MUSIC ACADEMY
Divinity prevailed
G. SWAMINATHAN
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Gayathri's Thodi was elegant.
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Photo: R. Ragu
Creative: E. Gayathri.
When one listens to E. Gayathri on the veena, one can easily discern her exceptional creativity that brings forth many graceful, delicious and attractive nuances of a raga. Gayathri's strong belief in considering the veena as a divine instrument could be felt in the way she plays a raga, delivers a kriti or the swaraprasthara. The divinity of music becomes explicit in her thought process. Chakravaham's intense moments on the upper registers as well as the dreamy passages of Mohana Kalyani could be communicated to the listener in Gayathri's exquisite playing of ‘Nera Nammithi' of Mysore Vasudevachar and ‘Bhuvaneswari' by Muthaiah Bhagavatar. Both were replete with swaras. Thodi understandably became the major player with a lengthy preface of alapana for Syama Sastri's ‘Ninne Namminanu.' The paradigm of classicism was explicit in Gayathri's Thodi, surfeit with several free flowing phrases and glides, structuring the raga image with elegance. The composition full of majesty and musical charm picked up when Gayathri went for niraval in ‘Kamakshi Kanja Dalayadakshi.' The swara ornamentation was another surge of swaras with superb musical prudence.
Ragam, Tanam, Pallavi was in Suddha Dhanyasi, Adi Talam. Suddha Dhanyasi always carries a sparkling tenor. The vivacity was present throughout the raga exposition, and the dynamic tanam further brightened through ragamalika tag of Khambodi, Simhendramadyamam and Valaji.
The pallavi in Adi talam (two kalai) went as ‘Bhaavaye Srisankaram Bhakta Jana Priyaharam.' The necessary embellishments with several rounds of swaras added merit to the exercise.
The role of supporting artists for veena demands special expertise. Trichur C. Narendran and Pudukottai N. Ramachandran on the mridangam and the ghatam respectively were aware of their roles. They maintained that throughout the concert except during the thani in misra chapu where they exhibited their skill.
‘Sri Saraswathi' in Arabhi and ‘Suma Sayaka' the pada varnam of Swati Tirunal in Karnataka Kapi were the starters of the concert.
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