Cherthala K.N. Ranganatha Sharma is a versatile musician in the true sense of the term. A resonant and reverberating voice, erudition, dedication and a rich repertoire have enabled him to occupy a prominent place in the firmament of Carnatic music. Fidelity to sruti, superb control of laya and a sharp focus on bhava are the hallmarks of his music. The vocalist won the hearts of the listeners with his performance in Palakkad.
Sharma created the right concert milieu with ‘Ento Prematho,’ a Lalgudi Jayaraman varnam in Bahudari, ‘Sri Ganapathini’ (Sourashtram-Tyagaraja) and the evocative ‘Kamakshi Kamakoti’ (Simmendramadhyamam-Muthuswami Dikshitar). After an absorbing alapana of Abogi, he chose a less-heard kriti of Mysore Sadasiva Rao – ‘Neegepudu Daya Vachino,’ beautifying it with a splendid niraval and swaraprastharas. His moving delineation of Hamirkalyani was a connoisseur’s delight; the gradual ascent to shadjam and the vibrant sancharas in all the octaves unfolded the raga bhava in full.
The Tyagaraja kritis – ‘Vararagalaya’ in Chenchu Kambhoji and ‘Varasikhivahana’ in the rare raga Supradeepam – served as apt fillers between the heavy items.
The high point of the concert was the RTP in Nattakurunji. Adhering to the age-old practice, he presented the raga in two parts – first, he went upto shadjam (middle octave) and asked the violinist to take over and then moved to the upper octave and traversed it effortlessly, touching all the swararsthanas. He left no stone unturned in projecting the raga swaroopa. The tanam, generously garnished with glides and twists, was rendered elaborately. The elongated Tamil pallavi in Ada tala was a marvellous creation, testifying the artiste’s musical acumen and manodharma. The ragamalika swaras in Mohanam, Kaapi and Hamsanandhi added pep to the rendition.
The final phase of the concert was a grand mixture of aesthetics and melody. The devotional pieces, ‘Bhaja Bhaja Maanasa Raghavendram’ (Tilang) and Annamacharya’s ‘Nanatibratuku’ (Revathi) offered an aural feast. The famous jaavali ‘Marubari Taala’ (Kamas) and the brisk thillana in Sindhubhairavi brought the curtains down on the concert.
Handling the violin with characteristic ease, Embar Kannan matched the vocalist in every respect. Changanassery Harikumar (mridangam) gripped the attention of the audience with his spirited display. Vazhappally Krishnakumar (ghatam) showed his skills as an able percussionist. The duo produced a majestic tani in Ada tala, revealing their craftsmanship. The concert was organised by Palghat Fine Arts Society.
