Treat of vintage music
V. SANKARASUBRAMANIAN
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Ragapriya of Madurai celebrated its anniversary with a music festival.
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P. Unnikrishnan
Ragapriya, the chamber music club of Madurai, celebrated its 36th anniversary with a series of music concerts. The festival began on August 1 with P. Unnikrishnan's concert.
Beginning with a varnam in Saaranga and Tyagaraja's `Sugunamule' (Chakravaaham), Unnikrishnan proceeded to a methodical elaboration of Shanmukhapriya.
`Aandavane Unnai Nambinen' was evocative without being pompous. Throughout the concert, Unnikrishnan maintained a tempo.
The Ragam Tanam Pallavi effort could have been avoided, because it was compressed in order to accommodate all the routine items.
Stable and fast
Sudha Raghunathan gave a characteristic account of herself. The fare was unvarying in its fast tempo, and in its dependence on sangatis and brigas, and the consequence was that there was no solid impression or appeal created.
Sudha Raghunathan
The main efforts of the day were a Syama Sastri piece in Varali (Karunajudavamma), Mohanam (Raa Raa Raajeeva Lochana Rama) and a Raagam Tanam Pallavi in Keeravani. All of them were elaborately (and predictably) laced.
Imaginative
The rendition of Bangalore M. S. Sheela was a soul-filling musical experience. It was appealing and while it was never found wanting in technical finish and aplomb the overall effect was subtle emotional musicality.
Sheela's opening pieces were a varnam in Sree Raaga and an invocation to Lord Vinayaka in Hamsadhwani, `Vandeham Jagat Vallabam' by Annamacharya.
M. S. Sheela
The items that followed were `Meenalochani Amba' in Todi and `Devi Neeye Thunai' in Keeravaani. In a minute she sketched Kanada for `Inda Kante' (Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer) and the kriti was sung with quiet competence. The artiste employed her vocal resources judiciously and imaginatively.
Evocative
T. V. Sankaranarayanan rendered haf-a-dozen kirtanas in 20 minutes before embarking on a painstakingly delineated Karaharapriya kriti for `Sakkani' of vintage quality.
The Ragam Tanam Pallavi in Mohanam was also a characteristically worked out exercise. `Venkataachala Nilayam' was tastefully presented, brimming with emotion.
Soaked in bhava
Sanjay Subramanian's concert would live in the audience's mind for long. Sanjay's music is soaked in bhava and exuberantly revels in technicalities, and somehow they do not prove to be contradictory elements. There is never a moment of routine. Sanjay started with a Tarangampadi Panchanata Iyer varnam and a kriti in Mohanam with the Garbhapuri signature. After `Parvatha Rajakumaari' in Sriranjani came an exquisite Sahaana and a touchingly rendered `Sri Panchanadeesam.' Todi was suffused in bhava but the kriti was rendered on a faster pace - Tyagaraja's `Jesintella.' Naattaikurinji was the ragam chosen for Ragam Tanam Pallavi. It was enjoyable with all its creative, imaginative intensity and speed.
Crisp rendition
Maharajapuram Ramachandran was his usual breezy self. The songs rendered were not new to the regular listeners of his cutcheris, yet hemade them pleasant hearing once again.
U. Shrinivas
Western influence
Listening to U. Shrinivas's mandolin after a few years gap was a new experience. One could discern a change in his approach. His fingering technique also seems to have changed, perhaps due to western influence. The recital started with `Karunimpa' varnam in Sahana. `Mahaa Ganapathim' in Nattai saw the artiste exploiting the tonal variety of the different strings and some of the touches were suggestive of western influences. The Ragam Tanam Pallavi exercise was in three ragas — Natabhairavi, Kalyaani and Saveri.
The lighter pieces were more weighty — `Enna Tavam Seidanai' (Kapi), `Krishna Nee' (Yaman Kalyani), `Aasaimukham' (Ragamalika), a Sai bhajan in Misra Aaheerbhairav, `Chandrasekharaa' (Sindhubhairavi) and a tillaana in Maand.
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