Veena maestro A. Ananthapadmanabhan and flute wizard Kudamaloor Janardanan performed a veena-venu jugalbandi at Thrissur recently, complementing and inspiring each other. Ideas and visions merged and the result was overflowing melody.
The invocatory Muthuswami Dikshitar kriti Mahaganapathim in Natta was ornamented with beautiful manodharma swaras weaved in a variety of patterns. The phrase ‘ga ma ri’ was well pronounced and the sojourn by Ananthapadmanabhan in higher octaves was aesthetically complemented by Janardanan by traversing through the lower octaves.
At one point the flautist incorporated a phrase from the Pancharatna piece that merged well with the exchange of swara patterns. Kathanakuthoohalam piece Raghuvamsasudha followed, wherein both travelled through an altogether different plane rather than the often-heard one. While exploring the possibility of the raga, they judiciously juxtaposed the classical as well as the light elements in it, thus pleasing pundits and laymen alike.
An alluring Kapi cascaded from the top octave, bisecting through its jeevaswaras ‘ni pa ga’. They presented the ragam thanam pallavi in Adi tala. The synchronisation was so beautiful that both instruments seemed to be the extension of the other, delivering seamless music.
The flautist revealed the mood of the raga by adhering to a wonderful kaalapramanam. Percussion accompaniment by Jayakrishnan (mridangam) and Vellattanjoor Sreejith (ghatam) enhanced the enjoyment level and their taniavarthanam was crisp and to the point.
The main piece was followed by a rather surprising music genre — jazz. Composed by Ananthapadmanabhan himself in the late 70s, this musical expression had traces of Sudhadhanyasi and they incorporated some Vedic chants also.
It reached its crescendo with the strumming of the veena, thereby providing a quaint charm. The conversation ended with a Meera bhajan, Tere bina in raag Desh.
The concert was organised in connection with the diamond jubilee celebration of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi.
