RAAGA Music Academy’s decennial celebrations: Day-2: ‘Veena & Violin, our personal expression’

On the second day of the decennial celebrations of RAAGA Music Academy, Mysuru, popular couple Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh and Kumaresh gave a veena and violin duet concert. They were accompanied by K.U. Jayachandra Rao on the mridanga and Trichy Krishnaswamy on the ghata. This was the 100th concert of the Academy.

Jayanthi and Kumaresh are a much admired couple who complement each other to create rich music. The present one was a concert of compositions from their ‘Strings Attached.’ ‘Strings Attached’ is an ongoing collaboration of Jayanthi with her husband Kumaresh, which in Jayanthi’s words is a journey of discovery and adventure.

The couple started the concert with Kalyani, the very meaning of which is ‘Auspicious.’ “PraNayAnyaham SrI gaurisutam’ by Mysore Vasudevacharya in Gaula followed for which the pallavi portion was suffixed with vibrant swaras. The couple took some time to settle down. The shruti was not loud enough and it took time for the shruti to synchronise between the two instruments in the first hour. But gradually things changed and the magic began to happen. Jayanthi’s version of Kanada was good but disappointingly short and did not exploit her full potential but Tyagaraja’s ‘Sri Narada’, not much heard in concerts these days, was a welcome choice.

Raga Vasanta played by Jayanthi was remarkable with rare, splendid phrases and the swara-based composition by the couple which was their own was enjoyable.

Dharmavathi proved to be the piece de resistance of the concert. The raga was built by both of them leisurely and methodically. Jayanthi’s playing of many swaras at a stretch in a single ‘meetu’, the skill she has gained from her teacher S. Balachanda, was awe-inspiring while Kumaresh’s development of the raga was grand, rich and colourful. The Alapana was adorned with powerful gamakas and Jayanthi excelled in playing the tanam, which goes so well with the instrument.  The pallavi was a swara pallavi, their own composition again, which was well essayed and was decorated with creative combination of swaras. The taniyavartanam was interesting, different and split into parts.

K.U. Jayachandra Rao on the mridanga and Trichy Krishnaswamy on the ghata impressed the listeners with their intelligent laya manipulations. The audience were thrilled to see Jayachandra Rao playing the notes of Dharmavathi on his mridanga. After each of the percussion artistes displayed their part individually, the concert continued with Ragamalika swaras with Abheri, Varali and Ahiri played alternately by both the artistes, after which the tani was resumed, concluding with a grand muktaya.

Kumaresh was conversational throughout the concert. His proud looks of appreciation while Jayanthi played and the couple’s appreciation for the percussion artistes and Mysuru audience was notable. The concert concluded with a composition of Shyama Shastri in Madhyamavati.

—Dr. Padmavathi  Narasimhan

Correction: In the music review published on Aug. 13, the name of ‘Elliruve Tande BAro MAruti’ composer may please be read as Bagepalli Shesha Dasaru and not Purandara Dasaru. The error is regretted. —Ed