Abhishek has brought in a new dimension to music through his adroit handling of different segments such as alapana, niraval and swaraprasthara witnessed in his long phrases and racy brikas. It is indeed a brand new genre which only a highly creative mind can bring into being. His strong sense of laya – he is at home with both mridangam and ganjira – helps him to portray various kritis differently. I am, like many others, bewitched by his relentless inventiveness and his astonishing voice that is capable of negotiating all three sthayis with supreme ease. This is the reason why his concerts always seem to be refreshing and impressive.
The concert under review was no different. Judging from the deafening, almost intoxicating applause they offered so frequently, the huge audience that comprised his rasikas, musicians, and a few foreigners seemed to enjoy every bit of it. There was no dearth of speed. I never imagined that even Tharangampadi Panchanada Iyer’s moving Kalyani piece, ‘Biranabrova’ in tisra nadai could be handled in such a racy style. In niraval and swaras at ‘Nee Padapankaja’, his youthful exuberance was in full play. However, the rapid rhythmic exercise, though clear-cut and precise in execution, didn’t help in creating the mood of entreaty that the composer had perhaps intended.
Soon after Kalyani, he took up Shanmukhapriya for detailed elucidation. In this, the instant reproduction on the violin by Charulatha Ramanujam was musically graceful. Abhishek could be seen enjoying his raga delineation- so much so that at one stage, when he found that his spectacles were an obstruction, he removed them for greater freedom! I would like to make a humble appeal to Abhishek to take care of his vocal cord. I have a feeling that he is overexerting. He has several decades of music ahead of him and he should preserve the unusual inborn gift.
The violin alapana, in contrast, was soft and sweet. In ‘Mamava Karunaya’ (Swati Tirunal, misra chapu,) the swaras at the anupallavi, ‘Kamitha Dana Lola’ in dual nadai (chathusra and misra) were rhythmic.
The push for speed is universal these days. However, an artist like Abhishek should not fall prey to this. Patri Sathishkumar (mridangam) and Guruprasanna (ganjira) continued the chathusra-misra nadai in their thani. Guruprasanna’s misra korvai ending sharp at the eduppu won appreciation.
Abhishek commenced his concert with the Saveri varnam, followed by three rarely heard compositions of Dikshitar in Arabhi (‘Ganarajena’), Kanada (‘Balambikaya’) and Khamas (‘Sri Swaminathaya’). The Arabhi and Khamas sketches were sweet. The swaras at ‘Dinakarakoti’ in Arabhi and niraval at ‘Gajambaramanaya’ in Khamas were rendered fast. While he wanted to wind up his recital with Goswamy Thulasidas’ ‘Sriramachandra Kripalu’, Patri suggested a Sindhubhairavi piece, which he delineated for a while before theThiruppugazh, the only Tamil piece. And finally, in the mangalam, he thankfully remembered Tyagaraja.
