 |
His supportive accompaniment has inspired
the vocalist to further his efforts and accomplish something
more than what he is normally capable of. The master of Laya
that Lalgudi is , all the permutations and combinations, intrinsic
swara patterns and solfa finales fo the singer would without
the bat of an eyelid fine immaculate, impeccable answering
statements on the violin. Meeting the laya challenges of a
Simhanandana Pallavi, the superb pallavi efforts of Alathoor
Brothers and always confident of holding his own when the
percussion department as spearheaded by veterans of the likes
of Palghat Mani Iyer and Palani Subrmania Pillai become almost
routine. That he came through with flying colours is a euphemism.
The melodic quality in Lalgudi’s music is underlined
in his singularly, imaginative raga delineations. His involved
kriti renditions, in spite of the violin being only two dimensional
without the advantage of emotional lyrics, reflect the vidwan’s
absolute knowledge of the sahitya.
For example, in his song interpretaion of Tyagaraja’s
“ Bhavanutha” in Mohanam, the bow would give a
delicate stress to the syllable “ra” in the word
“ramimpumu” consciously avoiding the force on
the “na”in the previous word “hridayamuna”.
It is common occurrence that even a few vocalists sing he
words as “hridayamu naramimpunu”, a typical instance
of how if the drops are taken care of, the ocean will take
care of itself.
There are opinions voiced about Lalgudi’s concerts
being too meticulously planned and well organized at the risk
of spontaneity getting relegared to the sidelines. The other
isde of the frame is that no conscientious artiste who aims
at percentage perfection, will, in the name of spontaneity,
attempt experiments on the concert platform that may fall
flat, and thereby incur the disappointment of connoisseurs
who throng in anticipation of the finished professional product,
not the half baked one.
Another artist supreme who has such a titanic commitment to
perfect presentations is M.S.Subbulakshmi who, in her long
innings, hardly ever came unprepared for her programmes, that
was why her concerts became memorable. Impulsive experimentation
may at times lead to flawed display and flaw is a word which
is not included in Lalgudi’s musical lexicon. That the
luminous spark of spontaneity is an integral part of his artistry,
is well reinforced by his brilliant, on the spot responses
in the role of an accompanist to many noteworthy performers
spanning four generations.
|
- 
