Aural-friendly collection
Maharajapuram Santhanam.
Double audio album
Maharajapuram Santhanam
Carnatic classical vocal
Price Rs.99
The double audio album by Music Today features Maharajapuram Santhanam, the musician with unparalleled popularity, in the company of Nagai Murulidharan (violin) and Vellore Ramabhadran (mridangam). Maharajapuram Srinivasan provides vocal support. The concert is set on an athletic track by Kothavasal Venkatrama Iyer's varnam in Saveri, `Sarasuda.' `Abhishtavarada' in Hamsadhwani, arguably a Tyagaraja kriti, is embellished with kalpanaswaras that have a confident demeanour. The violinist's ripostes are sharp and precise. Santhanam has revealed his composing mettle in the Hindolam song `Chandrasekhara' on the Maha Periyavaal, the sage of Kanchi. The Tamil lyrics reveal a deep devotion to the saint and the tune is truly ear-friendly. A few avartanas of imaginative swara passages are sung with not a hint of aggressiveness — most pleasing.
`Garudadhvani,' a derivative of the 29th Mela Sankarabharanam, is a Sampoorna Audava raga in which Tyagaraja has authored `Tatva meruga.' The song with a couple of minor ifs and buts is however not without merit. Kalyani is expanded with intuitiveness and intensity with the artiste's traversing the negotiable stayis with smooth, felicitous prayogas in the various tempos.
`Nijadasavarada' a kriti of Patnam Subramania Iyer, finds the vidwan in flow with his involved niraval singing that is interspersed with karvais and raga phrases — a model lesson for learners. The improvised swaras in the madhyama and dhurita speeds are the efforts of a truly evolved musician.
Winning alapana
Volume II begins with a mellow, mellifluous delineation of Saveri without any of the breakneck speed brighas and stressing the comfort of relaxed listening. The tanam well controlled, the soothing niraval of the Pallavi line `Bhavayami Raghuramam Bhavya Suguna' set to Tisra Triputa talam and the swaras in the two kalapramanams soaked in the raga bhava are the hallmarks of the Maharajapuram tradition. The ragamalika comprising Nattakuranji, Dhanyasi, Mohanam, Mukhari, Poorvi Kalyani and Madhyamavati is a delectable chain chosen sensitively with ragas that give beautiful apparel to the chittaswarams in Swati Tirunal's `Bhavayami Raghuramam' in Saveri tuned by Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer. Nagai Muralidharan, the violist accompanies with his customary competence. `Raghuvamsa Sudha' in Kathanakuthoohalam is usually a favourite with instrumentalists who pack the song with pyrotechnics, but Santhanam's rendition absolutely free of wild technical displays - is calm and composed.
Mysore Vasudevacharya's `Brochevarevaru' in Khamas that has captured millions of hearts during the years, is presaged with a brief but winning alapana. Nagai Mulidharan's response on the violin is equally charming. `Ksheerabdhi' a ragamalika in praise of Lord Vishnu is a Purandaradasa composition set in Kuranji, Yamunakalyani, Darbari, Kannada, Sindubhairavi and Manirangu keeps the rasika firmly straddled. The programme closes with a Tamil song in Shanmukhapriya by Balu extolling Lord Muruga. The serene music in this double album leaves no doubt in the minds of music lovers as to why Maharajapuram Santhanam was such an amazing crowd puller.
S.P.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
