Masterful rendition
HARISH BAAL
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A concert by Swati Puraskaram recipient R.K. Srikantan shone for its reverence to tradition, classicism and aesthetics.
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In the limelight: Maestro R. K. Srikantan’s erudition and experience were evident during the concert in Thripunithura.
R. K. Srikantan was honoured with the Swati Puraskaram by the Minister of Culture for Kerala, M.A. Baby, at a function in Thripunithura. Later in the evening a concert was organised to felicitate the maestro. The concert featured some of the best compositions of Swati Tirunal and also Tyagaraja, to whose tradition the vocalist truly belongs to.
A varnam in Natta composed by Swati Tirunal succeeded in setting the ambience for a concert that shone for its reverence to tradition, classicism and aesthetics of Carnatic music.
After the sparkling swaras in Hamsadhwani for ‘Vinayakaninnuvina,’ Srikantan presented ‘Sooryamoorthe,’ the vara kriti of Dikshitar in raga Sourashtram.
A brief essay of raga Nayaki was followed by ‘Palayamam brihadeshwara,’ a Dikshitar composition set to Roopaka tala, that was delectable for its apt kalapramana. The compositions that were dealt with briefly were ‘Bhajare bhaja’ in raga Kannada and ‘Smarahara Nandana,’ a Swati Tirunal composition in Chakaravakam.
Srikantan’s son, Rudrapatanam Ramakanth, lent vocal support. Ramakanth’s effortless briga-laden alaapana of Reethigoula was a true display of his erudition as a performer and scholar. ‘Janani Ninuvina’ in Misra chapu tala had some wonderful swara passages to go with it. Veteran mridangam exponent Umayalpuram Sivaraman, who often accompanies Srikantan in his concerts, enriched this concert with a vigorous and complementary rhythmic back-up.
Following a pattern
The performers followed a pattern of Srikantan finishing the first half of the alaapana till the middle octave, and Ramakanth taking off from the medium to the higher register. In this way raga Ranjani was poignantly unfolded so as to project its swaroopa beautifully. ‘Durmagachara dhamulanu’ was sung in Roopaka with weighty percussion support from Sivaraman.
Delineation in Kalyani was caught up by a tanam in madhyamakala and Sivaraman followed this adeptly. T.H. Subramaniam’s brisk rendition of the raga elicited warm applause from the audience.
Sivaraman made it challenging for Thripunithura Radhakrishnan who accompanied on the ghatom during the taniavarthanam. The former made the opening points for the ghatom tricky and both the performers kept the exercise short and neat. The pallavi ‘Sadaneepadame korithi,’ had some marvellous swara avarthanas by Ramakanth.
After ‘Sthiratha nahi nahi,’ a composition by Sadasiva Brahmendra in Kapi, the audience requested the maestro to sing more. However, Srikantan concluded the concert with ‘Nanda tanaya govinda’ in raga Yamunakalyani and a tillana.
The programme was organised by the Government of Kerala and the Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi.
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