V Balakrishnan via email...
- Confidence, as exhibited by the body
language of the artistes, has a definite bearing on the success of any
performance.
Lilting voices, which perfectly merge in unison, effortless execution,
flawless presentation of sahitya (whatever be the language), pre-planned
sangatis that blend well, as though from the same sound box, and pleasant
stage manners are the big assets of Priya sisters (Haripriya and
Shanmukhapriya).
Their concert for the Mylapore Fine Arts Club on December 17, 2002 was a
roaring success.
"Ninnukori" (Vasanta) varnam was a quick
affair while Koteeswara Iyer's "Varana mukha" (Hamsadhwani) and
Tyagaraja's "Needayarada" (Vasantabhairavi) were fast-paced. For the latter
kriti, there were a
few rounds of swaras with the whole works - kuraippu with a climactic
finish.
A beautiful Reetigowla alapana by Haripriya and "Nannu vidachi" in chowka
kala, was full of devout sentiments. The audience was treated to the
Vara
kriti "Angarakam" in Surati. The Nachiar kriti "Karpooram narumo" (Kamas)
was very refreshing.
Alapana in Ramapriya was taken to a particular stage by
a slightly diffident Shanmukhapriya but Haripriya quietly took over, and the
gave it new vigour. The brigas were effortless and precise. Patnam
Subramanya Iyer's "Korinavara" was the choice, wherein neraval and
swaras at "Sarivarilona nannu" were brilliant. The Sama piece, "Tillaisthalam enru" was intensely devotional in lyrical contents.
The Ragam Tanam Pallavi was in
Madhyamavati. Haripriya was in her best form, and brought out the
traditional key phrases with a grand finale of sparkling sangatis. The
Pallavi was
rounded off with ragamalika swaras in Mohanam, Shanmukhapriya and Sriranjani.
Gopalakrishna Bharati's "Sri Krishna Chaitanya" (Hindolam) and
a couple of kritis in Darbarikanada and Desh saw the end of a very enjoyable concert.
Young Akkarai Subhalakshmi has now matured in
to a top violin accompanist. She has a masterly bowing technique of rich
tonal quality. Her Reetigowla, Ramapriya and Madhyamavati were suddham
personified. She also seems to immensely enjoy her playing. Palladam Ravi and Madipakkam
Murali were very good and contributed to the success of the concert.
- T S Satyavati of Bangalore, disciple of vidwan R K
Srikantan, has a
strong and clear voice. She began her concert at the Music Academy on December 16, with the Natakurinji
varnam. "Karikalabha
mukham" (Saveri) of Dikshitar, was sung in chowka kala preceded by a short
alapana. The swaroopa of the raga was well brought out, using traditional
prayogas. A Tamil song "Jagadeeswari" (Mohanam), composed
by Tiruvarur Ramaswami Pillai, that this rasika hadn't heard before, was
effectively rendered. The raga bhava of Mukhari was brought forth well in the alapana for "Sangita sastra"
(Tyagaraja).
Neraval and swaras at "Prema bhakti" were
elaborately done. Following a brisk Purandaradasa composition in
Poorvikalyani, Khamas
was taken up for RTP. The confident alapana and tanam had the mark of
traditional superiority. "Tedi unnai" (Durga) had an appealing and
devotional sahitya and was rendered in the right mood. Satyavati concluded
her concert with a lilting Tillana in Mohanakalyani. Khamas and Mukhari
alapanas by Savitri Satyamurti on the violin were good. The percussionists were
supportive.
- There is no such thing as failure for some of the established senior
vidwans. The
audience return home with full satisfaction, and the vidwans
too give what they want. T V Sankaranarayanan
belongs to this creed.
TVS has a strong, free-flowing and versatile voice, which is of
uniform strength throughout its entire range of one and a half octaves.
In each concert, he strives to give his best. The audience at the Mylapore
Fine Arts Club got a bonanza on December 15, 2002. The swaroopa
of Kamas was distinctively evident even in the first phrase of the alapana. "Brochevareverura", the masterly composition of Mysore Vasudevachar was sung
with all its glorious sangatis. After the neraval and a volley of
swaras, the
audience could not ask for more. Sankarabharanam saw some fireworks in
the felicitous voice of TVS. "Eduta nilichite", with its string of cascading
sangatis and a profusion of brigas, was brilliant. The swaras at "Tarana
dorakani" were sublime. There were several phrases when the senior
among the rasikas felt that Madurai Mani Iyer himself was singing. Alapana in Brindavanasaranga followed by
tanam and a charming Pallavi was the main piece of the day. "Eppo
varuvaro" and the English note were an added bonus.
The responses of V V Ravi in
Sankarabharanam and Brindavanasaranga were appropriate. The perfect
anticipation of Srimushnam Raja Rao was marvelous. The mridangam spelt
out the sahitya of each song. N Govindarajan on the Ghatam was
supportive.
Point to ponder:
- Duos have an added responsibility to project a combined
effort, in order for the concert to succeed. While it is very rare to
find vidwat, voice and confidence match perfectly, the duo
should try and maintain a certain amount of balance - one should not be seen as dominating over the other on
stage.
This affects the total output and robs the satisfaction of the rasikas.
Further, I have heard a Sangeeta Kalanidhi say in a lec-dem that the
revered gurus of the past insisted that a composition be practised at
least a hundred
times before it is sung in public. This also helped the
vocalists to memorise the sahitya. It is a sad spectacle these days, to
see some recognised performers turning the pages of a notebook to
select the song, and refer to it constantly, while singing. This shows gross disrespect to the audience. Can't
the public expect at least this much dedication from musicians,
who claim to revere the tradition of great masters? They should stop
this shameful practice forthwith.
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