Both creative and sensitive
AN INNATE musical instinct in an artiste gets reflected in sensitive exposition. In such a musician's concert, creativity goes well with intensity of feeling. Added to this, if the voice too is appealing, the appreciation of rasikas is subtly activated. This experience was offered by Nisha Rajagopalan in her cutcheri under the auspices of Nada Inbam. She sang in such a way that she not only kept the listeners keenly attentive, but also helped them sense visranti.
In the raga alapana section, she sang Sankarabharanam and Bhairavi. Fine and delicate curvatures highlighted the raga lines.
Of the two, the contours of Bhairavi ("Sari Evva Ramma") stood out in the aesthetic arrays of sancharas. The Sankarabharanam essay progressed with sweet serenity. Being Navarathri, the songs on Ambal _ "Nee Iranga" (Atana); "Thaye Tripurasundari" (Suddha Saveri); "Maha Lakshmi" (Sankarabharanam) _ were preferred, which somewhat contributed to lightness. But the potent combination of conviction, talent and competence in her was never in doubt. The violinist T. Hemamalini could not hold a candle to Nisha Rajagopalan. Nellai Balaji (mridangam) more than compensated for the same role of the violinist.
Elegant delineation
The veena recital of Revathy Krishna on the Dikshitar day arranged by the Indian Fine Arts Society reminded one of the great English poet's lines of a flower wasting its fragrance in the desert air.
Veena cutcheries, in general, provide a world of frustration to the artiste, popular or not-so-popular.
Revathy played with a view to providing a whole range of delicate images of both the ragas and kirtanas. The songs she rendered - "Kanchadalayadaakshi" (Kamalmanohari), "Santanagopala Krishnam" (Kamas), "Kaamaakshi" (Simhendramadhyamam — Samadyuti in Dikshitar nomenclature — and "Akshaya Linga Vibho" (Sankarabharanam) - carried throughout the meditative undercurrent of the compositions.
Subtle lines, mellifluous tone and elegant delineation of the ragas Kamas, Simhendramadhyamam and Sankarabharanam marked her vidwat.
The notes were strong and at the same time soft. The good music she served was not just artistic, but epitomised the inspiration she drew from the instrument's delicacy. It looked as if her fingers and the strings were made for each other.
In the percussive support of Mannarkoil Balaji (mridangam) and Tiruchi Murali (ghatam) there was gracefulness and gentleness.
Weighty kirtanas
The season being Navarathri, K. N. Sasikharan and P. Ganesh, to the accompaniment of Nagai Sriram (violin) and Thanjavur Murugabhoopathy (mridangam) and Madipakkam Murali (ghatam) sang weighty kirtanas - "Ekamresa Naayike" (Suddha Saveri), "Kamalamba" (Ananda Bhairavi) and "Raave Himagiri Kumari" (Todi swarajati). Though erudite, the exposition lacked elegance. Ganesh elaborated Ananda Bhairavi alapana. The violinist was alert and fully articulate. The mridangam support was vigorous aided by the ghatam player.
On traditional lines
Bombay sisters C. Saroja and C. Lalita, in their cutcheri for Nadopasana, stressed traditional musical values, which was well expressed in the rendering of the kirtanas, "Kaaru Baaru" (Mukhari), "Rajuvedala" (Todi), "Manavyaala" (Nalinakanti) and "Marivere" (Latangi).
Saroja outlined the ragas Mukhari and Todi on a broad canvas. Lalita presented the alapana of Poorvikalyani in striking profile.
The glorious song, "Kaaru Baaru" gave an uplifting impetus to the recital. H. N. Bhaskar's violin, in his solo versions, was pedantic.
P. Satishkumar, the mridangist, projected himself as one who puts faith in mellowness in sound production and not punishing the instrument. His brisk pharan-filled support to songs jacked up the tempo judiciously.
H. Sivaramakrishnan on the ghatam jelled well with Satishkumar.
— SVK
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