NUNGAMBAKKAM CULTURAL ACADEMY
With composure and depth
S. SIVAKUMAR
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The rich music he has imbibed was evident in the concert of Neyveli Santhanagopalan.
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SOOTHING: Neyveli Santhanagopalan.
Neyveli Santhanagoplan's professorial instincts are on play as he seeks to expound the laws and language of Carnatic music on a reputed TV channel. He is recognised as one of the modern ideologues of our music. At his concert for NCAT one could see the music that he has imbibed.
He took up swara singing that had swaying sarvalaghu patterns — soft, yet galloping. The kritis chosen were the all-can-sing Vathapi (Hamsadhwani-Dikshithar) and the equally ubiquitous Vade Raa Deivamu (Panthuvarali-Tyagaraja).
For Panthuvarali it was the near-exhaustive use of "Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni" in recurring patterns, combining various speeds, crests and troughs, shortened and long karvais — all confined to a single avarthanam. It was "swara-sowkhyanubhavam."
His raga alapanas for Ranjani (Durmargachara, Tyagaraja) and Khambodi (Sri Subramanyaya Namasthe, Dikshitar) were presented with composure and depth. He had his customary struggle with his voice while stretching to the top octave, which need not be overstated here. Incidentally, he threw a puzzle. The alapana for Panthuvarali ended thus — "Raghuvara," but the song sung was Vadera Deivamu. V.V.Ravi on the violin staked his claim to maturity during the raga alapanas of Ranjani and Khambodi and synchronised well with the main artiste during the swara segments.
Tiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam (mridangam) had to make his presence felt and chose to intervene with some sharp and merry blasts that only had a drowning effect on the music. The percussion interlude with Purushotthaman (Ganjira) had all the ingredients of a comprehensive thani.
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