Instrumental interpretations of Rabindrasangeet continue to chart greener pastures. In Bhavna’s annual programme (Rabindra Sadan, May 4); Violin Brothers, leading a ten-member ensemble, sprang a pleasant surprise by presenting their interpretations of two of Tagore’s popular numbers: Barha asha kare esechhi and Klanti amaar kshama karo. Their imaginative use of counter melody was the most illustrious feature of the evening’s programme. Among those standing out was Rokeya Roy, evoking the thrilling climax of ‘Visarjan’ in seamless oratory, and Mohan Singh, conveying the easeful resignation of Amaar paran jaha chay in restrained dignity. Pabitra Sarkar made skillful use of his bass to recall the pall of gloom embedded in Sakali phuralo swapan pray .
Anshuman Bhowmick
The stage at Vivekananda Hall came alive with the tinkling of a thousand ghungroos of Ashimbandhu Bhattacharjee on May 18. The mood was set with flowers, incense and a portrait of Swami Vivekananda blessing the recital. The song Vande Mataram probably never saw as much meaning and variety as he gave it. The beauty also came from the different stanzas of the song being performed in different taals and in different layas. Like Pulkit Yamini was based on faster layas whereas the other stanzas of the song were set to the slower layas of teen taal. The recital was interspersed with dialogues to help even laymen appreciate the laya and taal intricacies. Ashimbandhu’s final act made for pure spiritual bliss.
Shibani Chattopadhyay
Painting 2006, an exhibition showcasing the works of both renowned and contemporary artists from Bengal, is on at the G.C. Laha Centenary Fine Arts Gallery till June 17. Interestingly, the diverse range of works ? for instance, Ananta Mondal’s Kolkata Times II and Rabin Mondal’s untitled ink on paper ? take the viewer by surprise because of their unconventional palettes. Nandadulal Mukherjee’s untitled metal enamel on steel is equally striking. The stark white lines add a primordial touch to Mukherjee’s work. A must-see is Radha by Suhash Roy. The soft pastel shades accentuate the lines of a woman’s face in Roy’s signature style. Some of the other artists whose works are on display include Arun Goswami, Biswajit Saha, Soumitra Kar and Tapan Mitra. Tirna Ray
