Full of emotional content
S. SIVAKUMAR
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The veena's majesty came through in B. Kannan's recital.
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FLAWLESS: B. Kannan.
B. Kannan's performance was a majestic portrayal of the character of the veena. It combined the effervescence and flourish of the artiste and the devout and venerable nature of the instrument. Whereas the Saraswathi kriti ("Vaageeswari" — Muthaiah Bhagavatar), was an exercise in speed, without any compromise on bhava, "Aparama Bhakti Entho" (Pantuvarali, Tyagaraja) brimmed with emotional content, evoking memories of S. Balachander. Dharmavathi demands faultless handling and the orderly progression to the ragam, thanam and pallavi ("Sankari Tripura Sundari Bhairavi") had all those glides, swirls and spirals, and the phenomenal izhuthu vaasithal technique, showing innate musical strength, diligence and commitment.
"Chinanchiru Pen Pole" (Ulundurpettai Shanmugam), a commonplace song, was elevated only to prove that a careful discerner can spot classicism even in a light item.
It was strange that this gentle player of the instrument chose a foursome percussion support. In order to match the beats, the veena had to be aggressive.
The decibel level also required better monitoring at several points. Murugaboopathi (mridangam), Papanasam Sethuraman (kanjira), Guruprasad (ghatam) and Sourirajan (morsing), however, subdued themselves while following the kritis and gave a tani replete with knowledgeable and challenging exchanges.
Papanasam Ashok Ramani inherits a rich tradition and is steadfast in his constant endeavour to provide sublime music. There were memorable moments, for himself and the listener, during his alapana of Poorvikalyani ("Anandha Nadamaduvar" - Nilakanta Sivan), and swaraprastharams for "Kaarthigeya Kaangeya Gowri" (Todi - Papanasam Sivan). Todi is an exacting raga and warrants more than what was delineated as alapana for a purportedly main item. There was a constant tussle between Ashok's musical ideas, their articulation and execution and sadly, the obstacle was presumably his voice.
M. A. Sundareswaran (violin) enacted moments of glory during his alapana of Poorvikalyani and played a freewheeling Todi. Mannargudi Easwaran (mridangam) and Guruprasad (ghatam) were a formidable combination and sought to enliven the concert without any sense of domination.
Rithwik Raja's afternoon concert made explicit his primary objective of not succumbing to the commercial demands of glitzy packaging. His keen sense of values showed in his total identification with vilamba kaala kritis. Anandha Bhairavi ("Kamalamba") was carved to admirably suit its languid pace and Todi ("Kaarthigeya Kaangeya") was at its expressive best. He should, however, avoid pursuing an imitative style, which would only lead to inflexibility.
Satishkumar on the violin served as a guiding force and acquitted himself creditably in all areas on offer. Ramana on the mridangam was unobtrusive and played a palatable and brief tani.
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