ENTRANCING

An Appraisal

Following are extracts from the music review column of S.V. SESHADRI, writing as Aeolus', in Shankar's Weekly, Delhi, of 1 August 1971. Pinakapani conceives of music as an involved introspection, and expresses it in a pattern of arabesques which weave and intertwine in an amazingnumber of loops and knots. Pretty soon the different strands are lost sight of and only the mesh remains.Pinakapani's Todi had a tremendous impact, being presented in the linear model a la nagaswaram. In spite of the fact that Pinakapani has learnt music under Rangaramanuja Ayyangar, there is not much to remind one of the veena in his style of singing. There is more in it of the nagaswaram, and even there, more of Rajarathnam than of any other.Pinakapani's music is like Mrs. Bloom's soliloquy in Joyce's novel. It is a monologue with a diffuse commentary on a variety of moods and feelings. The feelings run into one another, the moods are super imposed on each other.Pinakapani's music winds around him like a nebula. It is perhaps this quality that gave to his Todi an added dimension. One is so often accustomed to hearing Todi as a class-room declamation, that it was refreshingly different to hear it being presented like a monologue incorporating the most quaint and indirect comments that you could come across.The Bhairavi was equally engaging, though not so excellent as the Todi. Pinakapani's enunciation of the swara and sahitya of Syama Sastry's swarajati, in the mandra sthayi, was particularly beautiful with its overtones of calm certitude and profound peace. The concert had another weighty item in the Saveri padam Lemaro. Both the raga and the song seemed to be especially suited to the Pinakapani style of introspective arabesque weaving.