Flute or magic wand?

Veena maestro S. Balachander once commented during a TV interview that he was always jealous of flute vidwans, who just need to pack the instrument in their knapsack for their foreign tours whereas he had to book an extra ticket for his instrument!

Contrary to what he said, nowadays flautists carry lengthy boxes with flutes of various sizes, which they change for required octaves.

Recently, Shashank made maximum use of his flutes to keep the audience spellbound. A brief alapana of Durbar set the mood for the evening that was followed by the varnam. The evening's fare was dominated by Tyagaraja kritis; what more can one ask for?

After ‘Raghunayaka' (Hamsadhwani) and ‘Evarani' (Devamruthavarshini) in quick succession, he took up Varali for detailing. The visranthi he showed in his approach to this raga was something unique, especially given his age. Each of the jeeva swaras were waiting to be caressed.

Endowed with a sound technique, his essay was a mixture of blows, some soothing, some with real intensity (azhutham). Quite a few were virtually musical whispers. Whenever he landed from the rishaba swara on to the shadjama swara while researching Varali, it was an experience of a kind.

Violinist Akkarai Subbulakshmi was an apt foil. A brisk ‘Eti Janmamu' (misra chapu) gave ample scope to veteran T.V. Gopalakrishnan (mridangam) to make ample statements. That his instrument did not co-operate now and then, did not deter him. His anticipation in perfect sync with Shashank was noteworthy.

The vilamba kala swaraprastara saw Shashank effectively use the bhansuri. The feather-like soft landings were breathtaking at times. A fast paced ‘Saravanabhava' (Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar) gave the much needed reprieve with TVG and Radhakrishnan matching him in speed with aplomb.

Shashank's approach to the main Vagadeeswari (34th melakarta) was no different from the one he adopted for Varali. The presentation became even sweeter. The sancharas centred round the shatsruti rishabam and antara gantaram, leading the rasika into a state of meditation. He also demonstrated the seamless shift from shadjam to rishabham to gandharam without using his fingers.

Merely rotating the flute gently over his lips, he produced the desired effect, earning widespread appreciation.

Haunting phrases dominated the panchamam–upper shadjam sector. It was cerebral yet full of emotional content.

Akkarai, who has matured into a complete artist with musical sensitivity over the years, did well to sustain the mood created by Shashank. ‘Paramaathmudu Veligay,' a beauty when executed at its inherent speed, was a royal treat.

The kalpanaswara segment was meaningful with TVG matching Shashank one to one.

However towards the end, Shashank's flute began to sound like the Chinese bamboo flute, shakuhachi, with him playing fast undecipherable notes, digressing from the mood he had earlier created, with showmanship in mind. The Vagadeeswari edifice crumbled. The thani saw some lively exchanges between TVG and Radhakrishnan.