Ragas delineated well
Geetha Rajasekhar
THE VEENA concert of Mudikondan S. N. Ramesh and Malathy Krishnamani was marked by full regard for raga bhava, traditional sancharas bringing out the nuances of ragas and sowkya bhava. The Natakurinji varnam and Muthiah Bhagavathar's ``Gam Ganapathay" (Hamsadhwani) provided a brisk start. A brief meaningful alapana and a beautiful tanam in Todi were followed by Syama Sastri's swarajati ``Raave Himagirikumaari." Dikshithar's ``Raamachandram bhavayami" in Vasantha amply conveyed the essence of the raga, with a delightful swaraprasthara for the phrase ``Kaakustham Dheemantham." Tyagaraja's Sahana piece ``Vandanamu Raghu Nandana" reflected the mood of the saint-composer, exuding soothing vibrations.
The Madhyamavathi alapana was elaborate, the kirthana being Syama Sasthri's gem of a composition ``Paalintchu Kaamaakshi Paavani," featuring a judicious combination of raga-filled and percussion-oriented kalpana swaras for the famous phrase ``Kaantamagu peru pondithivi."
Prapancham Ravindran on the mridangam and S. Kartik on the ghatam provided excellent support, playing a beautiful tani avarthanam.
Touching the nuances
Geetha Rajasekhar goes deeply and extensively into the nuances of music, be it alapana, song rendition, neraval or kalpanaswaras. Tyagaraja's ``Seethamma Maayamma" in Vasantha was sung briskly with kalpanaswaras. The Lathangi raga essay brought out the raga effectively and Patnam Subramanya Iyer's ``Marivere Dikkevaru" was handled delightfully, doing neraval and kalpanaswaras for the Pallavi text. The alapana of Madhyamavathi, the main raga was gone through in detail revealing several shades of the raga and Saint Thyagaraja's grand composition ``Raama Katharasa" was sung in traditional patanthara. Good violin accompaniment was provided by Sherthalai Sivakumar, who played Madhyamavathi and Lathangi attractively. Neyveli Skandasubramanian's mridangam accompaniment was soft, lilting and meaningful and he was well assisted by Tiruchi Murali on the ghatam. They played an exciting tani avarthanam in Adi tala 2 kallai for ½ idam, providing interesting rhythmic variations. Pushpa Kannan made a brave effort to give an effective recital, which however did not click, the main reason being that she is not sure of the swarastanas, and it was evident from her kalpanaswaras. Besides, the articulation of sangathis needs refinement. Her concert standard can certainly come up with sustained practice and determination. The main piece was Dikshithar's Hemavathi composition ``Sree Kantimathim," featuring kalpanaswaras. Violin accompaniment and mridangam support were provided by Villivakkam Raghukumar and Nanganallur T. Swaminathan respectively.
Clear diction
Over the years Sankari Krishnan has established a unique style, marked by clear diction, elaborate raga vinyasa, good patanthara and fluent expression of sangathis. After a brisk ``Mahaganapathim" (Dikshithar-Nattai), alapana of Abhogi was taken up which was full of raga-filled phrases, followed by Gopalakrishna Bharathiar's ``Sabhapathikku Veru Deivam" featuring delectable sangathis and kalpanaswaras. A short alapana of Darbar brought out the essence of the raga with clarity and Thyagaraja's ``Yochana Kamalalochana" came out elegantly. Poorvikalyani raga essay was elaborate, covering several shades of the raga and Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar's ``Parama Paavana Raama" was rendered in traditional patanthara with neraval and swaraprasthara for the famous phrase ``Kanakambaradhara," culminating in a pleasant muthaippu.
Violin accompaniment by Padma Shankar was of a high order and it enhanced the level of the concert, making significant contributions in Abhogi, Darbar and Poorvikalyani. Able percussion support was provided by Kumbakonam Saravanan on the mridangam and Nanganallur Swaminathan on the ghatam. Their tani avarthanam in Adi tala 2 kallai for ½ idam was brisk with meaningful korvais, ending with a pleasant muthaippu.
Keyboard is considered by orthodox musicians as an instrument unsuited for Carnatic music, as it does not easily lend itself to gamaka prayoga. Still with judicious fingering, it is possible to produce the gamaka effect to some extent, as amply demonstrated by expert harmonium players. Nine-year-old Sathyanarayanan's gallant performance on the keyboard deserves appreciation for the simple reason that the essential ingredients of Carnatic music were amply present in his rendition. The Sahana varnam and ``Maha Ganapathim" in Nattai were played briskly. The Mohanam alapana brought out the essence of the raga and Dikshitar's ``Gopikamanoharam" was rendered well with crisp kalpanaswaras ending with an interesting makuta swara sequence. ``Alaipaayuthe Kanna" (Uthukkadu Venkata Kavi, Kanada) and ``Kuraionrumillai" (Rajaji-ragamalika) were played paying due regards to the emotional contents of the songs.
Wholesome
Swamimalai Suresh has a resonant, pleasant expressive voice and his recital had depth. Bhairavi raga essay was handled competently and the raga lines flowed with pristine purity, ornamented with gamaka-laden phrases and occasional flawless brighas. One of Saint Thyagaraja's Lalgudi Pancharathna krithis, ``Lalithe Sree Pravridde" was rendered beautifully with neraval and kalpanaswaras for ``Teliyani Baaluda gaada." Contours of Ranjani raga were well traversed during alapana and ``Dunmaargacharaadamulanu" (Tyagaraja) was sung well.
Neela Jayakumar provided able accompaniment on violin and she played some beautiful phrases in Bhairavi and Ranjani. V. R. Jayakumar's mridangam beats were soft and supportive and his tani avarthanam in Adi tala 1 kallai for ½ idam was full of interesting laya patterns.
S. R. GIRIDHAR
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