The Carnatic music arena is acutely aware and happy that the number of musical prodigies is more whose early precocity has ended in the creation of geniuses that could make up wholesome artistes. We have long been fascinated by musical prodigies gifted with a prodigious talent. It is always refreshing to listen to such exceptionally talented contemporaries who have struggled with family expectations and the machinations of the music business that burden budding soloists. Their inspiration and perspiration have been rewarding.
Chitra Veena maestro N.Ravikiran has been a star performer on his Chitra Veena or Gottu vadya. Good musical background, attractive stage presence and experience have made him a star-attraction. He has admirably grown as an adept singer, speaker and researcher too. He successfully brings out the core of the raga in refined combinations. His instrumental play is based on vocal technique and hence deciphering the text of the songs becomes easier. He has a style of play which comforts the heart
and ears.He presented an excellent concert in the happy company of Aporva Ravindran (violin), Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma(mridanga) and Ranganath Chakravarthy(ghata) at the Seshadripuram College auditorium under the aegis of Sri Seshadripuram Ramaseva Mandali during its 65th Sri Rama Navami music festival on Sunday. Though Ravikiran provided a generous space for the violinist to showcase her talent, she seemed to be a week ally. A more accomplished violin support would definitely have enriched the proceedings.
Thyagaraja’s Sri Raghukula(Hamsadhwani) was rounded off with swaras. Kaanada with alapana for Swati Tirunal’s Mamava Sada Janani was tagged with a scholarly swara sequence. Kamavardhini was the first highlight of his concert. The ragalapana had lovable milestones of raga bhaava and his manodharma yielded rich dividends. Thyagaraja’s krithi Raghuvara was crowned with neraval and swaraprastara. Reetigowla(Janani Ninuvina) and Swagatham Krishna(Mohana) delighted the audience. Ravikiran made the raga, tana and pallavi the predominant item of his recital. For this purpose he had chosen Madhyamavathi raga. The neat and tidy alapana was followed by a tanamalika in Behag, Neelambari and other ragas. A short pallavi line Rama Namam Bhajare re Sitha manasa was delineated with artistic ornamentations.
High class singing: Madhu Kashyap had made a promising appearance as a child prodigy with lots of hope. Thank God, he never failed. His progress chart has been always showing an upward trend. He has honed up his manodharma and concert skills in the most fetching manner. He has also done a lot of hard work in sustaining a melodious voice. The laya mastery he has gained is remarkable. His vocal recital on Monday for Sri Vani Vidya Kendra, Basaveshwaranagar in its 22nd Sri Rama Navami music festival series was of a high class. Madhu created translucent images of those rare and special ragas and krithis which he had fondly chosen to sing on that evening. His unsurpassable manodharma or musical imagination reverberated with melodiousness. Amazing musical ideas popped into his mind.
In a serene, soothing and aesthetic mood, the systematic development was characterized by the tuneful and highly appealing note-combinations, sweeping swaras and other embellishments. Undoubtedly, his natural talent has broadened his musical horizons and he proved really a well grounded vocalist to communicate music. It would be no exaggeration to say what he sang was completely spontaneous and don’t know what was making him to sing them in such an accomplished way. He began with a Oottukkadu’s composition Sri Vighnarajam bhaje(Gambheera Nata) set to khanda chapu. A fine bout of swaras set a lively mood. The swaras in the top speed were artistic. Though avoidable, as it were, he commenced the Saramathi raga krithi Mokshamugalada with a commentary and that too from the line Saakshtkaara nee. The rasikas were surprised to hear swaras without the neraval. A crisp Bhogeendrashayinam(Kuntalavarali) was delightful. Gaangeyabhooshini raga was elaborated in all the sthayis. Key phrases of the ragas were beautifully underscored. The methodical and melodic output regaled the lovers of music. A rare Thyagaraja composition Evvare sari evvare was studded with many entrancing phrases and kalpanaswaras.
Shared joy: It was an interesting instrumental ensemble that drew the applause from the rasikas at Sri Karanji Anjaneyaswamy temple, Basavanagudi. It was the combination of seven stringed violin and seven stringed veena played by a seasoned critic-violinist N.Venkatesh and Prashanth Iyengar respectively. The concert held in connection with the celebration of Sri Rama Navami was embellished by five meritorious laya accompanists comprising B.S.Prashanth(mridanga), Dayanandamohite(ghata), Nagendra(khanjari), Prasannakumar(morsing) and Karthik(tabla). The brilliant artistes created scintillating rhythm combinations worked into the aditala refrain of the raga, tana and pallavi set to Kamavardhini raga. Venkatesh demonstrated his competent and compatible craft and expertise on his violin. He could underscore the beauty of the seven-stringed violin play. Prashanth’s play had a couple of hiccups. But still the pallavi line Sri Rama naamava bhajiso sadaa bhavamukthiya kodisuva was adorned with a ragamalika swaraprastara. Earlier, they rendered Raghuvamsha sudha(Kadanakutoohala) with full verve and zeal.
Weighty classical
recital: Veteran vocalist S. Shankar was in his top form while rendering a weighty classical recital for Sri Seshadripuram Rama Seva Samithi on Wednesday. His melodious voice and allegiance to Carnatic classicism and tradition caste a spell on the listeners. He did not depart from natural expression and pure music flowed freely. His voice was agile to crisp movements and execution. He delighted the lovers of music with krithis of Lord Rama composed by the Trinity of Music and Bhadrachala Ramadasa.
Opening with Sri Raghukula(Hamsadhwani) with swaras he did a short alapana in Hamsanandi for Raghuveera Ranadheera. Ramadasa’s Emayya Rama(Kambhoji, with alapana, neraval and swaras at Emaya Rama), Bhaja re manasa (Abheri), Ramachandrayana namasthe (detailed Todi, sahitya and swaravinyasa for Dasharatharajakumaraaya), Ksheerasagara (Devagandhari), Rama Rama Gunasheela (Simhendramadhyama) and others were impressive.