Sometimes, it’s hard to choose between a violin duet and a vocal duel of the Akkarai Sisters, but on Monday, it was easy. Their violin concert for MadRasana Virtual Festival 2020 was a veritable two-in-one in which they literally sang through their violins, often living it up in expressions and speeds that the normal human voice may not easily able to match.
An attractive feature of the Sisters’ vocal duets is the difference in the timbre and tone of their voices and the dynamics that it creates. They bring the same tonal contrast to their violin duets too. While Subhalakshmi, the older of the two, retains her mid-range on the violin, Sornalatha prefers the bass sound. So when they began the concert with ‘Annaiye’, a Tamil composition by their grandfather Suchindram S.P. Sivasubramaniam in Amritavarshini, what stood out, along with the expressive beginning in medium tempo, were the sounds of their instrument. Soon, they began cavorting in three speeds that ended in a crescendo, co-created with the percussionists Sai Giridhar (mridangam) and S. Krishna (ghatam).
Brisk sangathis
What followed was a more commonly heard, ‘Shri Saraswathi Namosthuthe’ (Arabhi) by Muthuswami Dikshitar praising the virtues of goddess Saraswati. The attractive element of this rendition was the brisk alternation of sangathis and notes. Arabhi, that’s energetic even otherwise, sounded more animated, yet devotional. In both the songs, Subhalakshmi took the lead.
An upbeat mood in a concert sets the stage for a little introspection and soul-searching. And what better raga than a stately Bhairavi? This time, it was Sornalatha’s turn. She was fastidiously truthful to the gamakas and variations that add to the might and beauty of Bhairavi and its quintessentially Carnatic flavour. Her phrases painted the raga in all its majesty. Subhalakshmi joined her in the kriti, ‘Lalithe Sri Praviddhe’ by Tyagaraja. It was a nuanced and detailed rendition in which the dynamics they generated as they alternated phrases and notes were a value addition. Another example of how orchestral work can make regular compositions experientially different and more colourful.
The highpoint of the concert was the Ragam Tanam Pallavi (RTP) in a rarely-heard Rishabhapriya. After a quick Nilambari (‘Brovavamma’ by Syama Sastri) to change gears, the Sisters settled into the RTP. A 13-minute alapana may be a luxury in the shorter format, but Subhalakshmi, who took the lead to portray the raga, brought out its intriguing quality. I have always found Rishabhapriya to be a bit arty and intellectual, probably because of the judicious use of gamakas and the straighter sounding notes, but that was the essence of Subhalakshmi’s painstaking alapana. The pallavi was ‘Parama Siva Neelakanta Vaidyanatha Mampahi,’ composed by the sisters as a prayer to fight the pandemic. The pallavi was followed by a marathon ragamalika in which they presented 20-odd ragas in quick succession alternately on their violins. Towards the end, the ragas changed in a flash — probably in five notes or so — leaving the virtual audience with no time to guess. Still, many could identify ragas such as Nattakurinji, Ranjani, Bahudari, Hemavathi, Poornachandrika, Nalinakanti, Saramathi, Sriranjani, Janaranjani, Valachi, Saranga, Kalavathi, Vasantha, Sri, Revathi, Sumanesa and so on. They ended the concert with a Lalgudi thillana in Sindhu Bhairavi.
In fact, it’s not difficult to summarise the experience of the concert because what was on display was depth of musical wisdom and mastery over the instrument. The double-bowing and cut bows that Subhalakshmi throws in reminds me of Western violinists and the understated (mathematical) improvisational prowess of Sornalatha harks back to seasoned musicians. The result was orchestral precision.
The contribution of Sai Giridhar and S. Krishna on rhythms was immensely valuable too, as they played to elevate the central piece and maintain a soothing laya. Giridhar added considerable melodic beauty by employing a lot of bass and gumkis. In fact, he was not accompanying them, but was in a conversation in which Krishna also seamlessly joined.
To summarise, a sprightly concert with a great mix of songs, languages and composers that showed how even a small ensemble can create an orchestral storm within the classical confines of Carnatic music. MadRasana’s production design created the right aesthetic, while their top class production values made the experience truly immersive.