By Dr. Rama V. Bennur
Ganabharathi had arranged a concert in memory of Vidu. Indira Vaidyanathan at Veene Seshanna Bhavana on Sept.28, by veteran Vid. T.P. Vaidyanathan. This concert revealed the artistes’ predilection for the authentic and time-honoured forms than fanciful flights. Lyricism and the bhava aspect dominated throughout in the concert.
Vid. Vaidyanathan, an octogenarian, maintained the dignity of purity and classicism in his vocal. His voice was brimming with clarity. His vast repertoire came alive in this concert. Accompanied by Vidu. Charulatha Ramanujam on violin, Vid. A.U. Jayachandra Rao on mridanga and Vid. S. Manjunath on ghata, Vid. Vaidyanathan opened the concert with a salutation to Lord Ganapathi ‘Pancha mathangamukha’ by Muthuswami Dikshitar in the raga Malahari. His senior disciple Vid. Shivaram Arunachalam joined his Guru with his fine vocal support. Vaidyanathan presented a few rare kritis in his concert. Tyagaraja’s ‘Nenarunchara’ is a rarely heard kriti in the raga Simhavahini just as ‘Maatha sadaa ravathumam’ (Abhogi) by Mayuram Vishwanatha Shasthri. His exposition of Abhogi had the characteristic nuances of the raga. The composition interestingly had many ‘swaraksharas’ too. The kalpana swaras that followed were crisp and delightful.
The presentation of raga Bahudhari was well moulded and aesthetically satisfying. ‘Sadananda thaandavam’ by Achyutha Dasa was decorated with a frill of kalpana swaras. After the popular ‘Entha muddo entha sogaso’ (Bindumalini-Tyagaraja), Vaidyanathan presented a composition of Tyagaraja in praise of the Lord Yogaanjaneya of Sholingar, ‘Kaluguna pada’. This was in the raga Poorna lalitha, a janya of jhankaradhwani. Purvikalyani was the main raga chosen. He delineated the raga in leisurely drawn out ribbons of melodious phrases. Shivaram Arunachalam too joined in highlighting the characteristic nuances of the raga. Charulatha’s bowing was melodious with exotic touches. Muthuswami Dikshitar’s ‘Meenakshi memudam’ is a class by itself. The perfect harmony between the mood of the raga and the sentiment of the song and its dignified movements effectively stress the devotion of the composer and this was commendably highlighted by Vaidyanathan and Shivaram. An elaborate neraval at ‘Madhurapuri Nilaye’ was followed by a cascade of kalpana swaras. Charulatha’s support on the violin was admirable. The rhythmic patterns on mridanga was enjoyable. Thani avarthana by Jayachandra Rao and Manjunath was lively. The curtains came down with a Devaranama ‘Maganendadisuvalo’ and ‘He kamakshi,’ a Sanskrit piece in Yadukulakambodhi.
This post was published on October 15, 2018 6:10 pm