The Bangalore-based music organization Sapthak recently hosted a Hindustani classical vocal jugalbandi recital by Rekha Bhat Kotemane and Radha Desai. Vocal duets are rare in Hindustani classical music; this vocal jugalbandi was a laudatory attempt and the music brimmed with emotional poignancy and lyrical allure creating a hypnotic effect.
Rekha and Radha commenced their recital with the evening melody Raga Purya –Kalyan, furnishing a rich and fertile tonal space for elaboration. The vilambit ektal bandish “Aaj so ban erimaayi” unfurled through highly nuanced ‘alap’ improvisations, focusing on the emotions laden in the notes , thereby producing a pleasing evocation of the ‘raagabhava’ marked by a euphonious synchrony.
It was a fascinating jugalbandi executed with finesse and aplomb. Rekha’s unhurried and steady explorations in the lower octave blended harmoniously with Radha’s ‘alap’ in the higher octave, sculpting the gestalt of this raga and its intricate beauty with immaculate precision and deep feeling. Riveting ‘sargams’ interspersed with limpid and racy ‘taan’ sequences created a deep impact. The delineation of the chota khayal “ More Ghar Aja ‘ in the fast-paced teental was marked by exquisite ‘taankari’ where the vocalists took turns to produce exuberant ‘taan’ sequences.
Pandit Gopalkrishna Hegde’s sonorous ‘tihais’ on the table were breathtaking.
With uncompromising zeal and steadfastness , the musicians presented a rich fare of khayal renditions in different ragas.
After Purya Kalyan, the duo took up the beautiful raga Saraswati. Their rendition of the great bandish in roopaktal “Jage More Bhag’ popularised by the late Pandit Basavaraj Rajguru was unforgettable for its lyrical fervour.
The richly imaginative ‘alap’ , ‘sargams’ and ‘taans’ were greatly enhanced by the harmonium accompaniment of Ashwin Walwalkar in the rendition of the lilting chota khayal composition “Jane jane re tore man ki” . This was followed by raaga ‘Soor Malhar”, one of the ragas sung during the monsoon season. Rekha’s mellifluous voice traversed through the three octaves to recreate the grandeur of the rain raga in the madhyalaya teental bandish “Eri Ghan Ayore” and the cascading taans in the drut teental composition, “Badarwabarsan aye” left the audience spellbound.
The exquisite rendition of a Hindi Bhajan“ Shyamtu Ghanshyam ho” and the Devaranama in raga Bhairavi were a testimony to the creative versatility of the artistes.
