Sheer craftsmanship
GARIMELLA SUBRAMANIAM
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Carnatica Brothers, K.N.Shashikiran and P.Ganesh, were expressive without being exuberant in their renditions.
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Photo: K.Pichumani.
ENTERPRISING: K.N.Shashikiran (right) and P. Ganesh. Photo: K.Pichumani.
From the opening varnam in raga Kanada to the centrepiece in raga Kannada, Carnatica Brothers, K.N.Shashikiran and P.Ganesh, were expressive without being exuberant in their singing.
The inclusion of embellishments in almost every composition within the limited time spoke of sheer craftsmanship on the part of the artistes.
The duo paired early to render Swati Tirunal's `Deva Deva Kalayamiti,' and Syama Sastri's `Marivere Gati,'— each chipping in alternatively with a short improvisation, either on a key line in the lyric or the melodic scale. Thus it was about 20 minutes before you got a chance to hear them separately for any length of time.
Then, there was Ganesh, picking up on raga Hanumathodi and inviting first-time listeners to place his voice among the galaxy of vocalists.
But again the alapana was kept deliberately short and the Brothers got on with a kriti of Kumara Ettendra.
Soon, it was time for the duo to pay tribute to Madurai T.N.Seshagopalan. They did so by acknowledging the maestro's musical ancestry that is traced to the early 20th century composer Harikesanallur Muthaiah Bhagavatar.
Shashikiran gave an exquisite exposition of raga Hamsanandi, as well as the kriti `Rama Needu Mahima Pogada Na Tarama,' which are among the several creative pieces that are credited to Bhagavatar.
Krishnaswami Aiyya's song `Amba Paradevate,' in raga Rudrapriya, followed next. The vocalists then presented a Ragam, Tanam, Pallavi in raga Kannada, a melodic scale in which the notes are not arranged in a sequence and for that reason many would avoid singing this specific composition. The text of the pallavi ran as, `Samanama, Sabhapate, Sadasiva, Trilokam Unakku Sari.' Each line began on a tone and progressed in an ascending sequence. An interesting aspect of the pallavi was singing the lyrics in a constant tempo but varying the beat.
Nagai R.Shriram on the violin and H.S.Sudheendra on the mridangam made the afternoon more memorable than it might have been otherwise.
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