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Entertainment
Captivating ensemble
VIDYA BHARATI, venue for Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha's annual music festival, reverberated on Sunday morning (December 23) with the effective combination of instruments that made the gloomy day light up with cheer and brightness. It was a musical journey made by six musicians, excellent individually and together. This has been before and at other places, but the fare on Sunday pleased a rather conventional audience no end.
This combination known as Taka Dimi Taka Janu, Ghatam S. Karthick's HeArt Beat ensemble, comprising Palghat Sriram (vocal, keyboard and flute), Embar Kannan (violin), Poongulam Subramaniam (mridangam), Papanasam Sethuraman (kanjira), N. Sundar (tabla and morsing), Rajesh Arya (veena), was an example of what combinations can do. The first thing is that the artistes enjoyed themselves so much that their joy spread itself all over the cavernous hall drawing all those present into their midst. Then came their rather glitzy playing which actually was a demonstration of their skills, and their attempts at a kind of a fusion, if it could be called that, which incorporated the classical - both Carnatic and Hindustani, the folk, western classical and some contemporary beats and rhythmsPalghat Sriram who resembles Shankar Mahadeven in looks and voice with shades of Bhimsen Joshi, had the audiences wanting more with his alaaps and vocal interludes - all accentuated by the deep drone of the veena and the keyboard. His mastery over the flute was evident in the purely rhythmic pieces, while his keyboard playing was sometimes distracting from the already strident violin and veena. Kannan is an artiste whose team playing is commendable considering he is good enough to play solo. The show in fact was a success for the simple reason there was no attempt at one-upmanship. Some of the numbers that were performed included Sree Sankara Guru in Nattai, Adi, a Tyagarja kriti, a piece called Pulse which had many western touches especially in the bowing of the violin. Mother Shakti, in Charukesi, a particularly vibrant number in the tradition of a Hindustani bhajan, which in parts goes on to Ayigiri Nandini, very charming in effect, a piece in Rag Jog with a nice alap by Sriram, Ecstasy, in praise of Lord Karthikeya which was termed the main item. Karthik also sang a piece in Sahana which he has composed and written on Muruga.
CHITRA MAHESH
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