Does orchestration have a pride of place in Carnatic music? Purists will reply with a clear ‘No.’ I beg to differ. It all depends on the conductor’s imagination and creativity and, above all else, his ingenuity and vision. He should keep in mind the technique, speed, gamaka range and the inherent melody of each instrument.
Flautist B.V. Balasai is a mastermind who would rather keep his genius under wraps. At first glance, ‘The Mood of Bamboos’ which he conceptualised and presented, seemed unusual by the rigid standards of accepted concert format. But soon you realised that it was a tuneful blend of different genres of music.
The opening piece, “Do Re Me Fa Pa Dha Ni Sa” burst out with a fully formed melody, based on Kedaram. The notes from Balasai’s flute were smoothly balanced. If B.V. Raghavendra Rao’s ‘Samagamapa’ was enchanting, Maartin Vissar on the saxophone didn’t lag behind. Ravishankar on the keyboard played a few phrases, enriching the melodies. The exuberant percussive effects which K. Sai Giridhar (mridangam) and Chandrajit (tabla) created imbued the piece with great swing.
The ‘Rainy Ranjanis’ in a fast pace was a combination of Sriranjani, Ranjani, etc., with a short Hemavathi in the middle. Occasional, soft interludes of konnakkol by Sai Giridhar and a few pliable nadais by Chandrajit gave a gentle push to the raindrops!
‘Ganamurthe’ opened at high pitch, with Balasai opting for the short flute. It was a splendid rendering of Tyagaraja’s composition. The anupallavi had a few extraordinary sangatis. The charanam began on an tranquil note. The sarvalaghu thani by Sai Giridhar produced different permutations with apt idanthalai strokes.
‘Swara Salad,’ the fourth piece, was an imaginative amalgam of chittaswaras of different krithis in Nagaswaravali, Vasantha, Suddha Saveri, Urmika, Hindolam and Pasupathipriya. The seamless transition through Adi, Adi (Tisra nadai), Rupakam and Khanda Chapu and Chandrajit’s konnakkol were the highlights.
After missing three pieces, Maartin joined in for the fifth, ‘Three Nine’, in Jog, tisra gathi. The saxophone-tabla combination proved a lovely pair. While Raghavendra Rao succeeded in transcending the mechanics of his instrument, sustaining the melody across bow changes, the tabla’s thani was marvellous.
The next one, ‘Rajarajarajithe’ in Niroshta, had charming chittaswaras set by Balasai. He commenced the piece with charismatic staccato notes (podiswaram) on the key flute. The seventh piece, ‘Take Five’, in Khanda Chapu, was given a western effect by the saxophone and the keyboard.
The concluding piece, ‘Celebration,’ composed by Balasai, was a folk theme, which had glimpses of a couple of better known tunes. It opened with rhythmic phrases by the saxophone and the tabla. Balasai and Ravishankar proved their talent in vocal music. The piece had kavadi chindu and a Spanish folk tune as well. ‘Celebration’ was the musical equivalent to a jubilant smile! At the end of the programme, I longed for a little more.
