The Amrit Varsha Utsav streamed from New Delhi’s Triveni Sabhagar was organised to have a good time the seventy fifth birthday (September 8)of veteran vocalist Pt. Vidyadhar Vyas. That includes concert events, workshops and lec-dems, the two-day occasion introduced by Dr. Suneera Kasliwal concluded with Pt. Vidyadhar Vyas’ efficiency.
Groomed in guru-sishya parampara by his father Pt. Narayan Rao Vyas and uncle Pt. Shankar Rao Vyas — who had been the direct disciples of Pt. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar — Pt. Vidyadhar Vyas belongs to the Paluskar Parampara of Gwalior Gharana. Opening with Bageshri Kanada, one of many vital raags of his Gharana, Pt. Vyas rendered it in a method that established his credentials as a worthy heir of an illustrious legacy.
This was adopted by uncommon components such because the Trivat, a three-fold composition in Bhupali, culminating in spectacular pakhawaj bols. He concluded with the timeless ‘Chaturang’ in raga Sindhura. A four-part composition comprising the lyric, sargam, tarana and a Sanskrit sloka, composed by Pt. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, was introduced by Vyas with grace and hanging virtuosity.
Malhar competition
Dr. Deepti Bhalla, Dean, College of Music and Effective Arts, Delhi College, organised the annual Malhar Pageant on-line. With a superb mixture of vocal and instrumental, Hindustani and Carnatic, the two-day occasion featured well-known artistes and opened with a bunch rendition by the scholars of the music division. Carnatic vocalists Kanchana S. Sriranjani and Kanchana S. Shruthi Ranjani, often known as the Kanchana Sisters, chosen ragas corresponding to Amrita Vahini, Amrita Varshini, Varuna Priya and Megh-Malhar for the Malhar competition, specializing in monsoon ragas.
The Kanchana Sisters are identified for his or her ‘Avadhana Pallavis’, rendering advanced compositions whereas sustaining completely different talas in numerous nadais (tempo) on each arms concurrently. Initiated into music by their violinist-father Kanchana V. Subbarathnam, the sisters had been in a position to carry out completely different shades of the ragas moreover highlighting minute particulars concerning the ragas and lyrics they introduced.
Citing Valmiki’s ‘Kaale varshatu parjanyah’, for example, earlier than opening with ‘Maha Ganapatim’ in raga Amrit-Vahini, they defined that the composer Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar considered raga Amrita Vahini and the Bhairavi janya-raga kriti as a result of he was a Srividya devotee.
In addition they narrated the story of how Muthuswami Dikshitar created the raga Amritavarshini earlier than presenting his well-known composition ‘Anandamritakarshini’. Their well-planned swaraprastaras appealed as a lot for his or her rendering as for his or her phrasing.
Equally they narrated how Mysore Vasudevachar, a devotee of Lord Venkateswara, composed a kriti in raga Varunapriya to please the rain God as his hometown was reeling beneath drought. His singing introduced heavy rains.
The sisters had been in excellent sync. In addition they impressed the viewers with the usage of Western chords and counterpoints with one singing from shadja and the opposite from gandhara or panchamam on the identical time, earlier than concluding their live performance with a composition in Megh Malhar.
Pune-based Shashank Maktedar, a senior disciple of Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, opened his vocal recital with the normal Bada Khayal ‘Maan na kariye…’ in Gaud Malhar, leisurely exploring the contours of the raga, sustaining the sluggish tempo of Vilambit Teental.
The favored Chhota Khayal ‘Saiyan mora re…’ had refreshing spurts of aakar and bol-taans. The concluding Kafi bandish set to addha theka ‘Kaisi bijuri chamak rahi’ described the clouds, lightning and the rains.
The Carnatic veena recital by Shivani Yella, Head of the Veena Division, Tirupati College, eschewed the idea of monsoon and performed raga Subhapantuvarali equal to Hindustani Todi. The total-fledged Ragam-Tanam created the sombre atmosphere of the raga. Pt. Vinod Lele’s tabla solo, with a wealthy repertoire Benarasi Baaj, particularly his ‘Megh Paran’ was beautiful, however Pt. Vinay Mishra may have chosen a distinct number of Malhar for the lehera (musical chorus) on the harmonium, as a substitute of Miyan Malhar, which was rendered on the sitar by Ustad Sayeed Zafar Khan simply earlier than their efficiency.
The writer is a Hindustani
music critic.
