style also with the right voice production and sadhakam.
Sangeetha Sivakumar comes in the lineage of M.L.Vasanthakumari. She is a disciple of Charumathi Ramachandran, direct disciple of MLV. She gave a vocal recital at the Music Academy accompanied on the violin by B.U.Ganesh Prasad, on the mridangam by Manoj Siva and on the ghatam by Guru Prasad.
The Khamas raga dharu of Muthiah Bhagavatar was the opening piece of the concert, a grand creation rarely heard in concerts these days. `Jaya Jaya Jaya Janiki Kantha' in Naattai Khanda Chapu tala of Purandara Dasa came up next. `Yajnadulu' in Jayamanohari Adi tala of Tyagaraja associated for its brilliant rendition by her `Parameshti Guru' GNB was run through.
The Varali Misra Chapu tala kriti, `Mamava Meenakshi' of Muthuswami Dikshitar was taken up after raga alapana. With niraval and kalpanaswaras it was presented neatly, the sruti well aligned. `Ma Ramanan' in Hindola raga, Adi tala, of Papanasam Sivan, which has crossed generations of musicians, was sung well.
Khambodi alapana for a detailed execution followed by one of the grandest compositions in the raga in Adi tala of Tyagaraja's `O Ranga Sayee' with all the necessary embellishments such as niraval and kalpanaswaras was the next. The rendition was done with passion. A deliberate, sedate effect is called for in handling such great compositions to create the effect contemplated. An innate sense of hurry, which runs in Sangeetha's style made the sangathis appear tentative and not solid.
Sangeetha rendered `Kamala Charane,' an Amritha Behag Adi tala kriti of GNB, well. This is a good piece to render between two heavy presentations in a concert for creating the right mood among the audience.
Ritigowla was taken up for Ragam Tanam and Pallavi. The Pallavi was `Tama Rasa Dala Nethri Tyagarajuni Mithri' in Adi tala 2 kalai, eduppu 2 mathras - half after samam (This line was taken from a Kalyani kriti of Tyagaraja). The exercise was neatly executed. The accompanying artistes, B.U.Ganesh Prasad, Manoj Siva and Guru Prasad bolstered the concert.
Sangeetha has all the aspects of musicianship in the right measure. She should strive to correct the impediment she has in her voice about sruti alignment, which could be surmounted with concentrated diligent sadhakam under proper guidance.
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