The opening note – a ga – was born in the abstract region between chatusrudhi rishabham and sadharana gandharam, and since it also kissed the low ri, you would have bet your last shirt that a Varali was beginning to emerge from the stage. But presently the course of the alapana diffracted into multiple directions – as though into six different paths – and questions marks hung all over the audience. Gurucharan’s voice was clear as a crystal and as the alapana sparkled as one, the mystery around its identity was quite a teaser. At ga and ri it resembled Varali and at pa-da-ni, you would have sworn upon burning camphor that it was Vachaspathi. When the last notes dissolved into silence and most of the audience was no wiser than at the beginning, Gurucharan announced the name of the raga, in a rather low whisper, as though apologizing to the cognoscenti.
Shadvidhamargini! This is the 46th melakarta raga, the pratimadhyamam counterpart of the 10th melakarta Natakapriya. A familiar name to everyone, but heard very rarely in concert halls, certainly a raga that offers “ample scope for elaboration” (as Gurucharan did, God bless him) and it is one of the most enduring mysteries of our times as to why our musicians practice apartheid towards most of the ragas on the table.
Violinist Sanjeevi responded quite well. Presently, Thyagaraja swami’s Pahirama rung through the hall. It was a sweet, feature-rich rendition, complete with niraval and swaras. From start to finish, the Shadvidhamargini was a hit. Gurucharan’s ‘ma’ and ‘ni’ appeared in a downward sloping curve, like an eagle swooping upon fish.
It was a ticketed concert and with just the Shadvidhamargini the rasikas got multiple returns on their investment.
That it was going to be a successful concert was evident right at the outset, when Gurucharan sang the Bangla piece, Giriraja sutha tanaya, adorning the composition with a brilliant plume of kalpana swaras.
The concert was under the auspices of Asthika Samajam, where the accent on Bhakti. Bhakti bhava is an important component of music and if that is not there, there is little point in waking up early, taking a dip and smearing oneself with holy ash! The High Priests of Ritual and Form – what do they know of the bliss of bhakti. Thyagaraja swami said this, and Gurucharan said this, in the saints words. Teliyaleru Rama Bhakti maargamu……was brilliant.
Enter, the central piece. True to this ‘central’ slot, it was ‘Madhya’mavathi. The opening phrase had the raga’s signature. It was a long, detailed alapana, delivered with due flourish and some touches reminded the listener of Sanjay Subramanian. Then came Thyagaraja swami’s Rama Katha, duly niravalled at Bhamamani Janaki. Trivandrum Balaji and T V Vasan played a brief tani, after which the concert tailed off into a Tiruppavai (Andreyum ulagam in Sindhu Bhairavi), a Vruttam that flowed through Madhuvanthi, Behag and Karaharapriya which segued into Nilakanta Sivan’s Navasidhi Petralum and a tillana in Bageshri.
Sikkil Gurucharan. If you were a stock, I’d put all my money into you.
Shadvidhamargini! This is the 46th melakarta raga, the pratimadhyamam counterpart of the 10th melakarta Natakapriya. A familiar name to everyone, but heard very rarely in concert halls, certainly a raga that offers “ample scope for elaboration” (as Gurucharan did, God bless him) and it is one of the most enduring mysteries of our times as to why our musicians practice apartheid towards most of the ragas on the table.
Violinist Sanjeevi responded quite well. Presently, Thyagaraja swami’s Pahirama rung through the hall. It was a sweet, feature-rich rendition, complete with niraval and swaras. From start to finish, the Shadvidhamargini was a hit. Gurucharan’s ‘ma’ and ‘ni’ appeared in a downward sloping curve, like an eagle swooping upon fish.
It was a ticketed concert and with just the Shadvidhamargini the rasikas got multiple returns on their investment.
That it was going to be a successful concert was evident right at the outset, when Gurucharan sang the Bangla piece, Giriraja sutha tanaya, adorning the composition with a brilliant plume of kalpana swaras.
The concert was under the auspices of Asthika Samajam, where the accent on Bhakti. Bhakti bhava is an important component of music and if that is not there, there is little point in waking up early, taking a dip and smearing oneself with holy ash! The High Priests of Ritual and Form – what do they know of the bliss of bhakti. Thyagaraja swami said this, and Gurucharan said this, in the saints words. Teliyaleru Rama Bhakti maargamu……was brilliant.
Enter, the central piece. True to this ‘central’ slot, it was ‘Madhya’mavathi. The opening phrase had the raga’s signature. It was a long, detailed alapana, delivered with due flourish and some touches reminded the listener of Sanjay Subramanian. Then came Thyagaraja swami’s Rama Katha, duly niravalled at Bhamamani Janaki. Trivandrum Balaji and T V Vasan played a brief tani, after which the concert tailed off into a Tiruppavai (Andreyum ulagam in Sindhu Bhairavi), a Vruttam that flowed through Madhuvanthi, Behag and Karaharapriya which segued into Nilakanta Sivan’s Navasidhi Petralum and a tillana in Bageshri.
Sikkil Gurucharan. If you were a stock, I’d put all my money into you.
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