M elody reigned at the Sree Neelakanta Sivan music fete in Thiruvananthapuram, held in memory of saint classical composer Neelakanta Sivan, who lived in Karamana. Musicians, young and old, set the stage on fire with their renditions. The concluding part of the report on the fete reviews some of the concerts held in connection with the programme. includes some of lists a few noteworthy concerts
K. Gayathri
The artiste, who was performing at the fete for the first time, rose well above the expectations of the rasikas with her scintillating performance. Gayathri’s concert reflected the youngster’s keenness to adhere to tradition.
Her unconventional rendering of ‘Sidhi Arul’ in Natta revealed the nuances of the raga. She followed it with ‘Merusamana’, a stately composition in Mayamalavagowla.
She proved her talent as a singer with the technically-aesthetic manodharma that essayed rarely explored facets of the raga. ‘Pahi Jagajanani’ in Vachaspathi was the main composition of the concert. The eloquent raga alapana with swift, impressive phrases and captivating niraval and swara patterns charmed rasikas.
A complex ragam tanam pallavi set to Tisra roopakam in Bhairavi was rendered effortlessly, and suffused with bhava and technical excellence. Swati Tirunal’s ‘Aliveni’ was presented with commendable diction.
The singer wowed the audience by demonstrating ‘dwitala avadhanam’ (presenting two different talas on different hands) through a Thirupugazh in Poorvi Kalyani; a complex feat imbibed from her guru Suguna Purushothaman. The singer was complemented on the violin by Padma Krishnan, and supported on the mridangam and the ghatam by K.M.S. Mani and Ennakkad Maheshwaran, respectively.
Adoor Sudarsanan
The singer put up a remarkable concert marked by his distinctive style of singing. He flagged off the concert with ‘Sree Mahaganapathi’ in Sowrashtram set to Misra Chapu followed by a crisp rendition of ‘Varalakshmi Neeye’ in Salaga Bhairavi. ‘Entu Vedukondu’ in Saraswathi Manohari and ‘Ananada Natamaduvar’ in Poorvi Kalyani were rendered with zest, and intricately braided with expressive yet intellectual swaras and niraval passages.
The raga visthara of Kamboji was well crafted with vibrant yet soulful manoeuvres, excellently reciprocated on the violin. It was followed by ‘Evarimata’. His voice traversed the octaves with effortless ease during the manodharma. A ragam tanam pallavi featuring a combination of Mohanam and Saveri was presented with an elaborate raga alapana, followed by alternating typical patterns accentuating each raga’s prominence.
‘Baro Krishnayya’ and ‘Manasa Sancharare’ were the concluding pieces of the concert. S.R. Rajasree’s accompaniment on the violin stood out. Mridangam by Kodunthirapully Parameswaran and ganjira by Udupi Srikanth were exemplary.
Pattabhiram Pandit
Pandit started off with ‘Viriboni’ followed by an impressive rendition of ‘Nee Kela Dayaradu’ in Sarasangi. His chaste rendition of ‘Mundu Venuka’ in Darbar, subtly portrayed the soul of the composition. A vibrant rendition of the raga ‘Poorvi Kalyani’ with mid-paced phrases was followed by an erudite exposition of the same on the violin by Ramanujacharyalu. Pandit presented the kriti ‘Deva Deva Jagadeeswara’ with mesmerising support on the mridangam by virtuoso Mannargudi Easwaran. The concert’s pace kept the audience enchanted, with compositions such as ‘Hecharika’ in Yedukula Kamboji and ‘Anupama’ in Atana.
His intuitive rendition of Sudha Saveri and a melodically cadenced tanam was a prelude to ‘Janani Pahi’ of Swati Tirunal – the main feature of the concert. The constant interaction of the singer and the accompanists was a treat to watch. The tani floored the rasikas with its layam and intricate nuances with equally enthralling replies by Guruprasanna on the ganjira.
‘Navasidhi Petralum’ of Neelakanta Sivan was elating and lilting. It was followed by Thirupugazh.
Vijay Siva
The vocalist, who has always been a torch-bearer of classicism, showered the audience with musicof the highest order. A varnam in Mohanam was followed by a brisk recital of ‘Tulasidala’ in Mayamalavagowla. The brief niraval and swara phrasings eloquently exposed the heart of the scale. The scintillating delineation of ‘Saranga’ was tagged to ‘Emi dova’ of Tyagaraja.
The raga alapana of Kamboji was a connoisseur’s delight followed by an equally competent essay by Amrita Murali on the violin.
‘Thiruvadi Charanam’ of Gopalakrishna Bharathi was neatly and expressively rendered, with perfect diction. His recital was saturated with life and soul that left a lasting imprint on the rasikas.
A ragam tanam pallavi in Natabhairavi was a highlight of the concert. Swift phrases ornately carved out the essence of the scale and a serene madhayama-kala tanam soothed the listeners. The pallavi was beautifully and elaborately exposed in Natabhairavi, Bhairavi and Anandabhairavi followed by a dignified tani by Manoj Siva on the mridangam and Vazhappally Krishnakumar on the ghatam. The virutam in Khamas followed by ‘Theduvatheppo’ was refreshing.
