They enjoyed and entertained
GARIMELLA SUBRAMANIAM
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The vocal duet of Jhanani and Ramya stood out for its simple elegance.
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PERFECT FOIL TO EACH OTHER: Jhanani and Ramya.
Their music is in their method. When Jhanani and Ramya sometimes pair up in a duet, as they did at the Bharat Kalachar Youth Festival, their obviously distinct voices complement each other.
But the main stay of their music is in a capacity to enjoy what they sing, entertaining their audience in the process. A great asset for any upcoming artiste.
Interestingly, the young performers also showcased two veterans. Ambujam Krishna the composer and Ananthalakshmi Sadagopan, the renowned vocalist. In their concert, Ramya and Jhanani featured some of Krishna's compositions set to tune by their guru, Sadagopan.
The lyrics from Krishna's kritis were noteworthy for their remarkable lucidity and elegance. Sadagopan's tunes enrich these qualities because she has not let too many `sangatis' clutter the singing. The transmission of the emotional content by young Ramya and Jhanani is unsullied by needless complexities of technique.
The dhuritam in each of the first three kritis was striking. Jhanani, after an alapana in Kedaram, was joined by Ramya in the song `Guru tanda arutchelvam ni.' This was followed by `Kanavendamo orumuraiyenum' in Sahana and `Tarunamidai kaividuveno' in Begada.
The contrasting voice of Ramya appeared in solo when she began an alapana in Kambhoji, followed by some impressive lines from the song `Azhagan malaradi panimaname.'
It is not often that one gets to hear a kriti on the godman of Puttaparti in a kutcheri. Ambujam Krishna's song set to Nattakkurinji was in that sense different. But `En thai ni irukka enakkenna manakkavalai' in Mohanakalyani was a moving tribute to the consort of Lord Venkateswara.
Calibre
Jhanani, easily more confident of the two than the rather cautious Ramya, was building up the alapana in Todi with great intensity, particularly in the higher notes. Her neraval on the line `poorvabhashanan endru puranam pugazhum punniyane' in the following kriti was evidence of an artiste of calibre in the making.
C. K. Vijayaraghavan on the violin presented delightful essays in his Khambhoji and Todi alapanas. P. K. Babu on the mridangam and Anirudh Atreya on the kanjira were refreshingly free from the current-day confusion of sheer volume for rhythm.
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Bangalore
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