GOOD CONCERT BY GEETHA BENNETT AT MYLAPORE FINE ARTS
'Manavyala' in raga Nalinakanti was brisk and graceful. The next piece of the concert, 'Oozhikoottu' of Subramanya Bharati in raga Mohanam was simply superb since she sang along with the instrument and this added to the listening pleasure. She also gave the story behind the song - when Sakti danced Oozhikoottu vigorously with the intention of destroying the world, Siva, in order to pacify her, danced along with her and this became Ananda Koottu. The audience really appreciated the explanation she gave.
AUDIENCE VIEWS:
Mr. Raghavachari, a resident of Triplicane said that he enjoyed the music
and that the best part of the concert was where she sang along with the instrument, in 'Oozhikottu'.
Mrs. Alamelu Krishnan, a regular at Geetha's concerts felt that she
had
improved a lot compared to last year. Mrs. Chitra Srinivasan and Mrs.
Kunjammal also enjoyed the concert.
One Mr. Swaminathan felt that musicians should announce the kritis they render, particularly when it is an instrumental concert. He thought it was nice on her part to announce the first three items, but wondered why she did not do it for the rest of the items.
Mr. Peter who has been listening to Carnatic music for the past 25 years in US and who has just started learning the violin had been longing to come to India during the music season, felt that he was fortunate to come down this year. He said that he really enjoyed the music, which he had already enjoyed so many times in his land.
When the Vina is being neglected by most rasikas nowadays, I met a couple who had a different story. Mr. and Mrs. K A. Narayanan were apparently inspired by E Gayathri's recital on Vijay TV a couple of days earlier and decided to attend Geetha's concert.
I met Geetha Bennett herself after she got off the stage. After congratulating her on her wonderful concert, I requested her to announce each and every item as per the suggestions of the audience. She readily agreed.
When I asked the Sabha Secretary why they hadn't promoted such a good artiste to the next slot, he said that he wasn't sure whether the audience would be willing to buy tickets for Vina recitals. He remarked that even a popular artiste like E Gayatri has been neglected by rasikas, as a result of which, the Sabha had to drop her concert this year. He also added that it was nothing personal but that it was the audience and appreciation levels which determined the promotion to the next slot.
