INDIA – INDE T.N. Krishnan & Kumari Viji Krishnan – Classical Instrumental Violin – Inreco 2401

INDIA – INDE

T.N. Krishnan & Kumari Viji Krishnan – Classical Instrumental Violin – Inreco  2401 - 5050 A, released 1978 (LP)

The death of the brilliant Carnatic violinist Trippunithura Narayanaiyer Krishnan (1928–2020), aka Professor T. N. Krishnan, on October 6, 2020 marks the end of an era, depriving the world of one of the finest Indian musicians of the second half of the 20th century.

Krishnan prodigious talent was nurtured from an early age under the tutelage of his father violinist T. Narayana Iyer, (1896-?) and vocalist Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer (1908-2003). Krishnan rose to become the star accompanist to such legendary vocalists as Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar (1890-1967), Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar (1896-1974), Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer (1896-1970), G.N. Balasubramaniam (1910-1965), Madurai Mani Iyer (1912-1968), and M. D. Ramanathan (1923-1984) before pursuing a solo career most notable for highlighting the beauty of the Carnatic ragas.

We present this superbly lyrical 1978 album, with Krishnan playing alongside his daughter Vijiri Krishnan on violin, T.V. Gopalakrishnan (b. 1932) on mridangam and T.H. Vinayakaram (b. 1942) on ghatam, where, with his peerless bowing technique, this tireless promoter of Indian classical music over the last seven decades crafts a remarkable sound and melodic clarity to display his reflective, understated and expressive voice-like violin.

La mort du brillant violoniste Carnatic Trippunithura Narayanaiyer Krishnan (1928-2020), connu sous le nom Professor T.N. Krishnan, le 6 octobre 2020 marque la fin d'une époque et prive le monde de l'un des tout meilleurs musiciens indiens de la seconde moitié du 20e siècle.

Le talent prodigieux de T. N. Krishnan s'épanouit et se développa dès son plus jeune âge sous la tutelle de son père, le violoniste T. Narayana Iyer (1896-?), et du chanteur Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer (1908-2003). Il devint rapidement l'accompagnateur vedette de chanteurs légendaires tels Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar (1890-1967), Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar (1896-1974), Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer (1896-1970), G.N. Balasubramaniam (1910-1965), Madurai Mani Iyer (1912-1968) et M. D. Ramanathan (1923-1984), avant de poursuivre une carrière solo remarquable où il s’évertua à faire ressortir la beauté des ragas Carnatic.

Nous présentons maintenant ce superbe album lyrique de 1978, avec T. N. Krishnan jouant aux côtés de sa fille Vijiri Krishnan au violon, T.V. Gopalakrishnan (né en 1932) au mridangam et T.H. Vinayakaram (né en 1942) au ghatam, dans lequel ce chantre infatigable de la musique classique indienne au cours des sept dernières décennies façonne des sonorités et une clarté mélodique admirables grâce à sa technique d'archet incomparable qui lui permettaient d’exprimer un jeu de violon expressif, subtil et très vocal tout en retenue.

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Our other Carnatic violin posts:
T.N. Krishnan – SEDE 3609 Columbia, 1965 here
Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu – HMV EALP 1375 here
Lalgudi Jayaraman – HMV ECSD 2494, 1971 here
Lalgudi Jayaraman – HMV 7 EPE 1614, 1962 here

Photographs below are from the catalogue of the exhibition Rasa : Les Neufs Visages de l'Art Indien at the Grand Palais, 1986, and Art of India and Southeast Asia by Hugo Munsterberg, Abrams, 1970:

Lord Krishna dancing upon and subduing the serpent Kaliya.
Bronze,  Nilappadi, Tamil Nadu, 16th century.

Yakshi on gate of the Great Stupa, Sanchi. Sandstone, first century B.C.

The voluptuous body of a Yakshi tree spirit "symbolizes the fecund energy of nature, for her touch makes the tree burst into bloom. Combining the sensuous with the spiritual, they are uniquely Indian, for only in Indian art is there this intimate union between the world of physical beauty and the world of the spirit. To the Indian mind the dichotomy between the flesh and the spirit so deeply engrained in the Judeo-Christian heritage does not exist; in fact they are seen here as two aspects of the same reality."

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