It is a big challenge to venture into composing music for poems with an undercurrent of philosophy. V.K. Sasidharan (V.K.S.) has for over four decades successfully composed and sung the poems of illustrious poets. Of the two CDs under review, one is the musical presentation of segments from Tagore’s Gitanjali translated by the late poet laureate G. Sankara Kurup. The nine poetic verses of Tagore find appropriate expressions in the voice and diction of V.K.S.
Fastidious he is in the evocation of the cosmic vision of the Nobel laureate in the poems, especially those under the titles, ‘Aattinakkare Aashaadathile’ and ‘Paataanivide Karuthiya Gaanam’. The latter is more familiar to Malayalis, as it was sung by the late Kamukara Purushothaman, decades ago, for All India Radio. From the rendering it is clear that V.K.S. has imbibed the nuances of Tagore’s poetry which embraces infinity against the ephemeral. The philosophical depth of the lines, however, fails to take off with the BGM making them a bit too insipid and mundane. ‘Varu Varu,’ the last in the series, should have brought immense tranquility and repose in the minds of listeners. Contrary to expectation, V.K.S.’ presentation of the poem is devoid of the joie de vivre he has been endowed with.
In the CD titled ‘Pranayam’, there are 10 lyrics. P. Madhusudanan, Kilimanoor Ramakanthan, Punaloor Balan, Ettumanoor Somadasan, Sankarankutty, K.P.Shylaja and Praveen Iyambilly are the lyricists. K.P.Shylaja and Punaloor Balan appeal to our ears and emotions. The nasal tones of Bhairavi and V.K.S. make the songs mellifluous.
Tagore’s Gitanjali and Pranayam
Music by V.K. Sasidharan
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