Rhythmic confluence

Rajeswari and Vyshnavie Sainath danced to the scintillating fusion of carnatic and jazz music

Rajeswari Sainath’s recital ‘A Collaboration with Australian Jazz – Oz India’ along with daughter Vyshnavie and disciples Sanjana and Sahanaat at Ravindra Bharathi was riveting to watch in terms of music and rhythm.

It was indeed testimony to Rajeswari’s mastery over laya to choreograph pieces like she did to just pure melody! The music by the Indian artistes and two Australian musicians, namely Adrian Sherriff (musical director, Australian Art Orchestra) and Marten Visser, and dance together proved to be a great treat for the rasikas.

In a collaboration which began in 1996 between Australian Art Orchestra and Karaikudi Mani, the renowned mridangam maestro and the dance component were introduced in 2003. Rajeswari Sainath’s recitals generally have complicatedly woven jatis, which are delightful to watch. For this performance at Ravindra Bharathi, Rajeswari presented different flavours – carnatic, jazz, and a combination of both.

The first piece was an invocation to Lord Ganesha in the beginning and followed by the Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu sloka with the highlight being Vyshnavie standing on one leg. Rajeswari was exquisite in her abhinaya and footwork in the second piece in Suddhasaveriraagam (a composition by Karaikudi Mani and BV Balasai), another piece Misrachaputaalam depicted how nature is lost in Krishna’s flute and how Radha longs to be united with her beloved Krishna.

The frolic of the fauna – particularly the deer – and the yearning of Radha were beautifully and tenderly portrayed by Rajeswari. Right from the entry to the end, the artiste was a picture of elegance, portraying the kaleidoscope of emotions effectively. The next piece in raagam Keeravani – a composition of Karaikudi Mani was adapted to dance for the first time and premiered in Hyderabad.

Vyshnavie danced with joy and abandon and was impressive with her various postures including stretching her feet while standing on her head! The piece included intricate rhythmic patterns which Vyshnavie danced to with ease. The presentation in Suddha Dhanyasiraagam, a composition of Adrian, a fusion, which followed was another stunning one. This had a slightly bucolic feel and there was use of the shakuhachi (played by Adrian).

The piece de resistance was ‘Into the Fire’ – Vasantha Pravaham –in Bahudari Ranjani and Revathiraagams. The grace of all the four dancers, scintillating steps and the rhythmic abandon were the high points. Adrian Sheriff’s konakol and later morsing was another highlight besides the percussion jugalbandi.

The suryanamaskar, a component added in Revathiraagam, as part of this Vasantha Pravaham performed by Rajeswari and Vyshnavie was serene and pious. There was a musical piece ‘Convergence’ – a pure jazz one by Adrian Sheriff and Marten Visser, followed by Raghupati Raghava Rajaram where Vyshnavie showcased some more sculpturesque postures.

It is important to mention the orchestra in this performance. Throughout the performance, they maintained a high standard and there was a symphonic feel at times. BV Raghavendra on the violin, Nagai Narayanan on the mridangam,

Srikanth on tabla and Srinivas on cymbals along with Adrian Sherriff on trombone, shakuhachi, morsing and Marten Visser on saxophone provided commendable support in the melody aspect. And with Rajeswari’s laudable choreography, which had some free movements as well, it was a performance worth viewing! Encore Rajeswari!

By:Radhika Rajamani