The quintessence of ‘Chitravina’ Ravikiran’s concert was the sense of natural ease that helped one appreciate music in its true perspective. Tonal depth and sensitive raga essays were hallmarks here. As the concert progressed, it was evident that Ravikiran represents a culture which was rooted in classicism. Vishaal Sapuram provided support.
The solemnity of ragas and kirtanas evoked a sense of peace and heightened the emotional content of the kritis. There was refinement in every sanchara in ragas and sangatis in kritis, making for elegance and aesthetics.
From the first item till the end, the concert stressed sangita’s profundity. The technique combined gentleness and dignity to portray music’s intangible image. The most endearing part of Ravikiran’s playing was his penchant for chaste expression.
Great music is that which synthesises the inherent beauty of raga with its chaya (not in swara derivatives) and a kirtana with the vaggeyakara’s intentions. The way Ravikiran presented them, polished to lyrical perfection, echoed these values. A knowledgeable rasika could easily discern Ravikiran’s intensity and depth.
The precision and melodic control on the strings conveyed the chitravina’s unique merit.
All the characteristics mentioned above were truly reflected in the alapanas of Vasantha and Kalyani. If a highly gifted and experienced vidwan such as Ravikiran chose to base his concert on the strength of such magnificent kirtanas as ‘E Vasuda’ (Sahana), ‘Sitamma Mayamma’ (Vasantha) Bhairavi swarajati ‘Kamakshi’ and ‘Enduka Nee Manasu’ (Kalyani), what more is needed to to ensure a great performance?
Equally, competence compels the accompanists too to showcase high quality playing like Akkarai Subbalakshmi (violin) did. The sparkle and range of the raga exposition was proof enough.
The pulse and tempo of J. Vaidyanathan (mridangam) and Karthick (ghatam) enriched the songs and the thani. As percussion accompanists, they underlined their value to the concert.
