Confluence of streams of music
S. RAMACHANDRA IYER
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The Theerthapada Sangeethotsavam concluded with concerts by Carnatic vocalists.
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Varkala C.S. Jayaram is known to stick to the pure and traditional form of Carnatic music.
Unforgettable cadences: Trichy Ganeshan, Varkala C.S. Jayaram and Cherthala K.N. Ranganatha Sarma were some of the vocalists who participated in the Theerthapada Sangeethotsavam.
The latter half of the 12-day-long Theerthapada Sangeethotsavam was a musical feast for rasikas in Thiruvananthapuram.
The seventh day featured a vocal recital by Ayamkudy Mony. He was accompanied by Kadanad V.K. Haridas (violin), Trivandrum V. Ramveendran (mridangam) and Ennakkad Maheswaran (ghatam). The Adi tala varnam ‘Vanajaksha,’ composed by T. R. Subramaniam in Behag enabled the artiste to briskly start the concert.
The Thulaseevanam piece ‘Bhaja Manasa’ was handled with a brief ragalapana. ‘Nathajanapalini’ in Nalinakanthi by Thanjavur Sankara Iyer and ‘Vanchathonu’ in Karnaranjani by Harikeshanallur Muthaiah Bhagavathar were rendered with great gusto.
The Jayanthasree piece ‘Marukelara’ (a Tyagaraja composition) was followed by the mainstay of the day ‘Deva Deva’ in Purvi Kalyani, a Swati kriti. The percussionist gave a short and delectable thaniavarthanam.
Confident start
Varkala C.S. Jayaram
Cherthala K.N. Ranganatha Sarma began confidently with the Adi tala varnam in Thodi ‘Era Na Pai.’
The artiste chose three pieces by Thulaseevanam: ‘Pranathosmi Devam’ in Nata, ‘Bhaja re’ in Arabhi, and ‘Harisankara’ in Reethigowla. ‘Bagayaneyya ijn chadrajyothi’ by Tyagaraja and ‘Bhogeendrashayinam’ in Kunthalavarali by Swati Tirunal set the stage for the major kriti of the day, ‘Sree Rajagopala’ in Saveri by Dikshitar. ‘Enna thavam seitheno’ in Kamas by Uthukkad Venkata Subha Iyer was sweet, to say the least.
The beautiful notes of Sindhubhairavi reverberated in the air with the concluding number ‘Bhaja Bhaja manasa,’ composed by Swati Tirunal. The singer was accompanied by violinist Attukal Balasubramaniam and Trivandrum R. Vaidyanathan (mridangam) and Udupi Srikanth (ganjira).
Cherthala K.N. Ranganatha Sarma
Varkala C.S. Jayaram is known to stick to the pure and traditional form of Carnatic music and there was ample proof of it in his vocal recital. He was ably assisted by Padma Krishnan (violin), A. K. Ramachandran (mridangam) and Anchan Krishna Iyer (ghatam). ‘Ninnu Kori,’ the Adi tala varnam in Vasantha, composed by the not-so-well-known Thachur Shingaracharyulu, gave a brisk start to the concert.
He followed it up with three three Thulaseevanam pieces. The Thodi composition by Dikshitar in praise of Gurvayurappan, ‘Shree Krishnam Bhaja Manasa,’ was the backbone of the day’s concert.
The composer from Karamana – Neeelakanta Sivan – was remembered when his compositions, ‘Sivanandam’ (Reethigoula) and ‘Shanmukhane’ (Kapi) were rendered.
Traditional style
C.S. Sajeev began his concert in traditional style with an Ada tala varnam and the Athana composition ‘Shrikumara’ by Swati Tirunal followed. ‘Sripathini’ in the raga Nagaswaravali by Tyagaraja and ‘Palayamam’ in Mohanam by Thulaseevanam set the tempo of the concert.
A brief recital of ‘Vinarada’ in Devagandhari was followed by the elaborate treatment of ‘Akshayalingavidho,’ a Dikshitar composition in Sankarabharanam. The accompanists were Muttara Ravindran (violin) Guruvayur Sanoj (mridangam) and H.Venkitachalam (ghatam). The concluding piece was ‘Nanadi Balugu,’ an Annamacharya Keerthanam in Revathi.
Trichy Ganeshan’s performance on the penultimate day of the festival lived up to expectations. Trivandrum Sampath (violin), Parassala Ravi (mridangam) and Attingal Madhu (ghatam) accompanied the vocalist. It was a traditional opening to the concert with a Swati Tirunal kriti ‘Pahi Shripathe’ in Hamsadhani. ‘
‘Sivakamasundari’ by Gopalakrishna Bharathi in Jaganmohini was sung with verve and élan and hooked the listeners to the performing quartet. Mazhavi Chidambarabharathi is not a very popular composer, but that did not deter Ganeshan from choosing ‘Karunai thanthennai’ in Begada in chaste Tamil and it turned out to be a pleasant experience.
Tyagaraja was well-represented with ‘Kulabirudu’ in Devanagari, ‘Marache Vadanu’ in Kedaram and ‘Shreerama Chitha’ in Jayamanohari. A Thulaseevanam kriti ‘Shatharavi’ in Kalyani was chosen as the main item. ‘Padavini’ in Salagabhairavi by Tyagaraja brought the concert to a end.
Concluding concert
Changanasseri Madhavan Namboothiri gave a superb vocal recital on the last day of the festival. He chose the Arabhi composition of Thulaseevanam, ‘Vighneswara,’ to open his account. It was nostalgic to hear ‘Evarani’ in Devamrithavarshini, a Tyagaraja composition not often heard these days. A warm-up ‘Sarasijanabhasodari’ by Dikshitar in Nagagandhari and then a Kapi composition, ‘Meevalla,’ by Tyagaraja showcased the artiste’s virtuosity.
Listeners were treated to a soul-stirring rendition of Kambhoji, of Tyagaraja. Edapally Ajith gave a memorable accompaniment on the violin. The Thaniavarthanam by Kuzhalmannam Ramakrishnan (mridangam) and Mangad Pramod (ghatam) was profusely applauded. The soft Huseni piece ‘Gayami thava’ by Thulaseevanam was soothing in its raga and bhava. ‘Karuna Cheyuvanenthu’ by Irayimman Thampi rendered in Yadukula Kambhoji brought the concert to an end.
The fete was organised by Thulaseevana Sangeetha Parishad at Theerthapadamandapam, Thiruvananthapuram.
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