Auckland witnessed a great Carnatic vocal concert by Ranjani and Gayatri (Subramaniam), a popular sister-duo from India.
Beginning with an Adi tala Varna in Darbar raga, they executed ‘Paramananda,’ in Kedaram raga, composed by Swathi Thirunal. Not often heard, this rare composition stood out as an example of the wide repertoire of the artistes.
The swarakalpana at the end of this kirtanam showcased their expertise in extempore singing, which is the key of Carnatic music.
Their rendition of the ‘Shiva Shiva Yenarada’ on the eve of Mahashivaratri was appropriate. This composition of saint Thyagaraja in Pantuvarali raga, was rendered with beautiful raga alapana, niraval and varied swarakalpana.
Tributes to Lord Shiva
Most of the songs rendered at the Concert were a tribute to Lord Shiva.
Ranjani and Gayatri rendered ‘Thyagaraja Yoga Vaibhavam’ in Anandabhairavai raga, another kirtanam on Lord Shiva composed by Muthuswami Dikshitar.
The sisters presented this in a very melodious style bringing the lyrics alive with raga bhavam. The speciality of this kriti is its Yati patterns, which represent the way in which the composition is set in a tala.
Dikshitar had followed ‘Gopuchchayati’ pattern in this kriti, in which the words, wider in the beginning, become shorter, like a cow’s tail. (Gopucha means tail of a cow).
Their rendition of Purandara Dasa Krithi, Yenu Madi in Hindolam and the tukda section included the evergreen Annamacharya Sankirtana ‘Nanatibratuku’ in Revathi ragam. This was followed by a ‘Viruttam’ and ‘Eppovaruvaro.’
Pentatonic Scale
Mohanam ragam was the main piece of the evening with Gayatri portraying the depth and width of this pentatonic scale. The famous ‘Kapali’ by Papanasam Sivan was given its due. It was a captivating number, making us feel that Kapaleeswarar had come from Mylapore to Auckland to bless his devotees.
The artistes presented ‘MaravairiRamani,’ a Devi sthuti (composed by Thyagaraja in Nasikabhushani raga) with proficiency.
‘Ragam Tanam Pallavi’ is a major feature of a Carnatic music recital.
Ranjani and Gayatri chose Kiravani ragam, set in a difficult tempo Tisra Jathi Rupaka tala in Misra Nada (seven notes per beat), and executed with a high note of professionalism.
The pallavi line, ‘Sabesane, Thillai Vaazh Natarajane, unnai naadi, paadi vandhen’ was again dedicated to the deity of the day.
Special features
Another noteworthy feature at this point of the concert was the Ragamalika sung in pallavi with ragas such as Bhouli, Hindolavasantha, Brindavani and Jog.
They concluded their Auckland recital with a Tillana, which was also a rare composition in Janjhooti ragam, composed by Jaya Chamarajendra Wodeyar, former Maharaja of the former princely State of Mysore.
A noteworthy feature of their singing was the rendition of all the ragas with clarity of notes clubbed with expression.
H N Bhaskar and Delhi Sairam accompanied them respectively on violin and Mridangam.
The violin artiste stood up to the levels of the singers in all aspects. He followed them without overwhelming which is a quality of a good accompaniment.
Mr Sairam was equally talented. His ‘Taniyavartanam’ kept the listeners on their toes. The concert was organised by Rasikas NZ and Sangeetha Bharathi School.
Padma Govardhan is a professional singer, a music teacher and Principal of the Sangeetha Bharathi School. She can be contacted on (09) 6245922
