Yesudas’ Range and Mastery Mesmerizes Carnatic Music Lovers

Chicago IL: Padmabhushan KJ Yesudas was here again at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago (HTGC) on June 1, 2013, after exactly a year, to deliver a riveting three-hour Carnatic vocal concert that energized an audience of about 650 connoisseurs (rasika). He was accompanied by Jayashankar Balan on the violin, TS Nandakumar mridangam and Santosh Chandru ghatam. The evening, which stretched on due to insistent audience requests, left a delightfully indelible impression in the minds of critics, connoisseurs, and ordinary listeners alike.

After Vedic chants by HTGC temple priests Krishnaraj Bhat and Venkateshan Kurukkal, followed by Temple Board President Tilak Marwaha’s welcome address, the proceedings were well-handled by Fine Arts Committee Chair Usha Pariti and her team. The concert was conducted under the auspices of HTGC and Geetha Krishnan in honor of her mother Kalyani Krishnan.

After the deep customary “Om” chant, Yesudas sang the set composition (varnam) “Vanajaakshi” in ragam Kalyani. After a brisk yet lilting purely melodic exploration (alapanam) of ragam Hamsadhwani that effortlessly traversed all three octaves, he sang Muthuswami Dikishitar’s all-time favorite Vatapi Ganapathim. Yesudas fans are sure to own his Vatapi Ganapathim album that unfailingly transports the listener to a different world. This evening was reminiscent of those moments, especially the enjoyable neraval (extempore construction, elaboration, and improvisation of swaras for a particular line in the composition within the framework of a set rhythmic pattern) at the phrase “Pranava Swaroopa Vakra Thundam.” The sudden swoop to panchamam in the lower (mandra) register, then soaring back to the same note on the upper (taara) register, interesting swara patterns in slower and faster speeds and within a twenty-four beat cycle (adi tala tisra nadai) was indeed a 40-minute indulgence.

“Guruleka Yetuvanti” in Gauri Manohari was taken up next with neatly improvised permutations (prastara) of swaras blended with the underlying feeling (bhavam) of this raga, which needs a delicate touch. Swaras immersed in such bhavam are seldom heard in the concert arena today.

His fluid handling of the phrase “Veena Vaadana Loludou” in the Thyagaraja composition (kriti) “Mokshamu Galada” and of its ragam Saaramathi was masterful in its repeated variations (sangati) of tune and ornamentation. The devotion, poignancy, and philosophical connotations pouring out gave an ethereal experience to the audience.

After “Vara Narada” in ragam Vijayashree, Yesudas sang “Ksheera Sagara Shayana” in ragam Deva Gandhari. The percussion accompaniment interlacing rhythm and ragam was exemplary.

The evening’s highlight was a rich alluring alapana in ragam Bhairavi for Thyagaraja’s colossal “Upachaaramulanu.” The glides and micro intonations between Bhairavi’s two distinct dhaivatham notes beautifully captured the essence of the raga. The neraval on the phrase “Kapata naataka” and swaras were handled with rare erudition.

Yesudas regaled the audience throughout with humorous but pithy anecdotes. He gave pointers on how to learn Bhairavi, such as relentlessly adhering to its characteristic phrases (pidi) handed down by tradition (sampradaya). He shared his own moments of challenge while learning this ragam as a youngster, and suggested that instead of thinking of Natabhairavi, the enthusiastic student might imagine (melakarta raga) Jhankaaradhwani instead so as to hold the dhaivatham and nishaadam notes correctly for Bhairavi! Yesudas stressed the importance of guru-disciple relationship, disciplined conditioning of the voice through emotional and physical fitness, while placing strong emphasis on faithful dedication (shraddha). Thus the voice will traverse all four regions “Naabhi Hrid Kanta Rasanaa” (from navel, through heart and throat, to the tongue) and merge with the practitioner. The aspirant (sadhaka) needs to understand here that discipline, determination, dedication, and devotion will ultimately lead to deliverance through music.

After the delightful percussion-only exchange (tani avartanam) between mridangam and ghatam, Yesudas entertained the anticipative audience with devotional and light pieces. “Ennenjil Pallikondavan” in Kalyani, “Rajeeva Netraaya” in ragam Madhyamavathi, and the famous “Swami Ayyappa Swami Shabarigiri Swami” in Bhimpalasi. But a feast to the ear was the Malayalam song “Pramadavanam” in raga Jog, a 90s classic from the music director Raveendran. The artiste did not stop there because audience requests kept multiplying: he went on to sing “Jab Deep Jale Aana,” “Krishna Nee Begane Baaro,” “Mero Man Anath Kahaan” (Surdas Bhajan), the moving Sai song “Allah Malik,” “Ennavaram verenna varam,” and the timeless “Harivarasanam,” but was pressed for even more. At the ripe age of 73, Yesudas still has the voice, power, and energy of a 17-year old!

He continued with “Uyyaala Jhampaala,” a lullaby to Ayyappa. Violinist Jayashankar Balan gave excellent melodious accompaniment – he had a request number “Adisaya Ragam” from the Tamil movie Apoorva Raagangal, the favorite of yesteryear Tamil romantics. Yesudas sang “Tiruppaar Kadalil,” “Swagatham Krishna,” and the popular “Ellellu Sangeethave” from the Kannada movie Malayamarutha. The concert concluded with the traditional “auspicious” mangalam amidst a thunderous standing ovation.

What is joyfully different about Yesudas, aside from the lush bewitching voice, is his completely devotional approach that placed the art above the artiste. His talent for rendering songs in multiple languages cutting across multiple beliefs, race, and religion, a sincere effort to understand the meaning, clear lyrical pronunciation, a childlike enthusiasm to constantly learn, and all of this with total emotional involvement. Artistes like Yesudas are rare. Their gift to the masses is intangible. It can only be felt pulsing through the listener’s veins as was demonstrated at this concert: KJY’s “One religion one god” portrayal shone through brilliantly that evening, right into the hearts of the audience – everyone brought home a sliver of light!

Photo captions for Yesudas concert at HTGC Lemont on June 01, 2013 (in order of priority):
1) Yesudas in concert (L to R): TS Nandakumar (mridangam), Santosh Chandru (ghatam), KJ Yesudas, Hariharan Ravi (tanpura = drone), and Jayashankar Balan (violin).
2) KJ Yesudas immersed in his vocal recital at Lemont Hindu temple on June 1, 2013