 Great expressions of Ganesh, Kumaresh
 'Xpressions', a unique event by violin virtuosos Ganesh and Kumaresh, captured the quintessence of contemporary music on May 27 at Narada Gana Sabha in Chennai. The passion for seven notes made the brothers embark on this musical expedition. They were accompanied by an array of youthful talent who played in tandem.
The synthesis of Carnatic and Western music had melodic confluence of styles. Keith Peters, a veteran guitarist, is no stranger to us. Arun Kumar on drums was able to convey the rhythm of life in different altitudes.
Patri Satish Kumar on mridangam was tunefully vivifying and energetic. Vivacious Shyam on keyboard strongly supported the team. Ravichandra, the flautist, regaled the audience with his melody.
The team began their concert with raga Hamsadhwani. The shift from Carnatic to Western was discernible. They dealt with a wide variety of rasas to give expression to various emotions. In the following piece, Sarasangi, the flautist brought out the contours of the raga vividly. Verses from Patanjali sutras were set to music by the brothers.
Besides playing the violin, Ganesh is also adept at singing. His soulful rendition of Patanjali hymns in Vasanta had melodic strains of bhakti. The cosmic dance of Lord Shiva was a well planned musical exercise.
The piece de resistance was raga Dhanyasi. The song in Dhanyasi was penned by Gangai Amaran. After a short alapana, Ganesh rendered this piece with élan.
The team presented an appreciable delineation of raga Kalyani. The cascade of swaras amalgamated various musical influences into its mould.
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Keith Peters |
The next piece was in raga Abheri. Naturally, it reminds us of the evergreen classic of Tyagaraja’s Nagu Momu. After the raga alapana, Ganesh started from saranam which cast a magical spell on the audience.
The Tillana in Bahudhari, their own creation, is a sprightly composition. It showcased their erudition which is personified in many spheres. Satish and Arun served up a tani to be
savoured.
The concluding piece in Desh was a bhajan. Keith Peters enthralled the audience with smooth flow of sensitive fingers on the frets. His pulsating numbers made the audience sway. There was nothing artificial or staccato.
The synchronisation of two musical streams reached a delightful crescendo which created an impressive musical collage. The music buffs enjoyed the seamless blend of genres.
Mira
mira60@rediff.com
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