The Mambalam Sisters feed on each other’s strengths to present an untouched and enjoyable experience
After performing together for a long time, Mambalam Sisters, Vijayalakshmi and Chitra fully understand each other’s strengths and personal expertise. His concert at the Navratri Sangeet ceremony of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan was marked by a pleasant and leisurely Kalapramanam from start to finish.
She displayed remarkable maturity in her handling of works and imagery, especially in Sankarabharanam, the main raga of the evening, with Vijayalakshmi revealing its grandeur through her imaginative approach. Shyama Shastri’s ‘Sarojdala Netri’ followed comfortably. In the Niraval and Kalpanaswara sections in the charanam line ‘Samagana Vinodini’, the sisters split and sang the swaraakshara and the occasional pancham varjita phrases adding beauty.
Another notable part of the concert is the Lalita Sahasranama meditation verse, ‘Sindurun Vigraham’, in Saveri and Dharmavati, sung individually by the sisters, followed by Dixit’s ‘Parandhamavathi Jayati’ in Dhamavati raga, as Dixit is known. was the preamble. school. In the Madhyama Kala Kalpanasvara phrase ‘Brahdisa Ranjani’, it was interesting to end the phrases in the matching permanent ‘sa’ with one of them and ‘ni’ in the other.
In Janranjani ‘Pahim Sri Rajarajeshwari’, a composition by Maha Vaidyanath Sivan, in the inaugural work, the sisters delve into an elaborate sequence of Kalpanasvara apart from the Chittaswaram which is a staple of the composition. This practice inspired his violinist-sister R. Hemalatha got a chance to show some creative flair at the beginning of the concert while Pungulam Subramaniam on Mridangam and G. Harihar was a perfect warm-up for Sarma.
spontaneous response
Hemlata’s spontaneity through the concert felt like a breath of fresh air, while the rivalry between the singers and percussionists in the Kalpanaswara section enhanced the musical experience. Choosing to perform Dixit’s ‘Kamalamba Prashanthum’ in Anandabhairavi without elaborate melody melody helped to sink into the layered songs. Tyagaraja’s ‘Dharini Telusukonti’ (Sudhasaveri, etc.) allowed both in a controlled, subdued tempo to detect some fine changes in accompaniment.
Subramaniam provided an embodied Tani Vartanam with Harihara Sarma. A rarely heard Tamil work by Harikasanallur Muttiah Bhagavatara, ‘Mavoor Valar Maharani’, in Jhonpuri, was a good choice for the later season of Thani.
The concert concluded with Thiruppugazh at Nattakurinji and Mangalam at Kedaram.
.