Striking a chord
HARISH BAL
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Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan's concerts never fail to enthral his listeners. The one in Kochi was no exception.
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ROMANCING THE VIOLIN: Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan captivated the audience with his repertoire.
He is known for his towering talent, and no less is his on-stage charisma, image and mannerisms. When the silk-garbed Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan appeared on stage, expectations rose. The concert, organised by Dharani Society, Kochi, enthralled the audience and had them asking for more. Crisp alaapanas, a well-packed thaniyavarthanam and popular light numbers created an invigorating musical evening.
The sonorous timbre of his violin revealed the power of nada for the swaras of `Vathapiganapathim bhajeham.'
Dramatic effect
Alternate and joint bowing technique for the high notes heightened the dramatic effect. The essay on gandhara and key phrases painted a beautiful picture of Vachaspati raga and the Navaratri keertana of Swati Tirunal `Pahijagatjanani' ensued. `Raramainti' in Asaveri changed the mood to a more sober one. Interspersing his performance with anecdotes, he captivated his audience. There was not a single dull moment in the concert.
What rocked the audience was `Raghuvamshasudhambudhi' in Kathakuthoohala raga. The chittaswaras were played at the end. He gave a choice of three ragas to the audience, who chose Shanmukhapriya. `Vallinayakane,' a kriti by Harikesanalloor Muthayya Bhagavathar, was played. He highlighted the sober and serene shades of the raga.
Thaniyavarthanam was played as the percussionists presented a chorus to the pattern played by Kunnakudi.
Veterans like M. Ganapathi on the mridangam, T.K. Dakshinamurthy on the kanjira, Chennai Viswanathan on the ghatam and Srinivasulu on the tabla, managed to strike a chord with the maestro. For some time Kunnakudi played the violin as though it were a guitar, and even played gamakas by strumming on it. The audience went into raptures at these variations.
Popular tunes
Kunnakudi played popular tunes based on the ragamalika swaras. The artiste played as many as 10 songs in the last phase of his concert, and audience requests started pouring in for more and more.
`Alaipayuthe' (Kanada), `Nagumomuganale' (Abheri), `Krishna nee Begane' (Yamuna Kalyani), `Manasa sancharare' (Sama), were received well. The numbers that stood out were `Jo tum todo piya,' a Meera bhajan in Misra Malayamarutham, and the English note. `Harivarasanam' enthralled the listeners.
Another film song that he played was an old Malayalam number `Mamangam Palakuri kondadi' in Abhogi raga.
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