Before starting to write anything else about the music of ThrissurBrothers , there is a heartfelt request: “The high-pitched rendition mars the effect of your soulful music, please watch out!” Even as one of them was singing, the other started, be it alapana, niraval or swaras. If singing in a single breath for a few minutes in akara or singing swaras non-stop for several cycles, which often turned out to be just uttering of notes the tune being lost in the speed, is supposed to be good music, then it was there in plenty and also earned the audience’s applause several times. The brief silence between two items was a great relief indeed.
There is no dearth of talent here. After the Sahana varnam, ‘Sri Mahaganapati’ (Gowla) had over animated kalpanaswaras as it did in later items. The essay of Anandabhairavi prefixing ‘Marivere’ had several pleasing prayogas. Mullaivasal Chandramouli’s version on the violin was soothing, not just here but through the entire recital. After a quick Ranjanimalika and ‘Marugelara’ in Jayantasri, came the main item Mohanam, which often sounded a lot like Mohanakalyani. The alapana, which seemed endless, and the tanam were frenzied singing, letting the sruti go for a toss now and then. The pallavi was set to khanda jati triputa tala with eduppu at samam. The sancharas were often a repetition of what was heard in the ragam and tanam. Trichur Mohan on the mridangam and D.V. Venkatasubramanyam on the ghatam provided percussion support.
