The Concert Scene
By R Narayanan
AS Murali's impassioned concert with VV Ravi, Sivakumar and
Sunil Kumar could well be summed up as a niraval master class—without pedantry. In his two hour performance,
the first hour could be called a precise and competent demonstration of kalpita
sangeetam from a Kalakshetra guru to the good number of his students who were
there in the hall.
The second half saw Murali soar to the heights of
manodharma sangeetam in which the depth and passion of the self-effacing artist
took over from the teacher, paving the way for the niraval master class.
Niraval is all
about empathy.That is why it is the highest form of manodharma-unique to our
music—empathy of the artist today for the composer of ages ago. If
there is a great composition with an even greater passage,rest assured that the
birth-pangs were not without pain and anguish. To bring back the birth-pangs,
soaking that sahitya in the ragarasam in a vinyasam today, the artist needs to
put himself into the heart and soul of the composer. When that kind of
empathetic niraval occurs, your eyes
close and, on occasions like today, even tears well up in your eyes.
Murali chose the
Appar tevaram on Tiruvannamalai in Keeravani yesterday; the second and seventh
verses of the 5th decad, immortalised on concert platforms by TM Thyagarajan's
notations and KV Narayanaswamy's niraval. And,Murali sang all eight lines
beginning"வானனை மதி சூடிய மைந்தனைத்தேனனைத் திருவண்ணாமலையனை..." with
deep understanding all the way. Then the niraval came at வீரனை விடமுண்டனை
விண்ணவர்தீரனைத் திருவண்ணாமலையனை.
From the very first vinyasam,Murali zeroed
in on with empathy"விடமுண்டனை" as the crux of Appar's whole agony
over Lord Siva consuming Aalakaal visham!
There was no
looking back as the niraval from lower to middle to upper octaves rolled on for
a full 20 minutes of supplication soaked in gorgeous Keeravani, just made for
that emotion. Even the final trikalam was no mere crescendo but soaked in
raga-sahitya. Swarakalpana followed without disturbing the serenity of the
moment.
The tour de force
was possible largely because of V V Ravi's reassuring presence on stage. Ravi's
violin these days has taken on the contours of Upanishad-like brevity, all
frills eschewed, only the purest essence offered. As Ravi soared together with
Murali in mel shadjam and beyond during
the niraval, the rasika's cup was full to overflowing.
Sivakumar and Sunil
Kumar provided high quality percussion support throughout.
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