Top class entertainment
B.R.C. IYENGAR
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The vocal recital by O. S. Thyagarajan displayed chastity and elegance.
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SCHOLARLY ACT O. S. Thyagarajan during a performanceSCHOLARLY ACT O. S. Thyagarajan during a performance
Chaste music and choice food marked the top class entertainment for the Deepavali this year under the aegis of Savithri foundations of Hyderabad. The foundation arranges concerts few and far between, but each is well chosen and meticulously planned. This month's concert was a vocal recital by O. S. Thyagarajan.
The emphatic feature of his singing is chastity and elegance; he does not strive, does not confuse; there is precision and clarity, proportion and order. The music flows and it does not limp forward on the crutches of mockery.
Even more strikingly, the strength of spirituality is all pervading. To render a simple krithi with bhakti is far more difficult than to treat a hard one without spiritualism. In this aspect, OST has an edge over other great singers. Yet another simple secret that he is aware of is the ecstasy of sruti. Perfect alignment with sruti is half way to success of a concert. With all these parameters in their right place, the day's performance was dazzling. A rich voice and richer repertoire were additional assets.
It may be hypothetical but yet a pertinent question - where would our concert life be today if Thyagaraja had not composed his krithis? It is such phenomenon as Thyagaraja that offers the best example of art and authenticity. Every piece is a masterpiece and has a world of its own to express. The concert of OST in this context was one with a difference. OST chose to bring forth the spiritual (bhakti) facet in Thyagaraja's compositions that are losing ground in contemporary concerts. In keeping with this theme, OST chose a majority of befitting krithis of only Thyagaraja and rendered them with little or no manodharma like neraval, alapana and swarakalpana and yet carried the essence of devotion so deeply embedded in the compositions. Sangithagnanamu (dhanyasi), teliyaleruram (dhenuka), nenenduvedukudura (Karnatakabehag), kanukontini (bilahari), raramaintidaka (asaveri), etijalmamidira (varali), idineramu nannubrova (sahana), enthamuddu (bindumalini), eeshapahiman (kalyani), vinarada namanavi (devagandhari) and lavanya rama (purna shadjam) all ran in meaningful succession. To please the die-hard critic, OST chose kaharaharapriya.
Elaborate alapana, an uncommon and stimulating composition, chitrarathnamaya, a scholarly neraval and imaginative swarakalpana for the song, every one of them was complete in itself and covered a good part of the time.
Vijayalakshmi, daughter of Lalgudi Jayaraman, who accompanied him on the violin, hails from Thyagaraja parampara and is acclaimed as one of the outstanding violinists today. Although on the occasion the opportunities to display her prowess were less, yet she made use of those that were available and added to the overall display of the entertainment. DSR Murthy is much admired mridangam player of the twin cities.
In the essence of style, it is unique to Andhra, in the sense that it is more eloquent in its language than its meaning and more determined than in repose. Yet, he knows how to arrange his art and place them in clearest order, in rhythmic but not metrical sequence, in polished but not ornate diction, in smooth transitions of sound and thought. In short, it was a good concert and everyone enjoyed it.
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