Striking a dynamic note

Gayathri Mahesh’s performance was reminiscent of concerts, such as Ariyakudi's, in which there was never a dull moment.

December 24, 2015 07:47 pm | Updated 07:47 pm IST

Gayathri Mahesh

Gayathri Mahesh

When melody and virtuosity blend with power and modulation, the outcome is sheer joy, which underscored Gayathri Mahesh’s concert at the Arkay Convention Centre . Her easy manner of rendering a raga, kriti, niraval or kalapanaswaras revealed her intensive training . Her clear diction in Tamil, Telugu or Sanskrit enhanced the sahityas.

Beginning with Nattakurinji varnam, ‘Chalamela,’ at a brisk pace, she moved on to an equally swift number, ‘Bala Kanaka Maya’ (Atana, Roopakam).

She delved into Pantuvarali, in ‘Ninu Nera Nammi Naanuraa’ (Roopakam). She sang niraval at ‘Veda Shaastra Puraana,’ splitting it into two segments, and adding to the delightful tempo.

In all this, she took along her accompanying artistes, imbuing them with the same spirit. The complete exercise took some 17 minutes.

The Ananda Bhairavi commenced with delineation of the raga in medium speed, replete with raga lakshana, as a preface to Syama Sastri's ‘Himachala Tanaya’ in Adi talam, sans any frills of niraval or kalpanaswara.

In ‘Ramanukku Mannan mudi’ from Arunachala Kavirayar’s Rama Natakam series, the singer could evoke the desperation of King Dasharatha, in his appeal to the queen through the words ‘Pattam Pera Ettravan Nee.’

Simhendra-madhyamam took off at the tara sthayi descending to madhya and manthara gradually with abandoned sancharas through upper panchamam and beyond, well-handled by Gayathri and violinist M. Vijay.

Vijay was competent in playing every kriti in the singer's style, and quick in his repartees to every korvai which she spun out. Differing from her style, Vijay opted for Izhaippu Sancharas in clear notes, free from any stridency.

Mysore Vasudevachar's passionate kriti ‘Ninne Nammiti’ in misra chapu was handled inspiringly. Niraval at the charanam lines ‘Pannagendra shayana’ was sparkling. Splitting the sahityam in diverse, rhythmic segments had a high aesthetic appeal.

Kumbakonam Swaminathan (mridangam) and Sivaramakrishnan (ghatam) made an impact. The percussionists can be creative companions to the vocalist.

Both artists displayed keen awareness and substantial competence in this area. They sustained the lively pace of the concert. At times, one felt that the decibel level should be toned down as some of the nuances in singing got lost in the enthusiastic drumming.

Gayathri's programme was well conceived and the final output was pleasant.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.