Classical notes all the way

Coimbatore Bharat Sangeet Utsav 2015 offered a variety for rasikas, writes T.K. Ganapathy

November 26, 2015 05:16 pm | Updated 05:16 pm IST

Nirmala Rajasekhar   and Gaurav Mazumdar;   Photo: S. Siva Saravanan

Nirmala Rajasekhar and Gaurav Mazumdar; Photo: S. Siva Saravanan

The sixth edition of Coimbatore Bharat Sangeet Utsav 2015 featured by Carnatica and Sri Krishna Sweets as Sangeethanjali to H.H.Swami Dayananda Saraswathi opened with a ceremonial invocatory recital by Dharshana rendering the saint’s compositions to the accompaniment of Sriranjani Ramkumar (violin) and Ragunath (mridangam).

The laya samarpanam by ghatam maestro Vikku Vinayakram with Swaminathan (konnakkol and ganjira), Rajasekhar (mridangam) and Ganesan (morsing) followed next showcasing their artistry. Their instrumental fusion, with an invocation to Kanchi Paramacharya, displayed the rhythmic beats of the ghatam virtuoso. Swaminathan’s imitation of a train passing through a bridge was the highlight of the session. Rajasekhar’s kalapramanam and his instinct for bridging pauses with appropriate sollus aided the seamless team work with ghatam’s measured strokes adding to the vibrancy of the tani appeal.

Earlier, the Utsav was inaugurated by Swami Sadathmananda, Chief Acharya of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam.

Though the voices of the duo do not synchronise, yet the recital of the Carnatica brothers - Sashikiran and Ganesh - offered a delectable fare. Their ‘Jaalandharamasrayamyaham’ in Gambeeranattai, setting the tone of the kutcheri, was majestic followed by their concern to portray Kumudakriya’s raga swaroopa with original phrases sans clichéd prayogas for the kriti, ‘Ardhanareeswaram.’ The raga picture of Bagadeswari for the kriti, ‘Paramatmudu’ was laced with imaginative, brisk and thoughtful phrases. ‘Raghavendra rakshithu’ was rendered with a sense of sowkhyam and devotional fervour at focal points. Muralidharan (violin) showed his mastery in the ragas and swara repartees.

Bhakthavatsalam (mridangam) and Sree Sundarkumar (ganjira) were apt in their roles.

Sanjay’s Subrahmanyam virtuosity and repertoire were on display. His impressive start of the Thodi varnam ‘Eraanaapai’ and ‘Marachedinyayama’ (Hamsadhwani) demonstrated what was in store. His raga Vinyasam of Saveri showed his insight, for the kriti, ‘Kaapaliyirukka veen kalakkamen.’

The impact of the Kambodi portrayal with phrases infused with bhava for the kriti, ‘O! Rangasayee!,’ was mesmerising.

Varadharajan (violin) was an asset to the vocalist in giving verbatim and spontaneous response on the strings. His fare included ‘Eppadi manam thunindado swami’ (Useni) and ‘Gangeya vasanada Padmanabha’ (Hamirkalyani). Murugaboopathi (mridangam) and Sundarkumar (ganjira) provided the laya.

A worthy disciple of Lalgudi Jayaraman, Saketharaman’s ‘Rakshamaam Charanagatham’ (Begada) with swaras was a winsome presentation. His portrait of Mukahari (kriti, ‘Sivagamasundari’) showed his penchant for alapana with phrases devoid of frills. Varanaradha’ (Vijayasree) brought out the charm of the raga. His picturisation of Sankarabharanam - the jewel of Sankara- chatusra jumpa tala- for the kriti, ‘Mahalakshmi Jaganmatha’ with raga sancharas of Lalitha, Sama, Khamas etc was handled well. Subhalakshmi’s sensitive portraits of the ragas drew appreciation. Percussive support from Narayanan (mridangam) and Sundarkumar (ganjira) was marked by finesse including a lilting tani.

Trichur Brothers , Srikrishna Mohan and Ramkumar Mohan, showed their vidwat that struck a chord with the listeners. Well-aligned to sruthi, their ‘Sree Varalakshmi Namasthubhyam’ (Sree) was essayed with a gamut of expressions of the raga. ‘Narasimha agacha’ (Mohanam) suited their brisk pace. The piece-de-resistance was the RTP in Todi for ‘Karthikeya Gangeya’ with neraval and swaras at ‘Maalmaruga Shanmugha.’ Chandramouli (violin) played neatly. Mohan’s strokes on the mridangam in company with Nerkunam Sankar (ganjira) did a good job. Both painted a picture of laya in a vibrant tani.

Mahathi’s vocals rose with ease to each of the notes in the sthayis. Flagging off with ‘Maha Ganapathim’ with swaras, her alapana of Hindolam was a sample of her creativity for the kriti, ‘Samajavaragamana.’ Shanmukhapriya was designed with several glides woven with brighas to bring out the aesthetics for the RTP with sancharas in Sriranjani, Behag, Revathi and Kuvalayabharanam (a janyam of Vagulabharanam). Raghavendra Rao (violin) was equal to the vocalist in the rendition of the ragas and swaras. Vaidyanathan (mridangam) and Sethuraman (ganjira) gave laya support.

Neena Prasad presented her Mohiniyattam in different segments. Explaining that it is the dance form to bring out the nuances of music, she drew samples from Swati Thirunal’s compositions to explicate the

cosmic dance of Lord Nataraja in Chidambaram. ‘Pada Varnam’ in Sindhubhairavi highlighted the fight between the Devas and asuras and a Pahadi in praise of Lord Krishna executed with elan was dominated

by her nritya, nritta and abhinaya flourishes. Neena’s expressions and gracefulness conveyed the essence. The orchestra comprised Madhavan Namboodiri (vocal), Ramesh babu (mridangam), Murali Krishna (veena) and Arjun Das (edakku).

Girija Hariharan’s thematic devotional renderings drawn from Thiruppugazh and Uthukkadu’s compostions were well-planned presentations.

The Bhagavathamela play, ‘Prahlada Charithram’ staged by the Melattur Bhagavathamela Natya Vidya Sangham was brilliant. The young lad Hariharan, who played Prahlada, stole the show.

Sandeep Narayanan right from ‘Charanagatha vatsala Sankari’ (Kadanakuthoohalam) set the cheerful mood. His aesthetic dimensions of Panthuvarali alapana for the kriti, ‘Aparamabhakti’ with a splendid niraval was attractive. The elaboration of Todi for ‘Tha thai enru aaduvaar’ was developed gradually. ‘Vara raga laya’ (Chenchukambodhi) was full of graceful moments. Ananthakrishnan (violin) was enjoyable both in essays of solo versions of the ragas and swara sallies. Arjun Ganesh (mridangam) and Murali (ghatam) added punch.

The jugalbandi of Nirmala Rajasekhar (veena) with Gaurav Mazumdar (sitar), Rajendra Nakod (tabla) and Muruga Bhoopathi (mridangam) provided a rasanubhava of quality. Carnatic delineations of ragas and Hindusthani alaps coupled with mridangam and tabla beats were a perfect aural treat. The jugalbandhi began with ‘Siddhivinayakam’ in Shanmukhapriya with swaras. The combo of three ragas-Vasantha, Valaji and Sivaranjani - by the artists was a sublime journey and their breathtaking karvais proved to be stunning. The sitar maestro’s alap followed by jod and jhala and the concluding ‘Enna thavam seidanai’ proved how classical music merges seamlessly through melody and harmony.

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