Aishwarya Venkataraman - Violin
Vinod Venkataraman - Mrudangam
Srinivasan Govindarajan - Morsing
Duration: 2h 15min
Approximate Songlist:
01. varNam (R) - sahAna - Adi - PSI
02. samayAmitE - kEdAram - rUpakam
03. srI sundara rAjam (R, S) - pantuvarALi - Adi (2) - MD?
04. nenarunchi nAnu anniTiki - mALavi - Adi
05. samAnamEvaru (N @ paluku paluku, S) - kharaharapriya - rUpakam
06. vinanAsakoni - pratApavarALi - Adi
07. toli janma (R, S, T) - bilahari - miSra cApu
08. rAgam tAnam pallavi - chatur raga - Adi (2)
Pallavi: SankarAbharaNanai azhattODi vA kalyANi darbArukku
09. cidambaram pOinIr (?) - sAma - GB (from nandanAr caritram)
10. jagadOdhAraNa - kApi
11. vandAn vandAn - mOhanam - AK
12. tiruppugazh (?) - madhyamAvati
13. English Note - shankarAbharaNam - HMB
14. raghupati rAghava rAjArAm - miSra kApi ?!
15. mangaLam - sowrASTRam - Adi
Aishu set the tone for her concert with a beautiful alApanai of sahAna, covering all the important phrases and doing a polished finish with phrases like S,R R,G G,M DN,DP with an accent on the nishAdam. While I was expecting the usual karuNimpa, Aishu played a rare(r) Patnam varNam in sahAna, delivering the pUrvangam in two speeds and the uttarangam in the second speed only. This particular varNam seems to bring out a different side of sahAna, and I thought I heard some N-G or N-R glides that reminded me of nArAyaNagowLai at times. The varNam was played very nicely, with the second speed delivered with the subtle cut-bowing that is typical of the TNK school. Another Patnam composition followed - in kEdaram - and was also handled well, though I would have liked a short sketch of the ragam or kalpanaswaras to decorate the piece.
The first elaborate alApanai was taken in pantuvarALi. Here, I was especially impressed with Aishu's sensitivity in modulating the vallinam and mellinam in phrases to best communicate the rAga bhAvam. For instance, in certain phrases, she would play the concluding elongated notes like an oscillating N or M softly, enhancing the beauty of the phrase by emphasising the emotive content of the note. Her kArvai at the gandAram was also soft, giving a moment of tranquility before an avalanche of sangathis in the region. Aishu switched from the madhya stAyi to the mandra stAyi to play some TNK-esque patterns around the gandAram (centered around repeating phrases like GMPM-GMPM). The striking TNK technique of switching straight from the mandra stAyi to the tara stAyi was employed, with an evocative DDG,RNS taking Aishu to the tara shadjam with a beautiful glide from the dhaivatam to the gAndAram. Amidst the gamaka-filled alApanai came a plain descent of the scale with N D M G R S, which offered a pleasing contrast. After a brief glide to the atitAra shadjam, Aishu concluded the alApanai and began a composition I have never heard before. SrI sundararAjam was played very beautifully in vilamba kAlam, and it brought out quite a different pantuvarALi. Aishu played elaborate kalpanaswaras for this piece, and the kalpanaswaras were noteworthy for their 'poruttam' (how appropriately they fit the mood of the composition and how nicely they landed in the eDuppu). I especially enjoyed the S-P phrases Aishu employed here. The pantuvarALi was definitely one of the highlights of the evening.
Some vigour was injected into the proceedings with nenarunchi nAnu, played with exceptional clarity in a faster madhyama kAlam (the tempo here was good - fast enough to be invigourating; slow enough to let us appreciate each sangathi of this wonderful composition). Aishu then began the kharaharapriya krithi, but it sounded peculiar to hear this grand piece without an alApanai. Poor kharaharapriya seems to get shortchanged in this city quite a bit - I distinctly remember Pantula Rama eschewing neraval and swaras for cakkani rAja earlier this year. Anyway, the krithi itself was rendered fine, and a short and brisk neraval was performed at paluku paluku. Kalpanaswaras were played in two speeds, and I wish the first speed kalpanaswaras had continued for a while longer. Nevertheless, Aishu played just the arOhanam and avarOhanam of the ragam in first speed and in so doing demonstrated how even simple patterns can sound so charming when played or sung with good shruti alignment.
After a nice pratApavarALi (chittaiswaram composed by Prof. SRJ), Aishu played a brisk and concise bilahari ragam that only left me wanting more (unfortunately, I can count with the fingers of one hand how many times I've heard a bilahari rAgam live). Toli janma was played with kalpanaswaras in the mEl kAlam, concluding with a thani avarthanam.
Aishu then embarked on the RTP (requested by yours truly). Her SankarAbharaNam was filled with sowkhyam, and the excursion into the mandra stAyi was handled very sensitively. The tODi segment had a beautiful, long kArvai at the tAra shadjam while the kalyANi saw some beautiful phrases around the tAra gAndAram. As is unfortunately typical in this pallavi, darbAr was given short shrift (I'd really like to see someone give darbAr its due importance in this pallavi - I mean, without darbAr, where is kalyANi taking SankarAbharaNan?). The ragas were then played in reverse order with nearly seamless transitions. TAnam was then taken up in all four ragas, with the SankarAbharaNam tAnam containing some Western cross-string playing, and the tODi was also impressive. There were one or two minor slips in the rapid conclusion to the tAnam, but it was well done overall. Aishu then played the pallavi, and spent much of the time playing kalpanaswaras in SankarAbharaNam. The kalpanaswaras were very good, with adequate emphasis placed on both the gamaka-rich character of the ragam and the plain note patterns. To conclude the pallavi, Aishu played brief swaras in all the ragas, then in reverse order, ending again in SankarAbharaNam. The pallavi was definitely the highlight of the evening. However, as a friend mentioned later, the beauty of this pallavi is in the sAhityam incorporating all the ragas in a simple sentence. As such, Aishwarya should definitely have announced or sung the pallavi before playing it. And as a rule, I must emphasise that it is always a good idea for instrumentalists to sing neraval and pallavi lines (Narmada and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi do this admirably in their respective performances).
Of the tukkadas, the GB piece was played really beautifully, as was jagadOdhAraNa (a sketch would've been nice for the latter). I was hoping for a TNK finish with suruTTi, sindhu bhairavi, or nIlAmbari, but it was not to be.
I last saw Aishu play live in 2006, and she has come a long way since. I was impressed not only with her excellent bowing and fingering technique, but with her immaculate shruti alignment, which speaks volumes of the work she has put into her art. Aside from that, I am also impressed by the maturity Aishu has at this age. Her playing already has a lot of sowkhyam. From the concluding phrases in the sahAna alApanai to her use of all the octaves in pantuvarALi and SankarAbharaNam, to the tODi tAnam, her adherence to the TNK school not only in technique but in aesthetic was evident. Her training with Prof. SRJ has also expanded her repertoire considerably, resulting in the wonderfully varied fare we witnessed on Saturday evening.
Aishu's greatest challenge is to keep building on her manOdharma to inject into her music a degree of spontaneity that it sometimes lacks. The best way to accomplish this is to start accompanying regularly, which I do hope she does. Other than that...she just has to keep up the good work.
Vinod Venkataraman - Aishwarya's father - played beautifully on the mrudangam. There is obviously good rapport between father and daughter, and his anticipation for her sangathis and kalpanaswaras added considerably to the music. He played sensitively, never letting the percussion accompaniment regress into noise, and the thani avarthanam was short and sweet.
Srinivasan Govindarajan also accompanied well on the morsing. The morsing was given adequate volume and importance in the performance, and I was impressed by the rich tone of Srinivasan's morsing. His accompaniment to the krithis was apt, and his returns in the thani were also nice. His presence definitely elevated the recital.
In sum, it was a very good concert, and having listened to such young but mature musicians as Sriranjani Santhanagopalan and Aishwarya Venkataraman this year, I cannot but disagree with the people who are hastily declaring curtains on Carnatic Music.
