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Music Season
VALAYAPATTI TRUST
Perfect diction, fidelity to tradition
M. RAMESH
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The Malladi Brothers’ overcame initial listlessness to rise to the expectations.
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The long applause notwithstanding, the Begada alapana of Ravikumar was not quite up to the Malladi Brothers’ standard. Even after five minutes into the alapana, it appeared that Ravikumar was being deliberately dilatory. The alapana lacked verve and if it failed to impress, the Malladi Brothers must only blame the high expectations that they raise in their fans. In fact, Ravikumar was screaming while singing the upper notes. Nor did the violinist Embar Kannan help t
o lift the presentation. But the negatives stop here. The choice of ‘Lokavana Chatura’ of Tyagaja was refreshingly different and the niraval and swaras, on the pallavi line, brought life back into the concert. Before and after Begada, the concert was simply superb. The Begada was sandwiched between a brief but brilliant Hemavathi, and some stunning vruttams in a clutch of Hindustani-based ragas. Ravikumar’s essay of Hemavathi was succinct but yet succulent, with appropriate gamaka-less use of the lower ‘ga.’
The bass that Ravikumar produced while transiting the lower octave was a beauty. Embar Kannan’s Hemavathi was better than his Begada, but not as good as Ravikumar’s. Just when the audience was expecting the popular Dikshitar composition, ‘Sri Kanthimathim,’ the Brothers took up an unknown number, ‘Aagatha Salaka Doshay Anagatha Vasey,’ in misra chapu talam followed with a bouquet of sangatis on the opening lines.
A very nice composition in Sanskrit and the Brothers would do well to popularise it.
In the vruttam that followed the Begada, Sriram Prasad and Ravi Kumar alternately presented Dvijavanti, Maand, Hamir Kalyani and Desh.
Sriram Prasad’s Dvijavanti would win the highest votes for the best piece of the concert. They tailed the vruttam with a nice Desh composition, ‘Srinilayam Sakhi Srinilayam.’
Perfect diction and steadfast fidelity to tradition, both traits inherited from their guru Nedunuri Krishnamurthy and their father’s (Malladi Suri Babu) guru, Voletti Venkateswarulu, cause their singing of Telugu and Sanskrit compositions a joy to listen. Thus, when the Brothers took up Tyagaraja’s ‘Raju Vedala’ after a nice Thodi alapana by Sriram Prasad, the audience revelled in the treat. Niraval and speedy swaras appeared at ‘Kaveri Teeramulanu.’
Harikumar on the mridangam, with his affectingly enthusiastic demeanour, was as much a pleasure to see as to listen. He followed every twist and turn of vocal music with a variety of strokes.
This disciple of Karaikudi Mani is a guy to watch. But his enthusiasm drowned the other two percussionists, Papanasam Sethuraman (ghatam) and Srirangan Kannan (morsing).
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Music Season
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