Indian Newslink 15th June 2016 Digital Edition

JUNE 15, 2016
ENTERTAINMENTLINK
Divinity runs through Violin and Veena couple
Malathi Vasudevan
Kumaresh Rajagopalan, Dr Jayanthi Kumaresh and J Vaidyanathan at their Auckland Concert on June
Though I have heard Dr
Jayanthi Kumaresh and
her husband Kumaresh
Rajagopalan in individual
concerts, it was the first
time I heard the husband-wife
duo in ‘Strings Attached’
Programme organised by the
New Zealand Carnatic Music
Society as a part of its threeday
‘Sangeethothsavam’ (Music
Festival) on June 4, 2016.
The word ‘downpour’ has
been used by announcers and
media everywhere to denote
this couple. And what we experienced
was a downpour of
rhythm and melody. Along with
J Vaidyanathan on Mridangam,
we had musical pedigree of high
order on display.
Not only were they master
practitioners of their chosen instrument,
but also boast of a
noteworthy lineage in Carnatic
Music.
Mesmerising Journey
Commencing with ‘Kanada
Ata Thala Varnam,’ they travelled
the gamut of Ragas and
composers through ‘Sarasiruha’
in Nattai and ‘Kamakshi’ in
‘Simhendra Madhyamam’
to ‘Lalgudi Thillana’ in
‘Mohankalyani.’
Slipped in was a ‘Raga
Pravaham’ in ‘Nattakurinji,’ a
pet project of brothers Ganesh-
Kumaresh, specially for
instrumentalists!
And then of course, the
‘Ragam Thanam Pallavi’ in
Charukesi with an abundance
of ‘Ragamalika’ Swarams.
A request for an English song
brought about an ‘Indian Note’
which sparkled, nevertheless.
The Mangalam was an unusual
triad of ‘Hariharathmajam-
Kamakshi’ (a Shyama Shastri
composition) ‘Baghyada
Lakshmi.’
Soft Instrument
Veena is a soft instrument
and due to sheer size, there is
a lot of ground to cover for the
artiste. Hence it is always invariably
hard to play at high
speed, or to play the half-quarter
notes which tend to be the
forte of a Vocalist. A violin is at
an advantage here, since it is
commonly featured as a main
accompaniment.
It is the skill of both artistes
on stage, that none of those differences
were evident.
There was great understanding
allowing for seamless continuity,
be it an exploration of a
Raga in ‘Alapana’ or as ‘Kalpana
Swaram.’
Kumaresh brought in a
semi-Western, flatter dimension
to his playing in contrast
with Jayanthi, who sticks to the
steeped traditions of Carnatic
Music.
Innovative Spirit
That blend created a lot of innovation
and novelty which is
an aural treat to the listener at
all levels.
Vocalist sets new standard of excellence
29
There was high energy on
stage which I am sure was
carried to everyone in the
audience.
That energy lasted in me
throughout the two-hour drive
back to my home in Hamilton.
Editor’s Note: The late
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, a
doyen of Carnatic Music used
to say that ‘Madhyamavati’ is
a Raga that signifies the conclusion
of a Concert. “This
Raga is sung to seek forgiveness
for any mistakes that
may have crept in during the
performance. Madhyamavati
will bestow Mangalam and
Wellness.” I do not possess the
knowledge to offer a critique
to the maestros Jayanthi and
Kumaresh but their Concert
was a rare treat.
Malathi Vasudevan is a
Chartered Accountant by profession
and a Veena artiste
with a deep understanding
of the nuances of Carnatic
Music. She is a former
President of the New Zealand
Carnatic Music Society. She
has been the prime mover
of the Shri Balaji Temple in
Hamilton and continues to
promote it as a Trustee and
Treasurer of the Sri Balaji
Temple Trust, which owns and
manages the Temple, located
at 2, Kent Street in Frankton.
Carnatic Music
finds new highs
in Auckland
Venkat Raman
venkat@indiannewslink.co.nz
Priya Vijay
The New Zealand Carnatic
Music Society hosted a
wonderful vocal concert
by O S Vaidyanathan
(popularly known as O S Arun)
for its Annual Carnatic Music
festival ‘Sangeethothsavam.’
He is indeed a gifted soulful
singer who touched the hearts of
many New Zealanders who were
present at the auditorium on
June 6, 2016.
His ability to connect with
them was evident as the stream
of request slips were submitted
to him even before he commenced
the Concert.
Varnam invigorates
The opening piece, a Varnam
in ‘Nattakurinji’ Ragam
(composed by his Guru T R
Subramanian) set a great tone to
the evening.
This was followed by a
lively ‘Alapanai’ in Ragam
‘Hamsadhwani’ for the
Papanasam Sivan composition
‘Karunaisevai.’
The ‘Swara Prastharam’ livened
up the atmosphere
with excellent support by
Embar Kannan on the Violin
and J Vaidyanathan on the
Mridangam.
Arun brings in the melody of
Hindustani to the Carnatic genre
as he did at this Concert. It was
O S Arun accompanied by Embar Kannan (Violin) and J Vaidyanathan (Mridangam) in Auckland on June 6.
an interesting presentation
of Ragam ‘Vasantha.’
Spring in Music
He asked the audience to
visualise Spring with cuckoo
birds singing.
He brought some lovely
Hindustani phrases to create
this effect and at the
same time retained the essence
of Carnatic music.
The ‘Neraval’ and
‘Kalpana Swarams’ brought
out the manodharma element
beautifully for the
Swathi Thirunal composition
‘Parama Purusha
Jagadeesha.’
The ‘Jayadeva Ashtapadi,’
‘Priye Charusheele’ bought
the ‘Saki Bhava’ in Vasanthi
raga. He explained the story
behind the last two lines of
this ‘Ashtapadi.’
The Raga, the lyrical
beauty of the ‘Ashtapadi’
and the explanation saw
the audience lapping up
every inch of this musical
presentation.
The ‘Alaapanai’ in
‘Poorvi Kalyani’ was superb.
The resonant crystal
clear voice brought
out the ‘Swarakshara’
beauty of Muthuswami
Dikshitar Krithi ‘Meenakshi
Mudamdehi.’
Majestic Match
The ‘Neraval’ and ‘Swara
Prastharam’ were beautifully
matched on Violin and
Mridangam. Embar Kannan
has an extraordinary bowing
quality which is remarkably
sweet, replete
with clarity, soulfulness and
energetic.
J Vaidyanathan seemed
to be playing ‘Sangathis’
through his Mridangam.
He embellished Kritis
with interesting ‘Tekkas,’
‘Nadais’ and ‘Arudis.’
Arun has created a niche
for himself in the field of
Bhakti Sangeetam. This
was evident in the ‘Abhang
Saka Panduranga’ and Sai
Bhajan.
Perfect symphony
Those present at
the Concert chanted
‘Panduranga’ in perfect synchronisation
with the artiste.
It was amazing to see
children and adults swaying
to his tunes in their chairs,
clapping and joining in the
Bhajan.
The three-and-half hour
Concert also had all-time favourites
like ‘Jagadodhara’
and D V Paluskar’s ‘Payoji
Maine.’
Arun ended his performance
with Lalgudi’s
‘Behaag Thillana.’
The Concert was entertaining
with a good mixture
of regular and Bhajan
music.
Priya Vijay is a renowned
Carnatic Musician and
teacher. She has several
public performances to
her credit in New Zealand,
India and other countries.
She lives in Auckland and
conducts regular music
lessons for beginners and
advanced students.
Email: priyavijay10@hotmail.
com
We had mentioned in our
curtain-raiser to the
‘Sangeethothsavam’ of
New Zealand Carnatic
Music Society (Indian Newslink, May
15, 2016) that Auckland would end its
dry-spell to welcome a downpour of
Carnatic Music.
It was a not a prophesy based on
knowledge of Astrology or ability to
foresee the oncoming events but an instant
realisation based on the names of
performers invited to the annual Music
Festival.
Renowned Performers
The Festival included a Veena
and Violin Concert by Dr Jayanthi
Kumaresh and her husband Kumaresh
Rajagopalan on Saturday, June 4,
2016 and a Vocal Music Concert by O
S Vaidyanathan, popularly known as
Arun with Embar Kannan on Violin.
J Vaidyanathan was the Mridangam
artiste at both Programmes held at Mt
Roskill Intermediate School Auditorium
located at Denbigh Avenue.
Two experts of our Tamil community
– Veena artiste Malathi Vasudevan and
Vocalist and Music Teacher Priya Vijay
accepted our invitation to review these
two concerts independently. Their reviews
appear in this Section.
The highlight of the
‘Sangeethothsavam’ was the performances
of the students promoted by
NZCMS, which conducts qualifying examinations
at various levels.
A review of their performances will
appear with photographs in our next
issue