3 days ago
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The Music Academy became the signifier for a carefully-curated thematic performance by V. Subashri, dedicated to the compositions of Purandaradasa — a 16th-century saint-composer hailed crossed generations arsenic the Sangita Pitamaha.
Born Srinivasa Nayaka, a prosperous but tight-fisted moneylender successful Karnataka, helium transformed into a wandering saint-poet aft being moved by his wife’s heavy devotion to Vittala. Renouncing his wealth, helium went connected to constitute works marked by a uncommon extent and immersiveness. He did not constitute from specified piety, but arsenic idiosyncratic who wrestled with the grip of worldly life. That tension—between worldly attachment and spiritual surrender —echoes done galore of his kritis.
Subashri, accompanied by Mantha Sriramya connected the violin and Kaushik Sridhar connected the mridangam, opened her recital with ‘Sharanu siddhi vinayaka’ in Sowrashtram — an invocatory plea seeking Ganesha’s structure done the word sharanu (refuge, surrender). Purandaradasa often began his compositions with an enactment of surrender. Subashri acceptable the code without over-elaborating. The violin was restrained and Kaushik’s playing was cleanable successful sollu delivery.
‘Nimma bhagya doddadho’ in Begada followed. The kalpanaswaras were taken from Rama Nama — wrong the devotional framework of the piece. The violin contributed good successful the swara passages. The mridangam enactment was unhurried. The portion concluded with the Mudra charanam. The briga-rich ‘Dayamado ranga dayamado’ successful Kalyani sustained the concert’s momentum.
A brisk Atana alapana past introduced ‘Sakala graha balaneene’, providing a invited displacement successful the temper and energy. The niraval, astatine ‘Pakshi vahana deena’, saw the violin functioning astir arsenic an hold of the vocal line, responding with sensitivity to the contours of the phrase. Kalpanaswaras were concise and purposeful, that erstwhile again, was followed by the mudra charanam.
‘Rama rama rama rama rama enniro sita’ successful Vasanta moved rapidly done mel kala swaras, the mridangam registering the raga’s quality successful its tone.
Bhairavi formed the centrepiece of the concert. The alapana unfolded, traversing the raga’s expansive landscape. While immoderate dependable breaks were noticeable successful the little register, the wide exploration retained its affectional coherence. The creation ‘Odi barayya vaikunta pathi’ followed, with niraval astatine ‘Nodi mathadi’. The consequent kalpanaswaras were well-mounted, and the violin held its ain charm throughout. Kaushik Sridhar’s tani was earnest.
The concert’s last arc moved done the softly meditative satellite of ugabhogas: ‘Anuvige anuvagi’ successful Desh, and ‘Hari embodhe’ in Kalyana Vasantam and Durga, praising Hari crossed the shifting colours of the 2 ragas.
These led into ‘Mandamatiyu nanu’, a creation of frank self-deprecation and implicit surrender to Purandaravittala. It belongs to a agelong contented successful Bhakti poesy of the dasya disposition, the stance of the servant, wherever the devotee approaches the divine not with immoderate assertion to worthiness but with the bare information of longing. After the affectional value carried done the evening, it arrived with the unit of a quiescent conclusion.
The performance came to a adjacent with the celebrated ‘Bhagyada lakshmi baramma’ successful Madhyamavati. The assemblage received ’s readiness to person each of these with warmth spoke for Dasa’s enduring spot successful each Carnatic euphony listener’s philharmonic memory.
