N Rajam Radiant CD

The ability to successfully absorb external influences and at the same time retain one's own unique cultural identity has been a feature of Indian music history. Violin has played an active role in Indian music culture since the eighteenth century. Until N.Rajam first burst onto the music scene in the 1960's, it was employed mostly as an accompanying instrument, played in ensembles and orchestras or providing instrumental support for singers. She was responsible for introducing the vocal style, known as 'Gayaki ang' into the violin repertoire. Since then, this style of playing has become a great favourite with Indian classical music audiences.Dr.N.Rajam hails from a family, which boasts generations of great violin players, her brother; T N Krishnan is a well-known South Indian violinist. Her technique was inherited from her father Sr. Narayana Iyer, who encouraged his daughter to absorb influences of vocal music and the ancient string instrument the 'Veena' into her playing.Later, her yearning for self-development took her to the holy city of Benares, on the banks of the River Ganges, where she embarked on fifteen years of rigorous musical training under the guidance of legendary singer Omkarnath Thakur. As a devoted disciple, N.Rajam served out an invaluable apprenticeship, regularly accompanying her teacher on stage, echoing all of his subtle vocal nuances. Her guru encouraged her to approach music with utmost tenderness, love and humility; virtues which have characterised Rajam's playing for the last thirty years. Those who were lucky enough to have experienced the performances of Omkarnath Thakur speak of music of a high emotional intensity.She has been able to successfully adapt many varieties of vocal styles into her playing, namely khayal, thumri, tappa and bhajan, vocal styles with distinctive characteristics and traditions. It is the combination of these forms gives her music a sense of completeness. Her technique is the envy of violinists worldwide, and in India, as well as a popular performer, she is regarded as a musician's musician. In 1984, The Indian government recognised her service to music by honouring her with the 'Padmashree', one of the highest awards bestowed on any artist.This recording features a live performance given at the 2002 Saptak Music Festival.It begins with a rendition of the popular evening raga, Malkauns; which is stated in ancient texts, has being one of the six original ragas of Indian music. Deep, peaceful and sublime in character, it is a melody traditionally associated with the late night. Technically, it offers a particularly stiff challenge to violinists because it consists of only five notes, and the gaps between the notes on the neck of the violin are sizeable.The performance begins with a short alap section, a slow exposition of the main phrases of the raga establishing a spiritual mood, after which the tabla accompanist introduces a very slow rhythmic framework of twelve beats, a cycle which takes the best part of one minute to complete. Tracks 2 and 3 feature further compositions in the same raga, the tempo is increased and the improvisations become more intense and dynamic. In these compositions, the tabla accompanist gets an opportunity to demonstrate his virtuosity on the tabla, with a series of short improvised solos. Akram Khan is an able exponent of the Ajrara gharana, one of the six established schools of tabla playing, and has become a regular accompanist at Saptak.Thumri (track 4) is a romantic form deriving from the vocal music tradition, based usually on the themes of mystical love and the pain of separation. Khamaj is a typical raga appropriate for thumri because of its' emotional appeal. The composition is set to dadra, a rhythmic cycle of six beats. Nilambari (track 5) is a rarely performed raga, a favourite of N.Rajam's guru Omkarnath Thakur. Bhairavi (track 6) is a romantic, sentimental raga, with an element of sadness and is traditionally performed at the conclus