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Music Season
MUSIC ACADEMY
Flashes of Thodi and Kalyani
V. SUBRAHMANIAM
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The initial swarajathi on Ravikiran’s chitraveena set the concert on a high dignity mode.
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Photo: V. Ganesan
Crisp rendition: N.Ravikiran
The first evening concert, 4.15 to 6.15 p.m. of the Music Academy was by chitraveena N. Ravikiran. He was accompanied by Embar Kannan on the violin, Mannargudi Easwaran on the mridangam, Tripunithura Radhakrishnan on the ghatam and young Anirudh Athreya on the kanjira.
When the curtain went up for the concert, the audience was happy to find the artiste having the traditional Gottuvadyam (Chitraveena) before him, tuned to the high pitch of five-and-a-half kattai as opposed to last year in which he presumably had an instrument tuned to one-and-a-half kattai which did not result in the desired effect for the concert. Also, last year he tried an ‘out-of-way’ rhythmic ensemble which did not suit the chitraveena.
The concert commenced with one of the three monumental swarajatis of Syama Sastri in Thodi, Adi talam, beginning ‘Rave Himagiri Kumari’ instead of the scheduled Ritigowla, Adi tala varnam, a composition of Ravikiran himself. The swarajati set the concert well on a high dignity mode. Muthuswami Dikshitar’s composition, ‘Swaminatha Paripalaya’ in Nattai, Adi talam was next for which Ravikiran played kalpanaswaras for two eduppus, Vamadeva and Parvati, in the Samashti charanam. Ravikiran took up ‘Pankaja Lochana,’ the Kalyani ragam, misra chapu tala kriti of Swati Tirunal and proceeded to render the kriti after a flash of Kalyani. He should have perhaps taken up a comfortable alapana of Kalyani which the audience was expecting. This left a sense of incompleteness. Of course, he did indulge in niraval and kalpanaswaras for the line, ‘Brindavananta Krita’ in the second half of the charanam and this was quite appropriately handled.
Syama Sastri’s composition in Ahiri, Adi talam is a touching piece both musically and lyrically. The attempt by violinist Embar Kannan at his solo alapana resulted in repetitive phrases. Being a raga with limited scope an alapana could only become repetitive in sangatis. The kirtana, ‘Mayamma’ was played grandly.
Ravikiran took up the fifth Navavarna piece of Oothukkadu Venkatakavi in Balahamsa set to khanda jati dhruva talam – two kalai.
A rare composition, it had all the aspects of the raga and richness of sahitya. Before embarking upon the main piece of the concert, the Ragam, Thanam and Pallavi in Bhairavi Ravikiran crisply rendered a composition of M.M. Dhandapani Desikar in Amrutavarshini, Adi talam. Ravikiran handled well the Bhairavi Ragam and Thanam. Embar Kannan on his solo essay of the ragam indulged in finger-tip-oriented sangatis instead of long sweepy sancharas with karvai which would have brought out the elegance of the ragam better.
The pallavi was set in Misra jati Ata talam of 18 beats in two kalai. The first half of the pallavi was in Chatusra nadai and the second in Tisra nadai.
The whole exercise was indulged in accurately not sacrificing the musical effect in the process. For the pallavi, kalapanaswaras were rendered in Saveri, Kapi, Sahana, Sumanee Ranjani and Hindolam.
Under the leadership of Mannargudi Easwaran on the mridangam the thani avartanam was excellently presented. The whole concert was satisfying.
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