The veena concert of Jayalakshmi Sekar took one to the realm of serenity and tranquility. The cascading swaras of the Begada kriti ‘Vallabha Nayakasya' gave a delicate yet elegant start to the concert. ‘Teliyaleru Rama' in Dhenuka with its solemnity and ‘Kamakshi Amba,' the graceful Bhairavi Swarajati, were poignant. The niraval and swaras on ‘Syama Krishna Sahodari' added brilliance.
Shanmukhapriya and Sankarabharanam were chosen by Jayalakshmi for detailing. Shanmukhapriya could have been better had it not been little swift. But the composition, Patnam Subramania Iyer's ‘Mariveradikkevarayya,' was brisk and shining in a slightly breezy tempo. The brief niraval at ‘Sannuthanga Srivenkatesa' and the swarakalpana that followed matched well with dynamism.
Sankarabharanam, the main raga, was given full attention to make it a classic essay. All special phrases exclusive to the raga were touched upon without resorting to any overkill act. The tanam that prefixed the kriti was coherently developed but for a fast track piece added before conclusion.
Dikshitar's ‘Dakshinamoorthe' set in Jhampa talam was projected by Jayalakshmi adding a compact but erudite swarakalpana. Her fingers played on the veena strings with sensitive strokes and the pulls were also done with subtlety. She never indulged in any extravagant embellishments or mundane dispensing. Her playing was balanced and dignified in deliverance. There were many fillers, including ‘Enta Bhagyamu' in Saranga, ‘Thappagane Vachnuna' in Suddha Bangala, both of Tyagaraja and ‘Mamavasadha Janani' in Kanada by Swati Tirunal, with the archaic tillana ‘Tirana Tana Teem' in Chenjurutti as the concluding number.
Kallidaikuruchi Sivakumar offered percussive support within the limits of poise. His tani avartanam was short and dashy.
Clear tonal quality
Radha Parthasarathy 's clear voice and tonal quality, propped up by perfect articulation with excellent conception of the classical musical idiom made her concert enjoyable. The bright Kalyani varnam ‘Vanajakshi' and brighter ‘Dinamani Vamsa' (Tyagaraja) in Harikhambodi with swara adjunct switched over to ‘Narasimha Mamava' in Arabhi by Swati Tirunal.
Radha expanded three ragas at differing proportions. The first one, Mukhari, was adequately dealt with for the sober ‘Ksheenamai' (Tyagaraja) appended just with an emotional niraval at ‘Eti Chesina Jagannathudu.' Dazzling ‘Hariharaputram' in Vasantha changed the mood, elevated further by a quick and fast alapana of Shanmukhapriya and ‘Mariveradikkevarayya.' Khambodi was placed as the main piece with a decorative raga treatise and the weighty ‘O Rangasayee' (Tyagaraja) unfolded in all its splendour.
Radha's raga treatments showed her comprehension and maturity and also her skill in developing the raga's main frame with succulent phrases. Khambodi was initiated with long loaded glides and later the upper register moves were executed with extra attention not to sound loud, and at the same time conveying the majesty of the sancharas. Similarly, Radha's niraval on ‘Bhooloka Vaikuntam' was stretched out diligently culminating in swaras with a neat winding up on dhaivatam.
Karaikkal Venkatasubramanian on the violin was quite enthusiastic in performing his role in raga alapanas and swara sections. He also showcased his ability to reach out the pithy phrases of the ragas and inspired combinations in swaras. Arjun Ganesh, the lone artist on the percussion side, collaborated well with the spontaneity of the other two artists.
These programmes were part of the four day celebrations of the Sri Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer Golden Jubilee Foundation organised at Raga Sudha Hall, Mylapore.
