The concert was very enjoyable and the artists sustained the attention of the audience throughout the performance without pandering to the gallery and maintaining a high level of classicism through out the concert. They managed to keep the audience with them by their creative music and appropriate selection of pieces (rAgAs, tALas, points of elaboration etc.) Especially noteworthy was the care used in selecting pieces by different composers, ranging from the pre-trinity composer muttutAndavar to the contemporary lAlgudi jayarAman. Their creativity was apparent in their elaborate, but at the same time chaste, AlApanas and swaraprastAras. Their "vocal style" of rendering kritis was quite pleasing. Among the kritis, I especially relished the rarely rendered vivAdi rAga kriti of thyAgarAja - pAlintuvO pAlimpavO. An AlApana and/or neraval/swarams would have made the experience even more complete. The rAgam tAnam pallavi in Bhairavi was in tisra nadai and was neatly executed. (Besides being one of my favourite rAgas, Bhairavi was also an appropriate choice since their concert tour is being organized by the organization Bhairavi. I am not sure if this was intentional! :-)
Trichur Narendran's mridangam was subdued and appropriate. His thani was very pleasing.
The pieces played in the concert included ( I may have forgotten one or two items): nEra nammiti - kAnada varNam vallabha nAyakasya - bEgada Ananda natamAduvAr - pUrvikalyANi rA rA rAjIva lOchana - mOhanam pAlintuvO pAlimpavO - kAntAmaNi rAgam tAnam pallavi - bhairavi teruvil vArAno - kamas chinnan chiRu - rAgamAlika tillana - brindAvani
The pieces which received elaborate treatment were Ananda natamAduvar in pUrvikalyANi (for which Jayanthy played a superb AlApana), rA rA rAjIva in mOhanam and ofcourse, the rAgam tAnam pallavi in Bhairavi.
I was very happy to see (as were some of the others listening to the concert with me) many elements of the "S. Balachander style" of veeNa playing in both these artists. Ofcourse, this is no surprise, since Jayanthy is a student of the late S. Balachander and Padmavathy considers him his mAnasika guru. However, quite often, one sees students picking up merely the mannerisms and ignoring the heart of the style. It was not so in this case.
If they are performing in your neighbourhood, do not miss their concert. Though I have been quite late about posting this, I hope it will be a case of "better late than never".
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