Melodious treat for rasikas
HAREESH BAL
|
Two seasoned vocalists effortlessly mesmerised the audience with the purity of their music.
|
VETERAN'S MARK: S.K. Subramaniam's concert showcased his experience as a teacher and singer.
The 29th anniversary celebrations of Rasikapriya proved to be a feast for music buffs in Kochi. If the first day had a performer like S.K. Subramaniam of the traditional Semmangudi school, the second day saw a young artiste like Sanjay Subramaniam who has gone beyond barriers of bhani to shape his own individual style.
S.K. Subramaniam, a disciple of K.R. Kumaraswamy, is also a much-sought-after teacher in Kerala. His began his concert with `Ganapathi palayamam' in raga Natta based on Sankaracharya's work.
This was followed by `Sobillu Saptaswara' in Jaganmohini and `Yochana Kamalalochana' in Darbar. `Sreepoornathrayeesam' in Mohana raga had a sparkling raga alaapana and korvai swaras during the swaraprasthara. Kapi was noteworthy for the emotional finesse and focus on the moorchanas. The etch on the variant nishadams were brought out well. `Samaganasarvabhowma' in Amruthavarshini was followed by a grand Todi. The elaboration was complemented by Kottayam Jayaprakash on the violin.
Striking a chord
Sanjay Subramaniam's concert the next day started with a weighty tanavarnam `Kanakangi' in Todi by Pallavi Gopala Iyer and this struck a chord with the audience. Veteran mridangam maestro Guruvayoor Dorai, who is almost a regular percussionist with Sanjay, complements Sanjay's verve and vigour.
A succinct exposition of Darbar followed by a rapid rendition of `Yochana Kamala lochana' heightened the charm of the concert. A sparkling sketch of Poorvikalyani was succeeded by Swati Tirunal's `Deva deva jagadeeswara.' The next phase of the concert saw the technical mastery of the vocalist.
He chose rare compositions and Tamil viruthams. Begada, which is the vocalist's favourite raga, was given a grand treatment. Sanjay's elaboration was very progressive; he traversed to the upper octaves quite fast, unfolding myriad phrases of the raga, jhanda prayogas and numerous brigas. Lokavana chathura', the Tyagaraja kriti was a racy song. From effervescent jubilance, came the brooding Keeravani. T.H. Subramaniam, who accompanied the singer on the violin, made the piece memorable as the raga is one of his specialties.
The kriti 'Ennemum sandehappadalamo' ensued; the same phrase was used for a neraval. He came up with single swara and bi-swara passages to the exhilaration of the audience. Dorai effortlessly accompanied on the mridangom but Udupi Sridhar found it difficult to keep up with the singer and lost his grip at a few points during the thani.
The famous melakartha ragamalika of Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan (`Pranadarthi Hare Purare'), enthralled the listeners and the intertwining swara passages were sung with utmost ease.
A virutham starting with Hamsanandi moved on to Nattakurinji, and so wholesome was the delineation of the virutham that Sanjay glided smoothly to the tanam and then for a pallavi, without going for a raga expansion.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
