Every artist and music organisation across the globe have been paying tribute in their own unique way to M.S. Subbulakshmi, whose centenary birth anniversary was celebrated recently.
The Chandrasekharendra Saraswati auditorioum of Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha at Sion, Mumbai, reverberated recently with the Shata Vadya Sammelan, helmed by Sangeetha Kalanidhi designate A. Kanyakumari.
This was a special performance as the violin exponent was leading a group of more than 100 instrumentalists, mostly violin artists.
The concert also had artists playing the veena, flute, nagaswaram, keyboard and mandolin supported by percussion vidwans on the mridangam, ganjira, ghatam, morsing, thavil and the rhythm pad.
The concert began with ‘Vinayaka’ in Hamsadhwani, a composition by E.V. Ramakrishna Bhagavathar and then wove through ‘Maathe Malayadhwaja’ in Khamas, ‘Shobillu Sapthaswara’ in Jaganmohini, ‘Melu ledu telu ledu’ in Narayanadri and ‘Maye tvam yadi’ in Sudha Tarangini.
The highpoint of the presentation was the unique ‘Ashtotarasatha Ragamalika’.
It was a performance that was well conceived and executed. It felt like the ace violinist had taken efforts to make this show a personal homage to a legendary vocalist.
Musically, it came through as an exploratory journey through several melodic lines and rhythm phrases. Beginning with Kapi and ending with Madhyamavathi, the group handled as many as 108 ragas — some popular and others rarely heard — such as Sumanesa Ranjani, Bindumalini, Garudadhwani, Vittabhi, Chandrahasitham and Oormika.
The move from one to the other was pleasantly swift.
Kanyakumari continued the performance with ‘Nenjukku Needhiyum’ in Sindhu Bhairavi, ‘Trimurthy,’ a tillana only in three swaras, ‘Sa, Ga and Ma’ (her own composition), ‘Govinda Hare’ (Ragamalika ) followed by ‘Maitreem Bhajatha.’ She concluded the concert with ‘Kurai Ondrum Illai’.