An array of music concerts were organised as part of the Navaratri festival, held at Vanaprastha, Coimbatore.
Endowed with a mellifluous voice, Sriranjani Santhanagopalan’s concert held the rasikas in thrall from the beginning. ‘Saraseeruha’ (Nattai) with swaras was followed by the charming portraits of Begada (‘Kadaikkann Vaithennai’), Saveri (‘Sankari Samkuru’) and Bilahari (‘Sri Chamundeswari’) with effortless brigas and prayogas. Her voice modulation in niraval and swaraprastara showed her kutcheri skills. Sreeranjani Ramkumar (violin) and Ramachandran (mridangam) fitted the bill admirably.
Carnatica Brothers ’, Sashikiran and Ganesh, choice and presentation of kritis with an aesthetic blend of azhutham and finesse was an aural treat. Their sprightly start of ‘Omkara Ganapathi’ in Hindolam followed by ‘Pahimam Sri’ with swaras were spellbinding. Their alapana of Bhoopalam for the kriti, ‘Varam Thara Parasiva’ was a fine sketch with appealing phrases in the middle and upper registers with a facile ease. ‘Sarasaamadhana’ with niraval and swaras brought nostalgic memories of late Madurai Mani Iyer. The swarajati of ‘Amba Kamakshi’ in Bhairavi was a demonstration of their veneration for the raga and a stunning exercise in melody. M.A. Sundareswaran (violin) displayed the Parur stamp in caressing the ragas in his solo versions and swara sallies. The young and promising percussionist, Rahul Krishnamurthi, provided quality patterns and his thani was of a high standard.
Suryaprakash accompanied by Sreeranjani Ramkumar (violin) and Prakash (mridangam) excelled in manodharma. His raga vinyasams of Mohanakalyani (‘Bhuvaneswariya’) with swaras, Atana (‘Nee Irangaayenil’) and Kaapi (‘Intha Sowkhya’) were stunning. Sreeranjani proved equal to meet the challenges of the vocalist in raga essays and swara repartees. Prakash (mridangam) supported him on the percussion side with a lot of anticipation throughout.
The music session of Devaki Lakshmikanthan , Meenakshi Iyer and Thailambal melded with devotion.
Rajeswari ’s recital reflected her involvement to create an exposition of depth. With judicious choice of kritis, her rendition was brisk and impressive barring a few slippages in the alapanas and swaras.
The wholesome fare of Lakshmi Iyer and Geetha were soothing. The resounding saareeram of 80-year Rajagopal in his exposition of the songs exuded sophistication of a high order.
Vijayalakshmy Subramaniam ’s artistry coupled with modulation added charm to her singing style. Her ebullient Saveri Varnam followed by ‘Jaya Jaya’ (Naattai) with swaras set the tone of her session. Her raga delineations of Mukhari (‘Sivagamasundari’) and Kalyani (‘Bhajare Re Chitha’) with niraval and swaras were enjoyable. ‘Dharini Thelusukonti’(Suddhasaveri) was rendered in apt kalapramana. Her other items, ‘
Indira, Kalpakam, Sruthi and Asha Thyagarajan displayed their musical wares with precision and perfect sruti alignment. Their execution of the compositions was replete with bhava drawing wide appreciation from the listeners.
