Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest |

A sublime affair

Right note An impressive performance by Chandrashekhar.

The solo violin concert by M. Chandrasekhar arranged by CSES last week was a sublime and grand recital adopted to the most elevated, majestic and moving tones. It was a royal flow of harmony, at once simple, meditative and profound. Chandrasekhar has invented a playing technique that calls for the full use of all fingers, including the thumb! The various movements, a calming peace during slow movements, an imaginative exuberance and massive force while in faster actions, speak of his brilliant skill; all the time, there is consistency and culmination of tradition. In the concert, the sublime gave in to the delightful, the dignified to the graceful and the grandeur to charmed elegance; the products had logic and structure; the audience had glimpses of forgotten treasures; it was an enchanting performance.

Take for instance the common raga Panthuvarali. The picture he projected and the interpretation of the landscape was something he perhaps himself has not noticed earlier. The way he enjoyed his own self is indicative of this façade. It was not a very long raga elaboration but what he did was phenomenal. The time measure of the associated krithi ninne namminanu was something out of the ordinary; so was the raga Abheri, where he touched prayogas untouched before. The slow rendering of the song, N agumomu, the neraval and the kalpanswaras, was a grand fete. Ravichandrika and Kadanakuthuhala (Raghuvamsasuda) are ragas specially suited to instrumental music, particularly the latter, as it has many English notes built in. The opportunity to play them was a blessed amusement for Chandrasekhar. Ananthudanuganu in jingla had technical workmanship while Nannupalimpa in mohana had thematic development: in both, there was perfect harmony. The latter might have more crowded details, but every detail contributed to the theme and a power of conception. There was a kind of sophistry in which he delighted to indulge himself. In listening to the song, Melukovayya, in pouli the audience were lulled to sleep. Nannupalimpa in mohana poured out spiritual burlesque.

It was the teamwork which put in tranquility. S. Balasubramanyam played support violin, M. Balaji was on the mridangam and Sethuraman on the kanjira. The percussion, in particular, was soft and soothing combined with learning. The contribution of kanjira was limited as the circumstances required it so. It was one of the grand performances in recent times.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail