Noted vocalist Kankana Banerjee was at her best in the rendition of two khayals in Yaman Kalyan (set to jhoomra and teen taals) which is one of the best evening melodies. Her "bol alapas" and "taans" in the slow khayal were not only reposeful, but these fully brought out some of the subtle beauties of the raga, particularly with the use of the two "madhyams". The embellishments in the fast composition were scintillating and vigorous without taking away from the musicality of the recital. She concluded her performance with a composition in Desh the rendition of which was equally delightful.
The highlight of the three-day music and dance festival organised by the Kalyani Kala Kendra to pay homage to the queen ghazal, Begum Akhtar, was the enchanting vocal recital of Kankana Banerjee.
It was not merely enchanting, but was soaked in the best classical tradition. Her melodious voice was able to fetch innumerable nuances in Shud Kalyan and Sahana. Kankana harnessed this note to effect and highlighted its inherent beauty. Her Sahana was another notable achievement. Her greatest asset is the ability to blend aesthetics with virtuosity.
The last day's programme had commenced with Kankana Banerjee's excellent vocal recital. Kankana is one of the country's prominent vocalists and is not new to Delhi. In fact, she had participated in this festival last year also. Even so, she had a large appreciative audience, and her recital was full of form and freshness. Her opening vilambit khayal in Suddha Kalyan was an able exposition of this rather difficult evening melody. Kankana executed the task with considerable skill, both in the slow khayal and the brisk tarana. The delineation of the raga was systematic and embellishments had variety. She next enthralled the audience with a khayal in Shahana, set to madhya teentala, and a tarana in drut ek-tala. Apart from virtuosity, her powerful, melodious voice enabled her to spread the embellishments to the upper octave with perfect ease.
On the last day of the three-day Begum Akhtar Memorial Festival of Music and Dance organized by Kalyani Kala Kendra, Kankana Banerjee's hauntingly melodious songs entranced the audience. Her masterly trills and glides in different tones were marvellous. Ramzan Khan on the tabla and Mahmood Dholpuri on the harmonium meticulously reproduced every intricate taan or boltan, thus enhancing the lustre of her songs.
Much to the delight of the audience, she burst into songs with her renowned Guru, Pandit Pratap Narayan. They put something of their hearts into every note, as they sang two khayals in the traditional Mewati style.
We have heard Kankana Banerjee many times over the past ten years or so. What one, however, witnessed at this concert was a new Kankana. She has acquired greater sweetness, an enriched technique and a completely relaxed manner of delivery. Her smile competed with her music in capturing the hearts of the listeners. Kankana's exposition of "Shudh Kalyan" was notable for the manner in which she harnessed the wide range of her voice to create incredible patterns. One was inevitably reminded of Parveen Sultana, but Parveen's excursions into the top register though they are certainly not false notes. Kankana, on the contrary, sounds pleasant and musical when she dwells on the same notes. There is an effortless ease in her singing, which always seems to be relaxed.
Kankana's "taan" and "sargams" flowed smoothly that day. It was quite clear that she has been able to imbibe the spirit of Ustad Amir Khan, her Guru. She next expounded "sahana" and "adana" with considerable emotional impact.