A fine ending to a brisk concert
Anugrah Lakshmanan presented a short thematic concert dedicated to compositions in praise of Vishnu and his various manifestations. His co-artistes that evening were V.S.P Gayatri Sivani on the violin, Mannarkoil J.Balaji on the Mridangam and S.Krishna on the Ghatam. The concert began brightly with Swati Tirunal’s Aarabhi piece ‘Narasimha Mamava’. This was followed by a Tamil composition in Asaveri ‘Sharanam Sharanam Raghurama’. This composition of Arunachala Kavi is usually
3 days ago2 min read
The Concert as a Class
The nuances of nishadam in Surutti make it a rather tricky note to navigate. It can frustrate a veena player who tries to produce the sound by pulling the string at the dhaivatam or panchamam fret. During descending phrases, it changes its shape to form a slightly lower note than in ascending phrases. Hence it is important to understand the intention and use it carefully, according to the phrase being sung. Senior vocalist S.Sowmya’s Surutti alapana interwove choice phrases o
3 days ago4 min read
Manodharma in Abhinaya
When it comes to abhinaya, one can never forget T. Balasaraswati. While it is undeniable that she was a crucial link to the past by way of her illustrious lineage, representing seven generations of hereditary performers, she also had the extraordinary ability to floor audiences through her extempore abhinaya. One recalls American ethnomusicologist Robert E. Brown’s words, “Balasaraswati performed the same piece 15 times during a concert tour, yet rendered each version anew by
3 days ago4 min read
