Four artistes, recognized for his or her proficiency in several facets of music, can be honoured with the Sangita Kalanidhi this Season
Four artistes, recognized for his or her proficiency in several facets of music, can be honoured with the Sangita Kalanidhi this Season
Every yr music aficionados wait with bated breath to know which musician has been chosen for the Sangita Kalanidhi. Since its inception in 1942, the award has been thought-about the very best accolade for a Carnatic musician. Also, over the many years, the recipients have been stalwart performers with a definite fashion and devoted following. So the Music Academy’s current announcement about honouring 4 artistes this Season has infused a brand new power into the music world, hit arduous by the pandemic. As for the rasikas, they’re wanting ahead to an in-person December Music Season after a two-year hole.
Neyveli Santhanagopalan
Vocalist, trainer and composer Neyveli Santhanagopalan, Sangita Kalanidhi for the yr 2020, is understood for his emphasis on purity of nada. He was initiated into music by his mom Jayalakshmi Ammal. He later honed his abilities underneath Madurai T.N. Seshagopalan.
Also an exponent of the veena, the gayaki fashion comes by in his taking part in. Proficient within the percussion devices too, Santhanagopalan is common amongst audiences of ‘SaRiGaMaPa’ on Jaya TV, the place he guided younger individuals. His daughter and disciple Sriranjani, following in his footsteps, is carving a distinct segment for herself.
A critic described his Bhairavi alapana, stylish, partly delivered in closed-mouth fashion, Santhanagopalan’s hallmark. He typically experiments with swara sequences, as an example whereas singing the composition ‘Prathayaksha parameswara’ on Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati in raga Poorna Chandrika, he adorns the chittaswara with elegant swaras. His crisp swaraprastaras in ‘Tatvamariya tarama’ in Ritigowla and ‘Umaiyur bhagane’ in Nattai are much-appreciated too. So additionally the niraval on the charanam line, ‘Alarmelmangai manala, ambuja nabha dayala’ within the Latangi piece, ‘Venkata ramana’. An artiste who appeals to the cognoscenti, in current occasions, Santhanagopalan has been performing within the morning slots throughout the Season, and letting the viewers expertise the bliss of Margazhi morning ragas.
His ardour for Tamil is clear from his rendering of Thiruppugazh and Divya Prabandham at his live shows. A specialist in Papanasam Sivan songs, Santhanagopalan’s experience in manodharma sangeetham involves the fore at any time when he experiments with swara sequence. Despite being a trainer, who believes in conventional values, he’s most likely among the many first to make use of trendy know-how in coaching college students.
Neyveli Santhanagopalan
| Photo Credit: V.V. Krishnan
Tiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam
According to Tyagaraja’s Sriranjani kriti ‘Sogasuga mridanga talamu jata gurcchi ninnu sokkajeyu dheerudevvado’, the true spirit of music will get conveyed to god solely when the kriti is accompanied by mridangam and tala. Sangita Kalanidhi for 2021 goes to Tiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam for mridangam. He had his gurukulavasam coaching underneath his maternal uncle Tiruvarur Krishnamurthy and began accompanying musicians from a really younger age. He has criss-crossed the continents for performances and has disciples all around the world. Bhaktavatsalam, although belonging to the Thanjavur fashion, developed his personal distinctive means of accompanying, which made ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) take him on a world tour.
He had the uncommon privilege of taking part in on the opening ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympic Games held in Barcelona, Spain. He was conferred the title ‘Mridanga Vadhya Mani’ by Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati.
On the event of the 68th birthday celebrations of Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swami in May 2010, Bhaktavatsalam made a uncommon musical presentation, ‘Laya madhura mridanga yagna’, with 108 mridangam artistes dedicating a brand new raga Sachidananda to the Swamiji. The raga is woven across the 4 notes sa, ga, pa, and da representing 4 rhythmic cycles — chatusram, tisram, khandam and misram. Four korvais had been additionally offered. Due recognition got here within the type of inclusion within the Limca Book of Records. He has additionally led an ensemble that includes 76 mridangam artistes in Kanchipuram. In February 2019, he was invited by tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain for a tribute efficiency in reminiscence of Ustad Alla Rakha.
Bhaktavatsalam is the founder-director of the Laya Madhura college of music, which imparts systematic coaching to younger lovers. His Laya Madura ensemble options conventional devices like nadaswaram, and flute. The annual Laya Madhura Sangeetha Utsavam he conducts in Chennai, honours Carnatic music veterans. He is the secretary of the Mummoorthigal competition held yearly on the Tyagarajaswamy temple, Tiruvarur. He has carried out in various fund-raising live shows for social and nationwide causes such because the Kargil Fund, Sankara Nethralaya, Cancer Society and extra. He is understood for his lec-dems organised for the youth by SPIC MACAY.
Tiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam
| Photo Credit: R. Ravindran
G.J.R. Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi.
Sangita Kalanidhi 2022 goes to violinists Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi. Their father Lalgudi Jayaraman, direct descendant of the Tyagaraja sishya parampara, was an distinctive performer, lyricist, composer and trainer, all rolled into one.
Jayaraman’s nice grandfather Rama Iyer learnt on the toes of Tyagaraja, who had visited Lalgudi, and sang in reward of the deity there. Jayaraman’s father, Gopala Iyer, was a vidwan and composer. Remember the Mohana Kalyani piece ‘Thamadham thagadhu aiya’?
Lalgudi Jayaraman established his personal bani and composed kritis, thillanas and varnams and dance items mixing raga, bhava, tala,and lyrics. In 1966, he launched a brand new idea of musical ensemble with violin, venu and veena.
Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi have taken this legacy ahead even whereas creating their very own distinct area. When the trio — father, son and daughter — carried out on the dais, the viewers felt the resonance of chic music. They had been the primary to provoke Ragamalika swaraprastara on the live performance platform. ‘Sukhi evvaro’ in Kanada, ‘Sollavallayo’ in Ragamalika, ‘Sringara lahari’ in Nilambari, and ‘Santhamu leka’ in Sama are among the many many items that left a deep affect. In the tukkadas part, their taking part in of Bharati’s ‘Theeradha vilayattu pillai’, notably the phrase ‘kallal mayanguvathu pole’, was a celebration of each poetry and music.
When the Lalgudis carried out, it introduced alive Periyazhwar’s description of Krishna’s music that had a mesmerising impact on Nature.
The siblings have imbibed their father’s impeccable approach and the proper mix of rhythm and melody. Pt. Ravishankar, an admirer of Lalgudi Jayaraman, informed Vijayalakshmi in 2015, “Your music has touched my soul.” Their bani comes closest to the gayaki fashion.
Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi, who’re additionally composers, have participated in jugalbandis with Hindustani musicians. They have carried out throughout the globe showcasing effective aesthetic sense, laya prowess, and ideal understanding.
The Chennai-based writers are Carnatic music connoisseurs
Source: www.thehindu.com
