Exotic shades
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Two young musicians dazzled the audience in Bangalore last week
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Control Abhishek’s exhaustive alapana of Simhendramadhyamam embraced the three octaves effortlessly
Young vocalist Abhishek Raghuram was featured in a concert organised by BTM cultural Academy on June 21, accompanied by H.K.Venkatram (violin), Arjun Kumar (mridanga), and M.A. Krishna Murthy (ghata).
Beginning with the navaragamalika varna, the artiste proceeded to set the tempo for the evening with a Tyagaraja kriti in Durbar, “Yochana Kamala Lochana”, appended with a series of vibrant kalpana swaras. The Pancharatna kriti in Gowla was rendered next in a perfect kalapramana, highlighting the musical patterns inherent in both swara and sahitya.
A fairly detailed alapana of Reetigowla preceded Tyagaraja’s “Ragaratnamalikache”. The neraval of the line beginning “Bhagavathothamulu” was built upon a comprehensive internalisation of the sahitya and its import, while the subtle, yet complex symmetry of the raga and the significance of the nishada in its melodic structure, were emphasized by the kalpana swaras.
The exhaustive alapana of Simhendramadhyamam embraced the three octaves effortlessly, illuminating exotic shades of the raga through frequent use of plain notes. The phrases centring around the tara shadja and ending in the nishada, for instance, were unusual. The ensuing tanam, the pallavi in adi tala and the brief foray into the ragamalika format all bore testimony to Abhishek Raghuram’s commendable command over his medium, reiterating his position as one of the prominent artistes of his generation. A devarnama in Durga brought the concert to a close.
H.K.Venkatram’s mature, melodious and traditional violin accompaniment provided the perfect foil to the vocalist’s exuberance while the enthusiastic support of the percussionists, Arjun Kumar and M.A. Krishna Murthy, drew animated appreciation from the audience.
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Pavandeep’s concert under the aegis of the M.A. Narasimhachar Music Foundation on June 22 was steeped in classicism, revealing a vigorous style and a resonant voice. He was ably accompanied by seasoned artistes, B. Raghuram (violin) and V. Krishna (mridanga).
The vocalist’s penchant for gamaka-oriented delineation was evident in the very first item, the adi tala varnam in Mohana raga. “Rajuvedala Jootamurare”, the Tyagaraja composition in Todi featured a brisk neraval and swaras. A melodious alapana of Bilahari and the clearly enunciated stacked sangathis of the Tyagaraja kriti “Doraguna” were followed by Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer’s composition “Marivere” (Lathangi raga, khanda chapu tala) and a spate of kalpana swaras. Deekshitar’s Ramachandram in Vasantha was embellished with attractive sangathis and sung with proper emphasis on its literary beauty.
Pavandeep’s manodharma poured forth in a cascade of phrases that included delicate graces as well as weighty gamakas in his alapana of Kharaharapriya, the main raga of the evening. The choice of Tyagarajas Chakkani rajamargamu was a delight, with the niraval and kalpana swaras at kantiki sundara fulfilling the technical and aesthetic parameters. The role of the accompanying artistes, underscoring and enhancing the melodic and rhythmic aspects, was vital to the impact of the rendition.
The post tani avartana session comprised several familiar pieces including “Madhava Mamava” in Neelambari and an Abhang in Revathi. A few minor lapses in shruti notwithstanding, Pavandeep’s solid grounding and dedication, and the inclusion of a variety of composers, ragas and talas produced an overall effect of sumptuousness.
MADHAVI RAMKUMAR
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