The first step for a
successful concert is its thoughtful and planned structure and execution, so that the
audience would have no dull moment during the concert. Every one of Semmangudi's concerts
is well-planned. This does not mean that he prepares a list of items that he
intends to sing and meticulously adheres to it. He usually tells his disciples (who render
vocal support), the kritis that he proposes to sing at the concert and expects us to be
prepared with them. But almost always it so happens that he presents an entirely different
set of kritis at the concert. This happens in accordance with his form, the mood of the
audience and the accompanying artistes of the concert. His concerts usually open with a
piece in medium tempo with a short neraval and a few crisp rounds of kalpanaswaras, which
sets the tempo and the mood of the concert. Following this would be a less racy (2-kalai)
piece with kalpanaswaras in slow and fast tempos. Next would be a kriti with a
comparatively short raga-alapana. He thus builds up the concert towards the main piece, a
Ragam Tanam Palllavi (RTP) or a major kriti, with elaborate alapana, neraval,
kalpanaswaras etc. The concerts generally taper off with Javalis, Ragamalika slokas and a
Tillana.
An analysis of the content and composition of his concerts would be a highly interesting
and revealing study. They contain compositions of Tyagaraja, Dikshitar, Syama Sastri,
Swati Tirunal and other composers. In the concert, he ensures that kritis in ragas with
similar swaras do no follow in succession. A raga with Antara Gandhara would be followed
by one with Sadharana Gandhara, so that the audience does not feel any monotony. In order
to keep a close rapport with the audience, he always presents popular, well-known kritis
of the greats and includes only one or two rare compositions. Even the rare compositions,
because of his bhava-laden handling, attract the listeners who enjoy their freshness.
Besides, his concerts include compositions in all commonly used talas like Adi, Roopaka,
Misra and Khanda Chapu.
Another significant observation that could be made from the maestro's concerts, is the
great sense of proportion with which he handles raga-alapanas, neraval, kalpanaswaras etc.
The length of the raga delineations would be in consonance with the position of the piece
in the concert. Nowadays, it is often found that the first raga of the concert is rendered
elaborately with excessive kalpanaswaras. In this exercise, the concert may sag and the
audience, restive. It also happens that the RTP or the main kriti gets relegated to a
minor fifteen or twenty-minute ritualistic exercise. This kind of imbalance never occurs
in Semmangudi's concerts. The RTP or the main kriti of the concert has the prime place
with the right quantum of creativity. In longer concerts of 3-4 hour duration, he even
renders two major pieces and when accompanied by stalwart mridangists, with two Tani
Avartanams.
Kritis which have become very popular with his unparalleled rendition such as Marubalka
(Sriranjani), Ksheenamai (Mukhari) etc certainly find a place in his concerts as the
audience eagerly waits to hear them from him. Sri Semmangudi invariably follows the
traditional practice of rendering slokas in Ragamalika, with 3-4 ragas, towards the end.
His voice at this stage of the concert is so well-warmed up, that the ragas of the sloka
brim with bhava. It would be no exaggeration to say that there is none equal to him in
this.
The concerts of Sri Semmangudi have haunted the audience for many years and it would be
very hard to erase the effect of its loftiness from their memory. No wonder, they have
craved to listen to him the last seven decades and still look forward to this musical
feast!
V Subramanyam |
