Excellent sahitya bhava, perfect sruthi alignment and a yen for aesthetics made the vocal recital of Malladi Brothers, Sri Ram Prasad and Ravikumar, a memorable one at a National Music Festival held in Palakkad. The latter’s Arabhi and the former’s bhava-rich Anandabhairavi touched the soul. Tyagaraja’s Ragasudharasa and Dikshitar’s Maanasa Guruguha were the respective kritis. The pleasing contours of rare raga Desakshi, suffixed with Swathi Thirunal’s Saraseeruha, had an emotive effect. In his absorbing elaboration of Kalyani, Ravikumar painted the many shades of the raga with smooth sancharas. Taking up the Tyagaraja kriti Aetavunara , the duo excelled in a descriptive niraval and an articulate chain of kalpana swaras. Papanasam Sivan’s Sri Viswanatham Bhaje, preceded by sweet contours of Bhairavi by Sri Ram Prasad, was full of devotional fervour. Annamacharya gems such as Adhe chudave (Mohanam) and Naanati Bratuku in Revathi exuded bhava. Edappally Ajithkumar was a source of strength to the vocalists, with his superb violin accompaniment. Manoj Siva (mridangam) and Alathur Raja Ganesh (ganjira) did well.
Dedicated approach and unflinching discipline marked a vocal concert by Rithvik Raja. His guru, eminent musician T.M. Krishna’s style was reflected in his renditions. His delightful delineation of Kapinarayani, spirited niraval and imaginative swaras in Tyagaraja’s Sarasasaamadaana created an impact. Alapana of Lalitha and emotional Hiranmayim (Dikshitar) won apprecitation. Raga Kedaragowla received exhaustive treatment; the elongated sangathis radiated the raga swaroopa. A devotionally charged Saragunapalimpa by Poochi Iyengar offered plenty of sowkhyam.
The RTP in Bhairavi, embellished with a stylish thanam, was a grand effort. Sivan’s soulful Kaana Vendamo in Sriranjani and English Note were well received. Violinist Trivandrum Sampath’s nuances were soaked in melody. K.V. Prasad’s mridangam accompaniment was enriched by soft and subtle beats. Udupi Sreedhar was on the ghatam.
Pathiyur Sankarankutty and Nedumpally Ram Mohan pleased the listeners with their melodious Kathakali padams. They were well supported by Kalamandalam Venumohan (chenda) Kalimandalam Ravishankar (edakka) and Kalamandalam Haridas (maddalam).
Prasanna Venkatraman
Vocalist Prasanna Venkatraman’s concert showcased his strong grounding in classical music. His ability to elaborate in depth a raga like Saalakabhairavi bore testimony to his prowess. He sparkled in the rendition of Tyagaraja kriti Padavini Satbhakti and the appended swaras. He won the hearts of the rasikas through his alapana of Dhanyasi. An emphatic niraval and swara combinations in Syama Sastri’s Meenalochana Brova sustained the tempo.
His manodharma blossomed in his superb exposition of Harikambhoji. His interpretation of Tyagaraja’s Endukunirdaya portrayed the serene mood of the composition.
The Tamil virutham in ragamalika and Baro Krishnayya of Kanakadasa were steeped in aesthetics. Charulatha Ramanujam’s violin support was top class. J. Vaidyanathan (mridangam) and Vaikam Gopalakrishnan (ghatam) played their roles well.
Tyagaraja Aradhana was conducted by a group of musicians. The same evening, Nagai Muralidharan and Nagai Sriram exhibited their command over the violin in their exhilarating duet. Their tasteful portrayals of Karubaru in Mukhari, a Tyagaraja kriti, and Dikshitar’s Thyagaja yoga vaibhavam in Anandabhairavi showed their good patanthara. An elegant alapana of Varali by Sri Ram was succeeded by Tyagaraja’s Nee Pokatakunte.
Rendition of Poochi Iyengar’s piece Raghunatha Nannu in the rare raga Swarnaranjani revealed their wide repertoire. Muralidharan utilised his manodharma to the hilt in his elaboration of Kambhoji. The duo’s portrayal of the famous Tyagaraja kriti Evarimata was adorned with a fine niraval. The usage of ‘kandanadai kuraippu’ in the swaraprastharas lent novelty. Neyveli Venkatesh (mridangam) and Coimbatore Mohanram (ghatam) showed their mettle.
Endowed with a mellifluous voice, Surmani Saniya Patankar rendered a few light classical numbers and pleasing bhajans in her Hindustani music concert.
Gayathri Venkataraghavan
Gayathri Venkataraghavan was in her element from the word ‘go’ and retained the lively momentum till the end. Palghat Parameswara Bhagavathar’s varnam Sarasijanabha in Natta and the Swathi Thirunal kriti Deva Deva Kalayamithe in Mayamalavagowla, suffixed with a beautiful niraval and swaras, laid a strong base. The inherent charm of Kannada raga was depicted in her graceful sketch and in the Dikshitar kriti Sri Mathrubhutham .
Her elaborate Kharaharapriya vinyasam was a delight. Analysing it stage by stage, she delved deeper into the melodic intricacies of the raga. She scaled new heights in an ingenious niraval and deft swarapratharas in the Swathi kriti Satatham . Taking up Lathangi for RTP, she developed the raga with intelligent brigas and akaras. The pallavi in Kandajathi Triputa tala was presented with precision. The concluding pieces were devotional numbers. Mysore Srikanth displayed his expertise in his violin accompaniment. Nanjil Arul (mridangam) and Manjoor Unnikrishnan (ghatam) provided solid percussion support.
The programmes were conducted at the Palghat Fine Art Society’s auditorium, Tharakkad, Palakkad.
