Infinite possibilities
GARIMELLA SUBRAMANIAM
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The concert of Vijay Siva, a natural, was marked by grace and refinement.
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RIVETING PERFORMANCE: Vijay Siva. Photo: R. Ragu.
N. Vijay-Siva's riveting performance overpowered body and mind reopening those mysteries behind human faculty.
Siva's opening piece — the Ata tala varnam in Bhairavi — was by no means unusual . The sound system was fully effective only in the middle of his second composition, "Srinatadhi Guruguho Jayatijayati," which according to legend was Dikshitar's first kriti written at the shrine in Tiruttani.
But the exposition of Begada and Tyagaraja's "Neevera Kuladhanamu" opened one's heart to a new world of soulful melody. The neraval in "Srivasudeva Andakotla Kukshilonunchaleda" in the Bahudari composition and Dikshitar's "Kamalambike Ashrute" in Hanumatodi transported one to a world of eternal joy. Then followed the pallavi in ragam Poorvikalyani — "Paramapavanarama Papavimochanarama" — after an exquisite alapana and thanam. Like most vocalists, Siva journeyed no more than halfway into the upper and lower octaves in all these compositions.
But unlike others, he didn't disappoint you if you expected him to push the limits of his vocal resources. On the contrary, he demonstrated the infinite possibilities in this range with abundant grace and refinement.
Siva is the most natural singer among the contemporary crop of vocalists and that is the key to his magic appeal. Featured among the lighter melodies were "Maale Manivanna" in Kuntalavarali and Muthuthandavar's "Aarumarundoru Tani Marundu."
When a vidwan lounging in the lobby of the Music Academy showed particular interest in listening to Vijay Siva, one didn't have a clue to his curiosity. But a few hours later, the answer rang loud and clear — Siva's music is `tani marundu.'
Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi's violin support was highly receptive to Siva's imagination and P. Satishkumar was equally competent on the mridangam.
If you like G.N. Balasubramanian's music, you could at times mistake Trichur V. Ramachandran's voice for that of his illustrious guru. But there is obviously much more to the disciple's vocal artistry, enhanced by his training in Hindustani music.
Ramachandran's recital had a slightly unusual touch in the opening composition, Ramanadhapuram Srinivasa Iyangar's "Ninnukoriyunnanura" in Mohanam. One of the very first varnams in Adi talam taught to students of classical music, this seems almost the last choice of artistes to begin a concert. As if to celebrate Mohanam an improvisation decorated its concluding section, again not so common in a varnam.
The other tribute to the memory of his guru was a composition Ramachandran sang in ragam Sivasakthi, a GNB creation, attributed to the 21st melakartha ragam Karaharapriya. The Telugu kriti was "Vinutapalinigada, Vega Brova Rada." Imprints of his guru's style were evident only in some of Ramachandran's expositions. The singing of "Dinamani Vamsa" was suggestive of an adaptation from Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer.
Conversely, Ramachandran's exposition of Poorvikalyani and Kalyani were truly reminiscent of GNB kritis in those ragas. "Ninnuvinaga," Syama Shastri's composition, was laced with free-flowing akara prayogas and a spirited neraval in "Pannagabhooshanudaina Kanchi Ekambrapathi."
After the ragam and thanam, the Kalyani pallavi, "Kanakasabesan Tirunatanam Kanden," had emotion and style. By comparison, "Balagopala" in Bhairavi, the other main composition of the evening, was a routine depiction.
M.R. Gopinath on the violin, Bangalore Praveen (mridangam) and Giridhar Uduppa (ghatam) cruised along merrily in their role as accompanists.
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