Soulful rendition

Kiranavali Vidyashankar, with good stage presence coupled with her confidence, made an impact at a concert she gave for South Indian Cultural Association, last week at Ravindra Bharati. She is blessed with a resonant vocal culture, with reasonable good span. She was accompanied on the occasion by R. Dinakar on violin, Kapa Srinivasa Rao on mridangam and B. Janardan on ghatam – all acknowledged local talent.

Kiranavali’s repertoire was vast and some numbers she chose for this event was also a component of audience choice. Opening with Oothukadu’s Srivighnarajam Bhaje in Gambeeranata in itself was a winner because of the composition’s beauty adapting technical wizardry, especially in swarakalpana part. Endaro in Sriragam, the popular Pancharatna kirtana of Thyagaraja that serves as a salutation to the learned audience partly, appeared at right spot. The very first raga essay she chose was Poorvikalyani for Paripoornakama of Thyagaraja. She displayed taste and knowledge in building up the raga in its myriad colours. The kirtana rendition too was vivid concentrating on its sahitya import further highlighted by the neraval she presented choosing the line Saketadhipaneemukha that accentuated its literary impact. Swarakalpana that followed maintained raga flavor.

After two more compositions of Thyagaraja – Niravadhi Sukhada in Ravichandrika, and Nadupai Palikeru in Madhyamavati; Kiranavali chose Thodi as her main essay of the concert, choosing Dikshitar’s compostion Srikrishnam Bhajamanasa. She took good time in delineating the raga adding technical beauties, never losing the raga’s majestic appeal in her phrasing, in both ascending and in descending order.

The latter part of Kiranavali’s concert was devoted to the rendition of Annamacharya kirtana ‘Muddugare Yasoda’, two compositions of Subramanya Bharati, a javali in Kanada and a rare Tillana of Lalgudi and ended with a rare Dasavatara mangalam of Purandaradasa equating each of these incarnations to different limbs of Mahavishnu.