Friday Review
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Novel and vivacious
G. SWAMINATHAN
| The
Krishnakumars' kalpanaswaras came through fresh and bright;
Chandrasekaran presented a concert absolutely classic. |
Photos: K.N.Muralidharan.
IN UNISON: Krishnakumar and Binny
Singing siblings are aplenty; but singing
couples are rare, especially in Carnatic music. Trivandrum Krishnakumar
and Binny Krishnakumar have been performing together for sometime. When
male and female voices combine, it is a challenge to maintain sruti
alignment and indulge in manodharma. With time and effort, the
Krishnakumars have learnt to tackle these issues And their concert for
Bhairavi Gana Sabha stood out for novelty and vivacity. The sharp
soprano notes of Binny at times eclipsed the soft and smooth voice of
Krishankumar. There were slight unavoidable clashes of creativity
between the two. Probably, these add spice and make the concert
colourful. Since there was not enough time (it was a
60-minute affair) for any slow and steady warm up, their swift start of
`Vara Narada Narayana' in Vijayashri set the pace for the concert. The
surfeit of sangatis and the well-linked kalpanaswaras that alternated
between the duo came through fresh and bright. `Nada Murali Gana Vilola' in Hamirkalyani
came at a alilting tempo. Binny delineated Kapi raga as the main piece,
with remarkable vocal articulation and improvisation. Each phrase covered all the three registers
and Krishnakumar's creativity was supplemented by Binny's subtle and
aesthetic ornamentation and vice versa.
M. Chandrasekaran.
The differing notes on the ascent and descent
of Kapi and its complex beauty opened the floodgates for this creative
couple to explore the melody, range and nuances of the raga. `Inta
Sowkya' of Tyagaraja came in all its strength, amply appended with
kalpanaswaras focused on `ri ni sa' with a variety of computation. `Isayin Perumayai,' a Tamil composition in
Kuntalavarali and `Japatha Japtha Hari Nama' in Sindhubhairavi brought
the curtain down. Srinivasa Rao on the violin, Prapancham Ravindran on
the mridangam and teenager Prapancham Shailendra on the kanjira boosted
the concert with their dashing support.
Choicest numbers
One should appreciate the spirit and not the
sound of violin maestro M. Chandrasekaran's vocal recital.
Notwithstanding the tricks played by his vocal chords, Chandrasekaran
put forth a concert of verve and camaraderie.
The meticulous announcements with the choicest
forgotten numbers like `Arul Purivai Karunai Kadale' in Hamsadhwani and
the main `Yaro Ivar Yaro' in Bhairavi were worth listening in
Chandrasekaran's classical style. Earlier, Chandrasekaran entertained the
audience with his own varnam in Shanmugapriya, `Ramabhirama' in Darbar
and `Divakara Thanujam' in Yadukulakhambodi.
With the veteran vocalist showering
expressions like `bale bale' and `besh' on the accompanying artists
Madurai Balasubramaniam (violin) and Umayalpuram Mali (mridangam), one
has little to comment on their cooperation.
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
|
