Lessons in Harmony

A rare jugalbandi brought noted artistes Alarmel Valli and Bombay Jayashree together for a unique performance

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Alarmel Valli. (Express Photo by T Selvakumar)

It is a known fact that any successful collaborative work has, more often than not, has rested upon dignified restraint. So when two artistes of the stature of Bharatanatyam exponent Alarmel Valli and Carnatic classical singer Bombay Jayashree came together for a performance titled “See the Music, Hear the Dance”, one wondered if the two would be able to find that delicate balance between control and creativity, go beyond the obvious and get their audience to applaud in reverence and not compulsion. The two are titans in their respective fields and have received many accolades. While the former is all about visual rigour and precise performance, the latter is known to be faultless in technique as well as improvisation. So when the two performed together in a concert presented by Chennai-based organisation, Alaap, a stunning continuum of notes and movement breathed life onto Delhi-based Stein Auditorium’s stage.

The performance comprised five padams and javalis (ancient erotic, love poems) in a concert that was a tribute to the 100th centenary of musician T Muktha, one of the more significant representatives of the Veena Dhanammal bani and an artiste who specialised in rendering of padams and javalis. Muktha was also Valli’s music guru while Muktha’s grandmother, legendary T Balasaraswati was Valli’s dance guru. Jayashree did not enter this collaboration from that bani, which is an interesting bit.

Alarmel Valli performing alone with Bombay Jayashree. (Express Photo by T Selvakumar)

On a darkened stage, the lights came on and Valli, to life, while Jayashree rendered the alaapana. The unabashed eroticism of the padams and javalis, full of visual invention, came with immense innovation. Valli eased into the roles of a nayika with various temperaments — one who is crude and greedy and is furious with her lover for being duped of the promises of jewels, the other bereft and anguished about the fact that her beloved does not love her anymore, a confident one who is not afraid to vocalise her sexual desires, a mother trying to cajole her son and in turn calling out to the divine. The challenge of these pieces lay in interpretation and in terms of abhinaya, Valli nailed it, finding various permutations and combinations with a single idea to interpret the text and present the stories.

The pace of the concert was slow and measured, the bhaav intact and innovative, but it took Valli and Jayashree two pieces before they could acquire the harmony that sets great artistes apart. It came with Jaanro, a hauntingly beautiful piece in raag Khamas, which was the finest of the lot, something that gave us the illusion that Valli had become the notes. “The music I feel is even more eloquent than the text,” she said. The theme was an oft repeated one, of a woman asking her friend to tell her lover that her body and mind yearns for him. The pacing was superb, the sensuality in place and the subtext told with much dexterity.

The concluding piece in raag Bhairavi, showcased vatsalya and bhakti ras one after the other and was, by far, one of the more evocative pieces of the evening. From a mother calling out to her child to herself becoming a child calling out to the divine, the transition was effortless both musically and movement-wise. As Jayashree’s voice reached a crescendo, Valli’s clean lines brought alive what her teacher Mukthamma used to say, “see the music, hear the dance”.

“It was a joy to discover Jayashree’s adventurous spirit, and the fact that she was willing to share another artiste’s vision and enrich it,” said Valli about a journey that began a year ago. The two had already showcased the performance in Chennai before bringing it to Delhi.

suanshu.khurana@expressindia.com

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