When vocalists Deepa-Divya sisters, disciple of music maestro PS Narayanasamy, and who have had the benefit of receiving voice training from the India’s leading voice expert Ananth Vaidyanathan, with advanced training from senior vocalist OS Thyagarajan, presented their concert at Mylapore Fine Arts Club, their meritorious tutelage came to the fore with impeccable co-ordination of voices.
We felt that it is not merely the knowledge of the theory of music, nor long and arduous training and practice nor manodharma, that can produce good artists, there is beyond, this is something, indefinable, an exceptional ‘feeling for music’. This came to my mind, hearing Divya sisters at Mylapore Fine Arts Club, when they commenced with a Sahana Varnam and descended on to Reetigoula (Janani Ninnuvina) (Misrachapu) of Subbaraya Dikshithar. Their musical inclination revealed that they had framed their concert on ‘classical strength’, in interpretation of songs and alapana banis, but I felt a perfect attention to sruti alignment of raga essays would gain greater charm.
If earlier their rendition of (Ksheenamai) Mukhari raga of Thyagaraja and Amma Ravamma (Kalyani) in Kandachapu of Thyagaraja, their potential came to the fore, the sisters played on their individual strength. Their bava-laden music got loaded in (Chakkani raga) of Thyagaraja with neraval, swaram and kalpanaswaras with good angling through giving a chiselled definition of the composers intent, followed by a Meera bhajan (Basomore) exposing their intuition of the finer aspects of musical expression.
The sisters who are now in the US, candidly express their views on the bhakthi aspects of music — ‘to express the range of emotions in a kriti, devotion to music is important’. This imparts an extra flavour, exemplifying the fact that it is not human art but divine grace, which manifest itself, through music.
Kalyani Sankar tread the violin technique showing the finer aspects of musical expressions as usual registering as an excellent accompanist while Melakaveri Balaji (mirdangam) embelished with breezy laya patterns.