Raga Neelambari was reigning when Adoor Sudarsan provided a musical feast at the Moozhikkulam sala the other day. ‘Amba neelayathkshy,' a Tyagaraja kriti, saw the artiste coming up with raga elaborations and musical patterns that captivated the audience.
The able support lent by accompanists Palakkad Mahesh (mridangam) and Trivandrum Sampath (violin) enhanced the feel of the composition. The taniavartanam was distinctive for its precision and harmony.
The three-and-a-half-hour vocal Carnatic concert began with the recital of a Nammalwar song by Moozhikkulam Harikrishnan, a promising youngster.
Adoor Sudarsan started with ‘Bagayanayya,' a Tyagaraja kriti in Chandrajyoti raga (Adi tala). It was followed by a major presentation – Mysore Vasudevacharya's ‘Pranamamyaham' in Goula. The alapana was noteworthy for its movements from the higher to the lower stayis and vice versa. The next piece was ‘Mamavasada varade,' the popular Swati Tirunal kriti in Nattakurinji, Roopaka tala. The vocalist depicted novel vistas of the raga and paved the way for a charismatic performance on the violin and the mridangam.
With an excellent exposition of the raga Janaranjiny, Sudarsan rendered a not-so-common piece, ‘Nanadinava,' another Tyagaraja kriti. ‘Varasikhi vahana' in Supradeepam, a janya raga of Suryakantham, another rare kriti of Tyagaraja, won the hearty applause of the audience for its individuality.
Magic in simplicity
The presentation of thanam in Jonpuri was another outstanding experience. Sudarsan used the rather simple raga with intrinsic swaraprastharams to make it stand out. The pallavi ‘Ka va va velava,' and a viruttam, ‘Sarangayatha lochane' in ragamalika, were enchanting.
His voyage through the ragamalika swaras ended with Ranjini. By the time he concluded the concert with the mangalam ‘Pavamana,' the listeners were lost in musical bliss.
The concert was organised under the aegis of Nammalwar Sangeeta Sabha in association with Moozhikkulam sala.
