VR Dileep Kumar displayed his musical acumen and respect for tradition in a vocal recital on the inaugural day of the Swathi Thirunal Sangeethotsavam in Palakkad. However, the concert did not gain much tempo despite his rich repertoire, due to his selection of kritis.
He chose quite a number of unfamiliar compositions of Swathi Thirunal in ragas such as Ramapriya. He could, instead, have rendered a mix of popular and rare kritis of the royal composer, which would have made the recital wholesome. Nevertheless, he revealed glimpses of his style in some of his renditions.
The highlight of the concert was a scholarly elucidation of Sudha Saveri. Delving deep into the niceties of this melody, he erected a beautiful edifice of the raga, showcasing its full swaroopa. Picking up the kriti Saahasikadanujahara , he presented descriptive swaraprastharas, which flowed smoothly like a river; the passages suffixed with “rishabha” deserve special mention.
Complete portrayal
The concert commenced with Padmanabha palithebha in Malayamarutham. It proceeded to ‘Paramananda Natana’ in Kedaram in Vilambha kala. The beauty of the raga emanated lucidly in the kriti rendition and in the kalpanaswaras. Maamava Jagadeeswara in Saraswathi Manohari was a prelude to the main item.
The choice of the 52nd Mela raga Ramapriya did not appear to be judicious, as this resembles Malayamarutham, (the first raga of the concert), but for the addition of prathimadhyamam in the former raga. Sangathis of Malayamarutham appeared frequently in the raga delineation. Excessive brigas but less gamakas made the alapana perfunctory. However, he rendered ingenious kalpanaswaras in the kriti Samodam Paripalaya , with special accent on ‘daivata’, prefixed by a brief niraval.
The concluding pieces - the moving bhajan Bansee Vaali in Bhup, Madhavaloka in Jonpuri and the mangalam Bhujagasayinam in Yadukula Kambodhi - were soaked in soulful melody.
Seasoned violinist TH Subramanyan’s accompaniment was top class. He offered aural pleasure with his delectable raga and swara phrases. G Chandrasekharan Nair (mridangam) extended superb support throughout the concert. Aluva R Rajesh was adequate on the ghatam. Their well-crafted thani in Adi tala was engrossing.
The concert, organised by Akashavani Thrissur, in association with Palghat Fine Arts Society, was held at the Palghat Fine Arts Society Auditorium.
