Lost in creativity
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A feeble voice and mechanical rendition hamper Usha Padmanabhana's singing skills.
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IN TUNE Usha Padmanabhana during her performance.
An artiste may be very competent, highly talented and knowledgeable but has more chances to make a poor impression in not presenting the art in the right way. The format of the concert, choice of the items, building tempo, communication with the audience, maintaining the holistic balance, above all, creativity, all contribute to the success of the concert. If Usha Padmanabhana's vocal concert under the aegis of Kalasagaram last week did not create the needed impact, this was the essential reason. A mechanical presentation of what has been learnt will not carry far; at least at moments the innovation must sparkle. The feeble voice was yet another handicap for Usha. The selection and succession of the ragas and the associated songs, their tempo and tedium of style sapped the thrill. The lack of nereval in desired proportion was desperately inadequate
Panthuvarali varnam failed to make the initial impact. Evarani in devamrithvarshji did start well but some of the sangathis in the charana were far removed from the established way. The alapana of mohana was too short for the the heavy krithi bhavanutha. The swarakalpana for the song was well choreographed. Surati came in at the wrong time and place although krithi sri venkatakirisha was well presented. Kaanavendamo of Shivan in sriramjani is a rich, emotion- packed song. Usha hurried through the song and the spirituality got a beating. Then again, Edukulahakboji found place at the incorrect time. The raga normally comes at the end of the concert in the form of a padam or jaavali. The krithi shankari of Shyamasatri was impressive. The easy way she tackled the tricky thala, adi with thisra nadai was admirable. In her neraval and swartakalapana for the song, she did credit to herself. The Tamil song that accompanied it felt bizarre to the audience Shanmukapriya was chosen for RTP.
Usha's frail feature is her alapana; it needs design and structure and creativity. However, she did some good for the raga and rendered the Pallavi set to Khanda jathi thriputa thalam with all sincerity. Dinakar on the violin was confident and helpful although it looked he overplayed at times. Ramachandran on the mridangam is good for an average kutcheri but when it becomes a little tricky in rhythm, he fumbles, as he did on the occasion while playing for the krithi in saveri.
A vocal exercise
The following day, Sowmya Srinivasan took part in a vocal concert. Peri Thyagaraju accompanied on the violin and Burra Srinivas on the mridangam. Sowmya has been under the tutelage of the stalwarts in Carnatic music and has chosen the best of the gurus. In the process, she has carved a style of her own. There is relaxation, attention to details and a mature complex of the format of a concert. The voice sadly lacks depth, so much so, the impact (azhutham) in presenting heavy krithis is missing. This is particularly obtrusive in her singing the alapana. The songs are well coined and neatly offered. In terms of manodharma sangitham, she is good in her neraval and swarakalpana is easy flowing. It is, however, made apparent that many of the prayogas (usage) are richly rehearsed and spontaneity is lacking. The alapana is well balanced but the articulation needs depth, chiefly in the lower octave.
The concert started with Begada varnam; the kalapramanam was rather too slow, even with the desire of rendering it in two speeds. Srimahaganapthe was a routine exercise. The item in ataana, Sakalagrahabala, was thumping, so was Chinnadena in kalanidhi. Parandamavathi in dharmavathi, pulled out from the archives, was a rare treat. In he elaborate alapana in thodi, the analysis needed more melody and display of raga Bhava; it went a little wayward. The selection of the song, Karunajoodvamma, was a brilliant choice. The song is one of the outstanding creations of metrical beauty and rhythmic ecstasy. This feature is admirably displayed in the pallavi itself with a strong aridi and the nadiai leading to it. Sowmya could have used this opportunity to make a strong impression of her strength in rhythmic mastery. Sriram in whose domain this feature falls was also pathetically docile. Sowmya did a reasonably good job. Instead of choosing the charana for swarakalpana, had she done at the pallavi, it would have been more imposing. The concert ended up with a RTP in shakarabharanam, set to khandajathi tripiuta thalam, which was the highlight of the concert. Both Sriram and Thyagaraju extended the required support.
B.R.C
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