The stage transformed into a playground when the chip of the old block and his fellow artists performed. Maharajapuram Ramachandran’s mellifluous music for two hours was frequently punctuated with great display of humour, camaraderie and mutual admiration from his formidable accompanists.
The recital that commenced about half an hour behind schedule caused no stir in the audience - many of whom must be ardent followers of the Maharajapurams for at least three generations. Their patience paid off.
Violin maestro Nagai Muralidharan and mridangam vidwan Guruvayur Dorai have teamed up with Ramachandran for decades, accompanying the illustrious Maharajapuram V. Santhanam at home and abroad. Ramachandran was a budding talent in those days, extending vocal support to his father.
Therefore it is not unusual when, even as a seasoned singer today, Ramachandran often looks up to these stalwarts for ideas and inspiration. It was Muralidharan who prompted him to open the recital with Mayuram Viswanatha Sastri’s kriti, ‘Srimahaganapathe Surapathe Siddhivinayaka Namosthuthe.’
Ramachandran’s resonant voice and decades of practice and public appearances have evidently added sophistication and confidence. From the beginning of this performance to the concluding Mangalam, there was the same liveliness to Ramachandran’s singing.
In this kriti, set in Natta, the chittaiswaram was followed by the artist’s improvisation on the pallavi.
The next kriti in Vanaspathi was similarly not without some anecdote. After a superb exposition of this scale – the fourth of the 72 melakarthas – ‘Pariyachakama Mata Paluvurilo Pogadinadi,’ sang Ramachandran. His voice lent itself to exploiting the ‘suddha rishabham’ in the lower octaves.
At the end of the pallavi to this Tyagaraja song, rather when the charanam commenced, Dorai beautifully anticipated the lyrics on the mridangam. “You remember the very last detail of every composition!” Ramachandran exclaimed. He later told this reviewer that Dorai is also an accomplished singer. The exposition of Hamsanadam was followed by a Tamil kriti of guru Surajananda. ‘Karatthinil Velendum Kandan, Tamizh Aratthinil Vilaiyadum Maindan,’ went the pallavi. The rhyming lyrics stirred one up to start singing then and there. ‘Ezhilana Peyarkonda Azhagan Murugan,’ the niraval likewise instantly appealed to listeners.
Half way through the concert, ‘Himachalathanaya Brochutaku,’ Syama Sastri’s song in Anandabhairavi recalled Santhanam’s famous album dedicated to the 19th-century composer’s works.
Tyagaraja’s ‘Mohanarama,’ has long been a listener’s choice from the Maharajapurams and Ramachandran obliged again without hesitation.
Subramanya Bharathi’s ‘Chinnanjiru Kiliye,’ and ‘Manave Mantralaya,’ on Lord Raghavendra concluded a joyous evening. H. Sivaramakrishnan on the ghatam added to the overall impact.
