One of the great musicians, Prof. According to Sambamurthy, a raga is a musical organism that keeps on evolving. Just as a raga is nurtured by great musicians, it gradually attains its full stature. They ensure that only defense uses are kept. Many musicians, composers and scholars have contributed to the establishment of a raga in the music world.
There are specific expressions and rasa that a raga produces in the listener. Some ragas by their very nature allow you to experience many rasas. Blessings are one such. Although Bhakti Rasa is predominant, Raga also evokes compassion and compassion. Artery presents Dhanyasi’s discovery in the seventh episode of the magnum opus, which is dedicated to the late TN Krishnan with Ashwath Narayanan as the cast. Ashwath carefully follows in the footsteps of his mentor KV Narayanaswamy and now Padma Narayanaswamy. On the other hand, who can forget the special ‘Balakrishnan Padmalar’ (Papanasam Sivan) of KVN.
Dhanyasi is a Jana Raga of Hanumantodi, the eighth Melakarta. It is an Audava-complete raga, consisting of five notes in aarohana and all seven notes in arohanam. Ashwath crossed the octave with ease in his 15-minute alpana.
He presented a judicious mix of Vilamba, Madhyama and Dhuritha art experimentation to bring out the multiple shades of the raga, which was reinforced by the strong Pidi. The rich tone of his voice put him in good stead. Interpretation was handled with imagery, style and clear phrasing. Ale. Ramakrishnan, senior violinist A. Kanyakumari’s disciple, Ashwatha remained within the depiction, even while revealing his ingenuity.
After the spectacular Alapana, Ashwath rendered a tanam, well conceived and brilliantly executed. Ramakrishnan brought out the unique nuances of Dhanyasi in his play. Till now, along with the cast, the virtual audience was deeply immersed in Dhanyaasi and its unique charm.
Thereafter, Ashwath rendered ‘Meena Lochna Brova’, Shyama Shastri’s solo accompaniment work, which sets the composer’s favorite Mishra Chapu Taal in a soothing tempo.
In the third phase there was a vast void, ‘Samaj Gamana’. The all-embracing melody culminated with a mix of melodious phrases and rhythmic patterns. In the Taal section, Sumesh Narayanan (Mridangam) and V Aniruddha Athreya (Kanjira) enrich the work with their support. His thani at Mishra Chapu, along the river Tisra, was as eloquent as it was aesthetic.
The concert is available on The Artery Records YouTube channel.
The Chennai-based writer specializes in Carnatic music.
.