The king adds a new dimension to ragas

The most awaited concert of the season was that of the saxophone maestro, Dr Kadri Gopalnath which was held in the city recently. The concert was organised as part of Bengaluru International Arts Festival 2012 at the Chowdaiah Memorial Hall.

The palpable excitement of the audience could be felt even as the wide applause and appreciation from the music lovers welcomed the artiste on to the stage.

Speaking about the concert, Dr Kadri Gopalnath said, “I am participating in this music festival for the second time. Every artiste and of course, the audience must encourage such music festivals that take place in the city.”

As he began his performance, music lovers and connoisseurs were captivated with the vibrant start and the soothing flow of music. The artiste started the concert with the composition in Raag Bahudari, Smaramanasa Vigneshwara Though the alapana was brief, it brought out the profundity of the Raga in this particular rendition.

As the saxophone maestro played Bahudari raga, he tried to explore different nuances of this melodious Raga in each sangathi. Though, he played the Alapana for a short duration of time, the maestro was successful in unveiling the beauty of the Raga.

Dr Kadri Gopalnath mesmerised the audience with the scintillating swara prastaras. He then played a composition Raghu Vamsha, a popular Kriti by Patnam Subramanya Iyer. The audience enjoyed along with the artiste as he played the composition.

In each composition, he not only ensured the smooth flow of his creativity and the depth of the composition, but also giving an equal opportunity to violinist A Kanyakumari to exhibit her excellence in her rendition.

Later, the ace saxophonist chose to play the beautiful and soothing Hindola Raga with the composition Samaja Varagamana, composed by Saint Thyagaraja. The composition that is in praise of Lord Rama conveyed the emotions beautifully through his rendition. The excellent and methodical development of the Raga enthralled the audience. It seemed as if Kadri rendered the composition to please the Lord only. The presentation and progression of the Raga took the audience to a world of their own.

The flawless rendition by saxophone maestro was well supported by A Kanyakumari, the violin maestro. Kanyakumari’s versatility and excellence managed to captivate the audience’s attention by adding a new dimension to the Ragas.

Kadri Gopalnath then chose to play Krishna Nee Begane Baro in Yamankalyani, Tamburi Meetidava in Sindhubhairavi, Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma in Madyamavati Raga. The excellent merge of rhythm and melody was remarkable.

The melody of the saxophone and the harmony of the violin was intelligently and equally matched with the fine strokes of B Hari Kumar’s Mridangam, Pandit Rajendra Nakod’s Tabla, M R Manjunath’s Ghatam and B R Rajashekhar’s Morsing.

The artistes explored the essence of the composition as they played the Chathurashra Nade in the Adi Tala.