Dr. R. Ganesh belongs to the family lineage of Kavikunjara Bharathi and Koteeswara Iyer. He is a devoted disciple of Maharajapuram Santhanam, and hence he comes fifth in the sishya parampara of Saint Tyagaraja. Apart from being a top class classical vocalist, he has also been presenting namasankirtanam for the past five years.
In his concert for Kartik Fine Arts, what he offered the other evening was solely classical with a pronounced meditative element. His detailed Kalyanavasantham proved that he has smartly absorbed all the nuances and technicalities that make music great. While the raga itself is majestic, Dr. Ganesh adorned it with further embellishments. On the violin, Kalyani Shankar’s appealing alapana had all the vital phrases of the raga and its finer features. She is an accomplished and decidedly talented artist.
Dr. Ganesh rendered the lovely kriti of Dikshitar, ‘Sri Venkatesam Bhajami’ (Rupakam). The main raga was Thodi, exceptionally well defined by its innate charm. It was a ‘full length’ emotive alapana, imaginative and vigorous. Certainly, he did add a few original phrases to the traditional Santhanam style. Kalyani Shankar also etched a beautiful elucidation with her inventiveness. Another Dikshitar kriti, ‘Sri Krishnam Bhaja’ on the Lord of Guruvayur had swarams at ‘Pangajasanadi.’ Its korvai, an admixture of chatusram and tisram, was interesting.
Chidambaram S. Balashankar (mridangam) and A.S. Krishnan (morsing) offered an amazing thani. Balashankar’s extensive voyage in Khanda nadai was catchy to the ears and technically excellent. Krishnan’s graceful morsing enriched the concert as a whole.
Dr. Ganesh commenced his concert with Papanasam Sivan’s Kharaharapriya kriti, ‘Ganapathiye Karunanidhiye.’ Swaras in lovely gaits were at the Pallavi. Koteeswara Iyer’s charming Saveri piece, ‘Velayya Dayavillaya’ in Desadi lifted the quality of the concert. Tyagaraja’s ‘Siva Siva Ena’ in Pantuvarali saw a prolonged kalpana swaraprasthara in a single breath. Muthu Thandavar’s incredible composition, ‘Kanamal Vinile’ in a pensive mood was captivating.
ramakrishnan.h@gmail.com
