The classical music and dance programmes held at different temples and mutts during the Dasara festival continue to draw big audiences. Seasoned violinist T S Krishnamurthy and his young disciple M P Aditya with Jayachandra (mridanga) played exceptionally well together in their violin duet held at Sri Avani Shankar Mutt on Sunday. The unifying element there was as much the attractive repertoire as the exceptional warmth and intimacy of its presentation. Intricately interlocking rhythm in the shared swaraprastara sequences was noteworthy. Never did they sacrifice beauty of sound for the sake of virtuosity, making it obvious that, for them, impeccable technique never gets in the way of artistry. Their energetic and dramatic renditions dazzled with well directed and executed artistry. The performance from them was assured and stylish, complemented by some fine accompanying as well as spirited solo and duet playing.
What a delight it was! The duet gave all its listeners the opportunity to be a part of a colourful and creative musical journey as together their violins intertwined perfectly in the concert. Both the Guru and Shishya’s well blended talent and craft brought forth a sumptuous beauty in the auditorium. It was good to see the young disciple Adithya rising to the occasion and prove to be a perfect ally to his Guru. The two violinists who alternatively offered the initiative of passages one to the other, the instruments became restrained and then allowed the flow of music unobstructed.
The violinists-duo offered a glimpse of the possibilities of the four strings of the violin allowing for every articulation that found an echo in each others play. The ragas and krithis that were improvised by the two musicians were expressions of pure feelings, with a self-restraint rendered by the minimal amplification of their instruments suitable to the auditorium.
TSK and Adithya began with Todi composition. A short and succinct alapana in Varali by Krishnamurthy was articulate with pivotal elements of the raga. The popular krithi Maamva Meenakshi was rounded off with a well laid out swaravinyasa. The two speed and the mel kaala patterns were simple yet pleasing. Exciting culture and technique each, alternating solo and duo underscored the beauty of Bilhari raga and the famous krithi Sri Chamundeshwari. It was as significant as the melody and the rhythm. The technical brilliance of the extended never seemed to be ending. Nor was there any harmonic discrepancy between them. The improvised passages demonstrated their passionate engagement with their violins. The variations in the speed, gait and other embellishments were profound. The laya stepping into the flow of swaras seemed to discover new, subtle twists and turns.
A brief sketch of the raga Janaranjani caught the ears. As expected Paahimaam Sri Rajarajeshwari appeared with chittaiswaras. In the latter part of the duet they rendered some lilting devaranamas in delightful ragas like Vijayanagari, Kalyanavasantha and so on.
Cheerful and wholesome
Seasoned singerHS Prashanth’s vocal recital at the same venue on Monday was excellent and wholesome. He sang with a cheerful and heart-warming honesty. Suitably complemented perfectly by a highly talented violinist H M Smitha (violin), Renukaprasad (mridanga) and Dayananda Mohithe (ghata) his manodharma leapt with effervescence into his recital which truly paid testament to his creative skills. His renditions were marked by a true dedication and devotion.
The vocalist conjured up the images of the ragas with ease and poise and exhibited his creativity in the positive manner. Starting with Saraseeruhasanapriye (Nata) he consolidated his musical bearing with the scholarly interpretation of powerfully persuasive ragas and krithis. Both Prashanth and Smitha excelled in the alapana of Reetigowla. The krithi Marivere gathi in vilamba kala and with chittaiswaras (2 kaalas) ornamented by swaras accounted for a rich feast of music. In the same manner a short prelude to Saama raga followed by Annapure Vishalakshi was classic. The manner in which he dealt with the phrase Akhila bhuvana sakshi was admirable. A detailed Hindola for Neeerajakshi and Sarasijanabha sodari(Nagagandhari) were important landmarks of his recital. His expertise and skill fully bloomed in the exposition of Kalyani (Needu charanamule, with neraval at O Jagajjanani and swaras for Omkaara roopini also). His mellow and soulful voice had a depth and intensity that heightened his sensitive tones.
Impressive vocal duet
Veteran vocalist and the Asthana Vidwan of Sri Avani Shringeri Sharada Mutt, Basaveshwaranagar S Shankar reasserted himself as a fully ripened artiste with remarkable musical dexterity and expertise in his vocal duet on the Vijaya Dashami day at the above venue. He has been constantly maintaining a voice which is smooth and subtle with an innocent and angelic tone.
His talented singer-disciple-son S Ramani who accompanied him also had an equally a major share in the duet. Very pleasingly he served his testimonials as the worthy heir not only biologically but also artistically too to his well-known singer-father.
Shankar’s vocals emanated music with warmth and vibrancy. His presentations were sincere and full of emotion, distinctive and soulful. Both father and son’s voices and artistry blended together as deliciously as coffee and cream, frothy and luxurious. It was a cocktail of musical tastes. Both of them made it a goody bag of musical treats; sugary sweet manodharma and zesty artistry. Thus on the whole, the duet had the feel good factor coursing through its musical veins.
The recital began with most pleasing Mayamalavagowla krithi Tulasidala. As per the demands of the chosen krithi Brovavamma set to a very tricky raga Maanji, the vilamba kaala was sustained. In the same spirit Rangapura vihara (Brindavana Saranga) was sung. Shankar is a generous artiste, who gives freely of himself, both emotionally and vocally; his delivery of a detailed Shanmukhapriya for Marivere was enchanting and moving, as he painted a magical and charming musical backdrop in the form of alapana to the krithi. When Ramani cued by Shankar continued the alapana virtually it was an extension of the latter’s voice and expertise.
The shared kalpanaswaras were refreshing and surprising in its clever artistry. The mini-Ramayana ragamala krithi Bhavayami Raghuramam was pleasing to hear in their well blended voice. Pibare Ramarasam (Yamuna Kalyani, Sadashiva Brahmendra) impressed the rasikas with its lyrics and laya. The successful duet was enriched by the useful accompaniments provided by Venkatesha Josier (violin), N Vasudev(mridanga) and Sukanya Ramgopal (ghata).