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Music Season
MUSIC ACADEMY
Splendid aural treat
P. S. KRISHNAMURTHY
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The recital by Kadiri Gopalnath and violinist Kanyakumari drew the audience into a vortex of rhythm and harmony and O. S. Arun's recital was moving.
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Photo: M. Vedhan.
STIMULATING: Kanyakumari, Embar Kannan and Kadiri Gopalnath.
Hamasadhwani was rolling out of the Saxophone, drawing every participant, accompanist and audience alike, into a vigorous vortex of swirling, whirling, rhythm and harmony, orchestrating the motley notes from sax, violin, morsing, tavil and kanjira. Kadiri was in form with his native joie de vivre. On came Mayamalavagowlai (Swati Tirunal's `Deva Deva' in Roopakam), `Jagadanandakaraka' and Kharaharapriya and before one could nod to his alapana, Kanyakumari took centrestage, to give way to the wave of `Rama Nee Samaanamevaru.' Every kriti, every niraval and kalpanaswara and alapana, too, took the listener through flights of sancharas at breakneck speeds, and left them stimulated and excited, as from a particularly wild roller-coaster ride. The treatment of Mohanakalyani and Brindavana Saranga was also predictably in the same style. If the listener cannot delink himself from the orthodox Carnatic music, he cannot take this too long. One who decides to do that will see what a world of utter order, in apparent chaos, such a concert creates. What perfect unison of sruti, swaram, suddham and laya, with the saxophone and violin, like birds in delightful throaty exchange of ditties? It takes a lot in musical sensitivity, discipline and dedication to lead a team of expert musicians like Kanyakumari (violin), Palanivel (tavil), Bangalore Amrit (kanjira) and Bangalore Rajashekar (morsing) into what sounds like a conglomerate of corporations, functioning with perfect coordination, melody and harmony.
Measured against the yardsticks of a Carnatic music martinet, a maverick will not be taken seriously. The pallavi in Brindavanasaranga on a double-beat Adi, with a half point take-off, going ri-ni-sa, ma-ri, pa, ni-sa; sa-ri-ni-sa; pa-ni-ma-pa; pa-ni sa" was simple, faultless with never a violation of the norms and enjoyable. Kanyakumari displayed commendable skill in managing high-speed bowing with few notes and low-speed bowing with multiplicity of notes, a feat of both six-finger manipulation in the left and arm movement on the right even as rich music emerged. Palanivel was motivated into employing an amazing range of modulations in the tavil to suit the playing mode. The 10-minute thani, devised by him, was a sparkling presentation of different nadais, idams, sollukattus and tonal subtleties.
Amrit put in several of his own formations in the kanjira, while Rajashekar capitalised on the melodious twang the morsing creates, adding some very uncommon acoustic outputs and contributing to the richness. The concert warmed up with a number of soulful kritis in ragas Valaji, Karnaranjani, Subhapanthuvarali and Bharatiar's `Teerada Vilaiyattu Pillai.'
Going by the manifested popular opinion, O.S. Arun's concert was a classic appreciation and deprecation being highly subjective, the critic should not be dismayed at finding himself at variance with the populace. True, there were passages in the concert which brought tears to the eyes as much due to the soulful singing as to the composition, `Kandavarku Ninaivilum Kala-Bhayam Edaiya, Kanaka Sabhaiyilum Idadu Kalai Thooki Aum Katchi' in Kuntalavarali, `Sadhu Janopeta' in `Akshayalinga Vibho' (Sankarabharanam) `Asaindadum Mayilonru Kanden' (Simhendra Madhyamam) to name a few. The Pallavi `Saranganeri Ranganai Ninai Maname, Diname, Brindavana' was competently rendered and expertly steered through a two-beat Khandajati Triputa, producing a natural tempo, first between voice and violin, then mridangam and morsing and finally among all four.
The opening with the varnam in Kanada and Ata tala, followed by `Vatapi Ganapatim,' which paid homage to tradition, the latter only in its selection, since the listener felt that stretching the Hamsadhwani kriti to 20 minutes (only 2 minutes to the composition itself) appeared to be more exploitation of a tune with rich potential. In the Sankarabharana alapana (main item), lasting for nearly 20 minutes between Arun and Embar Kannan, one looked in vain for the hallmark of the raga per se. However, once the sahityam commenced, there was a marked change in the ethos. Full justice was done to Dikshitar's sahityam and tune, with delightful structuring kalpanaswaras, which highlighted the artist's taste. It further maintained the tempo with the able support on the mridangam and morsing.
Embar Kannan fitted excellently into the role of an accompanying violin, keeping close to the main artiste's style, without overreaching or underplaying. His rejoinders in alapana, kalpanaswara and tanam echoed the artist's vocabulary and composition. In his solo interpretation he could demonstrate not only his individuality but also the scope of the instrument.
With the range of combinations of multiple notes at his command the violinist had a substantial edge. The average listener has a good taste for laya, and also for tala in the song, but it is too much to expect him to be involved in the nuances of thani avartanam. The percussionist must either battle against the disparity of privileges even among his members on the stage or accept the situation. Many percussionists contribute to the team, by paying great attention to the near two-hour part of a 150-minute concert, with talam figures (i.e., barring alapana). In the 10 to 15 minutes time for thani, they attempt to produce something, which not only brings out their talent and skill, but also instructs the listener. It is not an easy situation, J.Vaidyanathan and SriRangam Kannan used their joint presence on the stage admirably to accompany the voice and violin alternately, paying attention to the style and method of each, all through.
The 14-minute thani avartanam in Misra Chapu, following kalpanaswaras at the pallavi of `Akshyalinga Vibho' was flagged off by Vaidyanathan, who first delivered a sequence of clearly enunciated sollus unmistakably Misra Chapu, without shrouding it, punctuating it with three-fourths - idam, in keeping with the sahityam. Srirangam Kannan's morsing rang out in response, just as clear and emphatic. The gradual reduction of avartanam durations, in different gatis, culminating in a most aesthetic arudi, signalled the conclusion.
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