The five-day Suswara Sammelan was a confluence of music. It was held recently during the celebrations of the Nadhadweepam Trust’s 15th anniversary and the 105th birth anniversary of Semmangudi Dr. R. SrinivasaIyer at Sri Sringeri Mutt, Srirangam.
Karaikudi M. S. Mani presented the inaugural concert. It was marked by creativity and prowess over laya. He began his recital with a brisk ‘Sri Mahaganapathim’ in Atana, followed by brief swarams. He conveyed Tyagaraja’s emotional appeal to Lord Rama in the form of the kriti, ‘Nee Daya Radha’ in Vasanthabhairavi.
Reethigowlai was showcased in all its grandeur followed by the kriti, ‘Raga Rathna Malika.’ ‘Nithichala Sukhama,’ where Tyagaraja shuns materialistic wealth in lieu of Sri Rama’s Devotion, was presented as the main piece.
Mani wove intricate laya patterns and was ably followed by Nagai R. Muralidharan (violin). The tani in mishra chapu talam sparkled in the hands of Mannargudi A. Easwaran (mridangam) and Tiruchi S. Krishnaswamy (ghatam). The ragas, Revathi, Sindubhairavi and Bageshri, formed the lighter portion of the concert.
Sanjay Subrahmanyan beguiled the rasikas on the second day. He began the concert with a rare and captivating ‘Narayanagowla Varnam’ in ata talam. ‘Lokavana Chathura’ in Begada had energy.
A vibrant alapana of Varali preceded ‘Eti Janmam.’ Violin vidwan Nagai R. Muralidharan’s classy reply showed his vidwat. ‘Appan Avadharitha’ in Karaharapriya, an old time favourite made popular by Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, was adorned by a niraval and beautiful swara prastharam. ‘Chetah Sri Balakrishnam’ (Dwijavanthi), where Muthuswami Dikshitar addresses the mind to contemplate on Lord Balakrishna, was serene. Mohanam, the raga of the day, was presented in all its magnificence. ‘Narayana Divya Namam’ (adi talam) of Papanasam Sivan commemorated the Vaishnava shrine of Srirangam. An elaborate kalpanaswara was followed by a splendid tani by Mannargudi Easwaran (mridangam) and Alathur T. Rajaganesh (ganjira).
‘Thunbam Nergayil’ in Desh was melting. ‘Thirushiragiriyar’ in Chenchurutti, ‘Matrariyadha’ in Suratti and a tillana in Kapi formed the concluding part.
Archit Baskaran on the keyboard opened his recital with a Daru Varnam in Kamas. ‘Vatapi Ganapathim’ in Hamsadhwani was presented with interesting swara patterns. ‘Janani Ninnu Vina’ in Reethigowla and ‘Pavana Guru’ in Hamsanandhi came next. The main piece, Bilahari, was melodious and Kamalakiran Vinjamuri’s reply on the violin conveyed the depth of the raga. The tani in adi talam by Abhinav Seetharaman (mridangam) was commendable. He concluded the recital with a tillana in Kapi and ‘Bhagyadha Lakshmi’ in Madhyamavathi
Dr. Partha Krishnamoorthy (vocal) began his rendition with the Sri raga varnam. This was followed by ‘Tathvamariya Tharama’ in Reethigowla. The Khambodi piece, ‘Rangam Srirangam’ conveyed the significance of the Temple town. The kritis, ‘Ganamoorthey – Ganamoorthi’ and ‘Chalamela – Margahindolam’ were presented in succession. ‘Deva Deva Kalayami’ in Mayamalavagowla was delightful. ‘Nagumomu’ in Abheri was the next number. ‘Ethavunnara’ in Kalyani was rendered in detail with alapana, neraval and swaram. Pudukkottai R. Ambikaprasad (violin) replied in a glorious fashion. The tani, in adi talam, by Konerirajapuram V. Varadarajan (mridangam), Agasthiar G. Girish (ganjira) and Vishnupuram Sri Raghu (morsing) was inspiring. ‘Ramanai Bhajithal’ (Mand) and a Ragamalika Virutham followed by ‘Karpagame’ in Madhyamavathi completed the recital.
Hariharan Ravi (vocal) won the hearts of music lovers with his fabulous presentation. ‘Entoprema,’ in Suruti ragam was the first piece. He exhibited his talent in swara singing in ‘Deva Deva’ (Mayamalavagowla). A brisk ‘Birana Brova’ in Kalyani maintained the tempo of the concert. The sedate ‘Ranganayakam’ in Nayaki created a peaceful atmosphere. The ragam Todi was steeped in classism. Kamalakiran Vinjamuri’s reply on the violin was equally appealing. Tyagaraja’s ‘Kadhanuvariki’ followed. Tani in adi talam by Abhinav Seetharaman (mridangam) was admirable.
Maharajapuram Ganesh Vishwanathan (vocal) true to his heritage, began the concert with Hamsadhwani, Ponniah Pillai’s ‘Ranganathude’ in Sowrasthram was a tribute to the Lord of Srirangam. ‘Rama Neeyeda’ in Kharaharapriya was elaborate. N. C. Madhav (violin) accompanied the artist beautifully. Palladam Sri Ravi (mridangam), Tiruchi Krishnaswamy (ghatam) and Vishnupuram Raghu (morsing ) combined in the Tani. He concluded the concert with Maharajapuram Santhanam’s favourites, ‘Sri Chakra’ (Ragamalika), ‘Vilayada Idhu’ (Shanmukhapriya) and a tillana in Basant Bahar.
The concert of K. Vageesh , Deputy Director General, AIR, New Delhi, was characterised by melody and rhythm. He began with a fast paced varnam in Malayamarutham. The second Item on Goddess Sarada was in Sharadapriya, a derivative of the 20 Melakarta Natabhairavi. A rare ‘Adukaratha’ of the Bard from Thiruvayyaru in the rare raga Manoranjani followed. The main piece in Hamsanandhi ‘Nadhadweepathil Amarndhavale’ was the highlight of the concert. Madhav (violin) brought out the charm of the raga. It was followed by a tani from Harikumar (mridangam), Tiruchi K. Murali (ghatam) and Alathur Rajaganesh (ganjira) which enthralled the audience.
