Krishnan, Lalgudi G J R and Lalgudi J Vijayalakshmi - Bow to the Violins
SKU
08-FY8105
"The music of Southern India is in many ways just as interesting as that, better known to Western audiences, of the North. Among its most renowned exponents are the Lalgudi family, as anyone who has heard their last CD will undoubtedly testify, a recording that saw Lalgudi G Jayaraman reunited with his children Lalgudi G J R Krishnan and Lalgudi J Vijayalakshmi in an exceptional violin trio. The new CD features Lalgudi G J R Krishnan and his sister Lalgudi J Vijayalakshmi. On Bow to the Violins we hear the very essence Carnatic music, beginning with two tracks from the repertoire of Thyagaraja (1767-1847), a figure who in Southern India still inspires an almost saint-like reverence. Remarkable is the delicacy and refinement with which the Lalgudi duo rework his tapestries to draw out their subtle colours and timbral shadings, as is the steady rhythmic accompaniment provided by two highly accomplished percussionists, AS Shankar on ghatam and MV Chandler Shekar on mridangam. The music that explodes from Bow to the Violins is vibrant without being excessively showy and the Lalgudi duo are often highly inventive in the way they tackle tracks whose relatively short duration demands exceptional levels of concentration. While the Lalgudi siblings’ playing occasionally interpenetrates to the degree that it seems the work of a single musician, they also provide moments of contrast that only serve to underline even more clearly the beauty of the music they are making."