Talented young J.A. Jayanth, grandson and student of T.S. Sankaran, recently presented a flute concert under the auspices of Sri Rama Gana Sabha Trust, Tiruchi, at the Bala Kala Vidhanam Auditorium in the city.
Jayanth commenced with a varnam in ragam Vasantha, followed by the Dikshitar kriti, ‘Maha Ganapathi’ and two kritis of Tyagaraja – ‘Teliyaleru Rama’ and another one in ragam Manoranjani. Every song echoed the melodious style of the great flautist Mahalingam.
Mature treatment of ragas
The mathematical precision with which Jayanth rendered the swaras showed his in-depth knowledge as well as the long hours of practice that he had put in, especially in the Kharaharapriya Tyagaraja kriti and in the famous Hamsanandhi melody ‘Srinivasa Thiru Venkatamudaiyan.’ His Javali in ragam Behag exhibited a mature treatment. There was a hint of Hindusthani style in the execution of these ragas. ‘Oru Naal Podhumaa,’ the hit song from the yesteryear Tamil film, ‘Thiruvilaiyaadal’ and ‘Kaatrinile Varum Geetham’ ushered in the nostalgic memories of film music of the 1960s among the audience. The concert concluded with a lilting presentation of the Dhanashri tillana. The way in which Jayanth switched over to the Bass flute to render lower octaves displayed his mastery over the instrument.
The concert was well appreciated for its combination of melody and meticulous rendition of the ragas. Jayanth was ably accompanied by Ambika Prasad on the violin and S.T. Murthy on the mridangam.
