Wooing an audience
HARISH BAL
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Unnikrishnan's concert in Kochi drew a crowd.
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Carnatic vocalist and playback singer Unnikrishnan has many fans because of the melodic appeal in his music and also due to his popular film songs. Unnikrishnan's concert at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kochi, drew a huge crowd.
With gutso
After a brisk warm-up with a Pantuvarali varna, he sang `Sobillu Saptaswara' with gusto. His numerous short swaras had a perfect finish. A detailed alaapana of Simhendra Madhyamam was proof of his stamina and sadhaka.
The Dikshitar kriti `Kamakshi Kamakoti Peetavasini' in Rupaka tala was presented neatly. As Unnikrishnan went for an expansive delineation of Kapi raga, his voice showed strain in the upper octave and he went for `ukara' in singing the phrases.
Edapally Ajith's short sketch of the raga was contemplative and marked by tonal purity. It elicited appreciation from the audience and performers alike.
The long swara passages for the kriti `Entha sowkhyamanine' displayed the mastery and experience of K.V. Prasad on the mridangam. He reproduced the spontaneous swara patterns of the vocalist, as if he were reading the vocalist's mind.
The vocalist glided to a racy kala and this made the thani from Prasad quite vigorous and he displayed rhythmic patterns of exquisite variety.
A grip over laya
Unnikrishnan, a front ranking Chennai-based musician, includes Swati Tirunal's compositions in most of his concerts, thus holding strong to his roots.
`Paramapurusha Jagadeeswara' came as an invigorating interlude. A ragam tanam pallavi in Bilahari, set to Adi tala, gave evidence of the musician's grip over laya. Variations to `Kundalavarali' proved to be a dazzling experience.
Unnikrishnan shows a penchant for swara singing in this raga, which is rarely attempted by other musicians. `Nanda nandana gopala', `Ra ra Chinnana' in Chenchurutti and `Brahma okate' in Bowli were also sung.
`Sangeetaratnamanjari,' a book comprising navagraha and navavarana kritis of Dikshitar, notated by N.P. Ramaswamy, was released on the occasion.
The concert was organised by Rasikapriya.
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