HAMSADHWANI
Charukesi painted with nuances
V.V.RAMANI
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Kalpana Venkat's exploration of Charukesi adhered to grammar.
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COMPETENT AS A VOCALIST TOO: Kalpana Venkat.
Artistes playing instruments quite often turn to be competent vocalists too. It was therefore no surprise that Kalpana Venkat (nee) Kishore gave a satisfying vocal concert. Dikshitar's kriti, ``Veera Hanumathe" in Kanada, was followed by the Nalinakanti, Tyagaraja Kriti, `Manavyaala Kim.' The brisk pace in which the song was rendered and the cascading swaras which followed captured the spirit of the song.
Kalpana then embarked on a journey exploring the nuances of Charukesi at length. The prayogas adhered to the grammar of the raga lakshana and nowhere did she try any kind of vocal gymnastics. Perfectly aligned to sruti, the timbre of her voice has a resonance in the thara stayi and Kalpana should explore singing in this octave at length.
The Swati Tirunaal composition `Kripaya Paalaya Shoure,' was rendered. For the line `Thapaniya' fast paced sangathis detracted from the beauty of the song. Niraval for the line, `Naradha Mukha Muni' was accomplished with finesse. And the kalpanaswaras which followed revealed an imaginative mind. Karthik on the violin captured the nuances of each raga with skill and Erode Nagaraj on the mrindangam, supported the vocalist with his soft flourishes accentuating the melody of her music.
Nairobi Sisters, Sruti and Shalini, danced at Hamsadhwani. The talented duo's sincerity and devotion to their art was evident right through the recital. In the javalis `Indendu Vachitivira' in Surutti, and `Geliyay Ponadadi' in Behag, the varied emotions of anger and anguish, love and jealousy were captured with quick changes in expressions and mudras. The tillana of S.K.Rajaratnam in Thodi was delightful with well co-ordinated footwork and postures.
In a Bharatanatyam performance the pinnacle of the margam is the varnam, showcasing a healthy blend of rhythm and bhava. The varnam, `Aadum Mayil,' performed by the duo was a let down, not in terms of their talent, but by way of choreography. The jathi korvais between pallavi, anupallavi and charanam use sollukattus in varied kaala pramanams to liven up the tempo. Here the entire jathi sequence became tableaux of mime. To watch them repeat the actions of a swing being pushed for the entire length of one jathi and Murugan and Mayil moving round the stage in another brought it down to the level of a school fare.
Living abroad and being exposed to the high standards of recording there, is it too much to ask for quality reproduction in music? Jumping from male voice in one song to female voice in another of varying sruti and audio levels, music for this programme was just a medley of songs strung together.
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