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1. Captivating creativity
Manda Sudharani displayed a good control over laya, and S. Soumya was rich in musical ideas
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/02/27/stories
/2009022751200300.htm
2.A sprightly package
H.M. Smitha's singing was admirable; Ganesh-Kumaresh's recital was articulate
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/02/27/s...2751170300.htm
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1. Devotion-filled rendition
Akshay Padmanabhan has a supple voice and with sustained effort, he is bound to go places.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/02/27/s...2751360200.htm
2. Voice happily obeys manodharma
P.S. KRISHNAMURTHI
Sruti-perfect, Anuradha Suresh Krishnamurthy wove melodious patterns in her concert for Hamsadhwani.
POWERFUL VOICE: Anuradha Suresh Krishnamurthy
The combination of several factors made for the wholesomeness of the vocal concert of Anuradha Suresh Krishnamurthy for Hamsadhwani on February 12. The first aspect which struck the listener was the happy condition of her voice, which lent itself t o whatever melodic patterns her manodharma led her to weave. The perfection in the adherence to sruti, the meticulous conformance to swarasthana, the rich timbre, the wide range in the pitch, apt inflection and modulation in the amplitude could not be missed even by the most indifferent listener.
Every music lover recognises that Viriboni varnam in Bhairavi never fails to give the necessary push to a concert; following this piece, a vrittam in Sanskrit in Nattai prefaced the kriti, ‘Siva traya Mahaganapatim,’ in madhyama kala Adi talam. ‘Krupajoo sudaku velara, Rama,’ heard after quite a while, came as an interlude before the first major item of the programme, ‘Apparama bhakti.’
In her raga vistara of Pantuvarali, Anuradha displayed a leisurely style in keeping with the raga, and of course the song which she must have had in her mind; ‘bhakti,’ the dominant element in the opening sahityam, also ruled the alapana, and indeed the rendition of the composition of Tyagaraja all through; flighty sancharas came appropriately towards the conclusion. Niraval at the charanam was delivered tastefully.
Poornima Krishnan.
Raga exploration
Swati Tirunal’s creation in raga Useni, ‘Pahimam brhannayike,’ new to this listener, in Rupakam in vilamba kalam, focussed attention on solemnity. This prepared the stage for the entry of Sankarabharanam, in all its profundity. The fullness in the singer’s voice, complemented by a fertile manodharma and serious commitment to the composer, guru, sabha and audience made a deep mark in the mind of the listener. The artist seemed to savour the multiple facets of every tone in the scale of this raga.
The suddhamadhyama of the raga appeared now as a gliding sound from gandhara to panchama, then from gandhara to madhyama, and often as just the ‘pure’ suddhamadhyama (without izhaippu), all of which bear the insignia of Sankarabharanam. The lower swaras, down to the mantra shadjam, were distinctly audible, while the higher notes, right up to the tarasthayi panchama were not only immaculate in their tonal value but also steadily stressed with notable karvai. The artist seemed to have got into the rhythm of Sankarabharanam.
Great compositions like ‘Akshayalinga vibho’ deserve reverent treatment, which was plentiful in this concert. Taken at a royal vilambam, the misrachapu here is endowed with a glow by Muthuswamy Dikshitar, as it seems to invoke the aaroodha vrishabha deity Himself. The artist did ample justice, through niraval at badari vana moola and kalpanasvara.
The teamwork, an essential ingredient of any kutcheri, was commendable. The wholehearted orchestration of Neyveli S. Radhakrishnan, Shertalai Venkatakrishnan and Adambakkam Sankar on the violin, mridangam and ghatam added in no small measure to the value of the concert. While Radhakrishnan switched over with aesthetic perception from higher to lower octave appropriately while accompanying the singer, during his solo passages he did not seem to have any ‘High Tension insulation breakdowns’ of harsh notes from the violin at any point of the fingerboard, considering the elevated sruti and the resulting tautness of the strings. Venkatakrishnan and Sankar made excellent partners in sharing the percussive contribution.
Presented with elegance
In her 90-minute vocal recital, Poornima Krishnan was accompanied by B. Ananthakrishnan on the violin and Kumbakonam R. Swaminathan on the mridangam. She devised a balanced programme and trimmed it with elegance. The varnam in Latangi in single-beat Aditalam was as appealing as it was brisk in setting the pace of ‘Pranamami Aham’ in raga Gowlai and Talam Adi; following a sprinkling of kalpanaswara exchanges between the singer and the violinist, to which the mridangam added rhythmic spice.
By the time Poornima reached ‘Enda Nerchina,’ her mood and voice had set, and one could identify its melody and richness. The sruti was in place, and gave the required impetus to proceed confidently. The first major item, Poorvikalyani, appeared at the end of half an hour. The raga alapana was mature and competent; one felt that with the commendable reach that her voice could command, Poornima could have achieved more by dwelling a good deal longer in the mantra sthayi than she actually did. ‘Inda Paramukham Edu, Ezhai En Meedu?’ was soulfully rendered; the listener felt that it would have been appropriate to utilise the passage ‘Nee Oru Silaiyo’ in the charanam for a telling niraval, considering the emotional appeal that it holds; the novel placement of the words (at 6 1/4 ‘idam’ of the 8-beat Adi) could also be interesting for both niraval and kalpanaswaras.
The main item was Todi. Mature, elaborate emphatic strokes of the raga’s lakshana emerged in the alapana. Here again, dwelling a little longer in the lower ranges would have enhanced the essay. Syama Sastry’s ‘Ninne Namminanuta’ in misrachapu, a sure-fire item, was delivered with feeling. The niraval and kalpanasvaras at ‘Kamakshi Kanchadalayatakshi’ came off pleasantly, leading to a brief tani avartanam.
Throughout the period, the accompaniments offered commendable support. In both Poorvikalyani and Todi, Ananthakrishnan opted for gamaka prayogas more than briga in his sancharas. He appeared to be a little tentative, as when he deliberately softened the bowing pressure during high-pitched playing. He displayed commendable musical sense. In a similar way, Swaminathan demonstrated his appreciation of the role of the mridangam in being a musical time marker with aesthetic perception.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/02/27/s...2751390200.htm
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1. Refined act
Shrikant G. is able to meaningfully enrich his renderings
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/03/20/s...2051080300.htm
2. Clarity and creativity
Sreevalsan J. Menon adhered to tradition, while Hemmige S. Prashanth displayed firm grounding and improvisational powers
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/03/20/s...2051090300.htm
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1. Musical offering to the Divine
At the recent three-day Temple Festival of Indian Classical Music at Pushkar, young talents rubbed shoulders with veterans.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/03/20/s...2050590200.htm
2. Sibling symphony
The Malladi Brothers on the responsibility that comes with fame.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/03/20/s...2050600200.htm
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1. Erudite recital
The artist gave a nuanced performance.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/03/20/s...2050100200.htm
2. A qawali night
The golden jubilee celebration of Ghousia Ashram Urs was a memorable affair.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/03/20/s...2050110200.htm
3. An interesting exercise
Listen to Suguna Purushothaman as she gives many useful tips and guidelines to achieve proficiency in the art of Pallavi singing.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/03/20/s...2050150200.htm
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1. In praise of Krishna
Hindustani vocalist Sagarika Pradhan’s recital was soaked in devotion.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/03/20/s...2050830300.htm
2. Wide selection of kritis
Sugandha Kalamegham’s concert included a wide variety of compositions that showcased her repertoire.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/03/20/s...2050850300.htm
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Dance
Meeting point
T.M. Krishna, Bombay Jayashri, Priyadarshini Govind and Leela Samson created an unforgettable experience.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/03/27/s...2750070200.htm
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Richness of ragas highlighted
Seetha Rajan’s Music Academy concert showcased vivadi ragas such as Davalambari and Aatakambari.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/04/03/s...0351300200.htm
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Petals of a performance
The Gulab Bari tradition came alive during a recent concert in Varanasi.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/04/03/deliindx.htm
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Musician honoured
The voice that syncs with dance steps honoured.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/04/03/s...0350270200.htm