Bhairavi and Malavi at BVB-Mini

[SabashBale]

N. Bhairavi (Vocal), N. Malavi (Vocal), S.P. Anantha Padmanabha (Violin), Kallidaikurichi S. Sivakumar (Mrdangam), Madipakkam Gopalakrishnan (Kanjira)
Monday, December 22nd, 2014 at 5:00 PM
Kartik Fine Arts
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan - Mini Hall (Chennai)
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Somehow I have a penchant for open-throated singers who can do uruttals and perattals with their voices and produce exquisite brikkas and podi sangathis. Bhairavi and Malavi fit right in. They sang a brilliant concert today at the BVB-mini. With an unusual start - Maa janaki, sung with neraval at Raja raja vara and swarams - they moved on to a sedate Dwijavanti after a short sketch of the raga. After a short filler (don't remember the song - haven't heard it before), the alap of Pantuvarali followed. The surprise was 'Ati nirupama sundarakara' with tempo variations in the kriti being mirrored in the superlatively sung swaras!
Another filler and then came the Abhogi RTP. It was an absolute treat! The alapana was shared and so was the comforting tanam. I guess a good singer knows when to pause - and the sisters pack quite a few pauses between their phrases in alapanas and tanams. The pallavi was the known "Mahima teliya tarama". Ragamalika swaras in Mohanam and Sivaranjani and then Revati and Brindavana saranga (or was it Brindavani?) - the concept being different ragas with the same swara syllables. The kuraippu was interestingly done with all of these ragas. A couple of short numbers and then "mazha penju onja madhiri irundadhu" - I mean it in a positive sense - because the entire hall reverberated with their gaatra saarerams. Again, they deserve far better patronage! May God bless them with a rewarding and scintillating musical career!!!

[HarishankarK]

Yes, they are too good and as you mentioned, they sing in the traditional full throated bani. Only one other artiste i know who sings that way is Dr. Subhashini Parthasarathy. Did you notice the way their voices are so much in sync.Everybody else sings in polished manner.
Wishing them very best of luck. They sing Rama Nataka krithis and Oothukadu krithis very often.

[devan]

Nisha rajagopal sings open throated.her Pallavi in academy was very good..