Ebullient performance
LALITHAA KRISHNAN
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Accompanied by thavil vidwans of a high standard Colombo Kamalathasan and Suryaprakash presented a sparkling recital.
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Photo S. Thanthoni
MADE AN IMPACT: R.V.S.Kamalanathan (left) and Suryaprakash.
``My brother and I first began learning nagaswaram from my father, Colombo R.V.Selvaraj, who is not only a well-known nagaswara vidwan but also adept at playing the ghatam and kanjira. He has accompanied prominent artistes such as M.L.Vasanthakumari. My grandfather, Colombo R. Vadivel, was also a nagaswara vidwan. When we were older, we took our diploma in music from the Music College at Tiruchi followed this up by training under clarinet vidwan A.K.C. Natarajan and later under vidwan Shanmugha Raghavan," says Colombo R.V.S.Kamalathasan who performs with his brother R.V.S.Suryaprakash.
The duo's recent performance at the Nadaswara Thavil Festival in Chennai came in for wholehearted appreciation from one and all. The impact of their ebullient performance was further heightened by the two top-notch special thavil accompanists, Colombo R.V.S. Srikanth and Colombo Senthilnathan, the former being their brother. ``He is a disciple of thavil vidwan Tirupungur Muthukumaraswami."
The brothers began their programme with T.R.Subramaniam's varnam in Behaag, negotiating each dip and swell with a yen for aesthetics. Pallavi Sesha Iyer's `Paalimpa' crowned an Arabhi alapana that sparkled with effervescence, the appealing flavour reinforced by well-rounded gamakas.
Surprise package
A winsome Ranjani mala commencing with Ranjani and ending with Chittaranjani was the surprise package of the evening, presented with great style, panache and polish. Next came Koteeswara Iyer's `Nadanilai' in Gayakapriya that vied with the other compositions aired, for the position of a prized rarity. The Dharmavathi delineation was the piece-de-resistance. Reflecting a strong emotive content heightened by poignant prayogas trailing off at the madhyasthayi gandhara and madhyama in turns, the sancharas were equally distributed through the three octaves. Kalpanaswaras with a latticework of intricate kanakku and a spirited kuraippu at the tarasthayi shadja embellished the Ambujam Krishna composition `Ododi vandhen.'
Excellence needs no introduction. Establishing their credentials with the first few strokes, Colombo R.V.S.Srikanth and Colombo Senthilnathan mesmerised listeners who sat frozen in awed silence during their tani. The half and quarter - avartana sallies (Adi tala) pulsed with a fierce energy, a barrage of explosive sollus going off like precision fireworks. The choice and interpretation of compositions including the concluding item, Subramania Bharathi's `Maanasa poigayile' had even veteran rasikas shaking their heads in wonderment at yet another example of the consistently high standard and wide, varied repertoire of all the talented artistes who participated in this festival.
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