Reviews
Margazhi Concert Review - Ranjani & Gayatri

Harmony and Nuance: Ranjani and Gayatri in Concert
Evocative, embellished, and nuanced are words that crop up when we listen to vidushis Ranjani and Gayatri. Their recent Krishna Gana Sabha concert on 22 December 2024 was true to style and they raised the presentation to a higher plane with a ragam-tanam-pallavi in Gangeyabhushani.
Accompanying them were L.Ramakrishnan
(violin), Delhi Sairam (mridangam), and K.V.Gopalakrishnan (khanjira).
The Margazhi flavour was to the fore as the duo began
with Koodarai Vellum Seer Govinda
(Poorvi Kalyani), the Tiruppavai that
struck a chord with listeners as it is the season. The sublime pace and
swaraprasthara to this song added flavour.
Next, Ranjani sketched Mukhari alapana, deftly weaving in
the innovative phrasings of the raga. While L Ramakrishnan played a succinct
Mukhari essay, one must emphasise that he enhanced every raga elaboration as
well as creative suite with expertise and taste throughout the concert. The
kriti Sangeeta sastra gnanamu
(Mukhari, Tyagaraja) bristled with emotional appeal and rasa bhava as the
singers began niraval-swaram at the line Prema
bhakti sujana vathsalyamu. The audience especially enjoyed Gayatri’s
imaginative inputs in the upper octave sancharas during this module.
Following this was the kriti Jambhupate mam pahi (Yamuna Kalyani, Muthuswami Dikshitar). The
performers raised the ante with the melodic and Hindustani musical overtones
that this raga evokes often. This invocation of Siva, the Panchalinga Bhoota
prabu, whose temple is famous in Thiruvanaikaval was evocative.
It was time then for launching one of the major
presentations of the concert. After Ranjani laid the foundation for a
Chakravagam raga elaboration, Gayatri followed suit rounding off the
proceedings by giving an the immersive feel to the raga. The kriti Yadukula Tilaka (Chakravagam,
Garbapurivasa) culminated in a slow and fast swara suite, where the duo brought
in a beautiful, creative grahabedam at the madhyamam. As they
alternated in swara singing in Chakravagam, a grand korvai completed the
colourful creativity that was a lesson in spontaneity. When grahabedam is done at Madhyamam in raga Chakravagam, it brings up
raga Sarasangi, Gayatri said
Delhi Sairam on the mridangam and K.V.Gopalakrishnan on
the khanjira then launched a tani avartanam full of intricacies that gave the
listeners the feeling of a neatly packaged tala elaboration.
A filler, Oothukkadu Venkatakavi’s Velli nilavinile (Athana) breezed in before the pallavi.
Pallavi in Gangeyabhushani
The most impressive part was the concluding ragam-tanam-pallavi and tukkada section followed. While the raga essay flowed richly from the duo with the aesthetics of melakarta Gangeyabhushani, the pallavi that they took up in this raga Yevvare Ramayya Raghukula tilaka avanitha manohara nee sari (tisra jati Ata tala) was high on emotional and intellectual appeal. During the ragamalika swara segment of the pallavi, the vocalists skillfully juxtaposed the ragas Sri Ranjani and Bagesri, creating an engaging interplay that captivated the audience and drew spontaneous applause.
Tukkada
In conclusion,
Ranjani and Gayatri presented a viruttam by Kalamega Pulavar, vividly
expressing the devotee’s profound bhakti towards Siva and Vishnu. The
ragamalika treatment of the viruttam showcased a tapestry of ragas, including
Maand, adding depth and texture to the rendition. This served as a prelude to
the Ambujam Krishna kriti, Hariharanai Nidam (ragamalika).
The recital concluded
on a high note with a soulful Namdev abhang, leaving a lasting impression on
the audience.
by
Renuka Suryanarayan
(The author who holds a doctorate in journalism from Ohio University, USA, worked as professor of journalism at California State University in Los Angeles. She is also a Carnatic musician.)
pc: Akira Io