Violin serene and sublime
MUSIC CARRIES within it five sheathes or Kosas - Vocal Kosa, Sastra Kosa, Manodharma Kosa, Shookshma Kosa and Rakti Kosa in the ascending order. Even in the case of reputed vocalists, effort does not go beyond the first three. The components of their performances therefore are uruttal (brigas), perattal (vocal and laya jugglery) and adhattal (aggressiveness). The last two - Sookshma and Rakti - elude their grasp. It is these two vital elements that make music ethereal.
The total absorption of Sookshma and Rakti, the bedrock of Krishnan's music, makes the violin solo play serene, sublime and stunning. Every time Krishnan takes the violin from the box and puts the bow on the strings it is a declaration of his commitment to make the rasikas move from ordinary expectation of entertainment towards an extraordinary experience of musical ecstasy.
At his solo concert at the Alleppey K. Parthasarathy Iyengar's centenary function, after an earful of speeches, Krishnan, through just two or three sancharas, revealed the poetic face of Bhairavi. As one sanchara after another followed, a rasika could sense that Krishnan was not so much bothered about the impact on the audience as his happy romance with Bhairavi's aura. He started the Swarajati "Kamakshi" and serenity descended on the packed hall.
Sahana is Krishnan's exclusive property. The phrasings, succulent in concept and moving in emotional ripples, carried a luminous sublime halo around them. The rasikas were overwhelmed by the mesmeric thrill of Sahana's inherent delicacy. From such a sparkling peak Krishnan translated his vision of the Kriti "Giripai-Nelakonna," rich in grace and grandeur.Kapi came on the scene frisking, stunning in appeal and holding the listeners under the spell of the enchantment he wove. How does one describe the sowkhyam that Krishnan conveyed — "Inta Sowkhyamanine?"
In his emotionally and classically heightened atmosphere that Krishnan created, Palakkad Raghu (mridangam) and T. V. Vasan (ghatam) extended nobility of laya support. If penetrative and cultured percussive accompaniment is the mark of a mridangist's refinement, there it was at the hands of Palghat Raghu. The Chennai audience sat glued to their seats even after a long speech session to hear the concert which commenced at 8 p.m. and went on till 9.30.
Tribute to Mani
By himself an ardent votary of the Kalakshetra tradition, Vidwan Pasupathy's concert at the end of the memorial function for Mani Krishnaswamy, was doubly inspired by the speeches earlier of the ascetic adherence of Mani Krishnaswamy to strictly conform to only those sancharas that her guru had taught her for each and every kirtana and the sacredness of raga alapana purity.
In an era when artistes have made innovativeness and liberalisation of musical techniques their rule, the hold of Kalakshetra sampradaya on Mani Krishnaswamy got fully reflected in Pasupathy whose voice is an envious endowment. Deep, sonorous, his versions of the Kalyani Ata tala varna "Vanajakshi" followed by the songs "Neevadanegana" (Saranga) and "Kaddanuvaariki" (Todi) were like the sounding of temple bells. The Todi alapana, brief and rousing depth, was in a genre of its own. How voice is an asset to a vocalist was to be noticed by the rasikas. Well supported by V. V. Ravi (violin), T.K. Murthy (mridangam), Purushottaman (kanjira) the concert was free from garrulity. — SVK
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