Senior vocalist M.V. Kamala Ramani was invited by Sri Kartikeya Gana Sabha to give a concert, last week at its venue Sri Gana Saraswathi Temple hall, Musheerabad. Kamala is blessed with mellifluous vocal culture with reasonably good range and ability to render compositions with good sahitya expression retaining apt mood. She came out with a repertoire that carried compositions of different composers.
Kamala opened her recital with Bhairavi Viriboni varnam in Ata talam in two speeds. The very next number Swathi Tirunal’s popular composition Deva Deva Kalayamithe in Mayamalavagowla set in Rupaka talam was an example. This being in Sanskrit, Kamala took care she spelt sahitya with care and perfection, bringing out its gist in true spirit. The same tenor continued in her neraval presentation at the line Jaata Rupa Nibha Chela slowly stepping up its tempo to satisfying levels never losing sight of sahitya import. The kalapanaswaras that followed too maintained the same tenor, never losing grip on raga bhava.
Paridaana Michithe
Later Kamala rendered Santhana Gopalakrishnam in Khamas of Muthuswamy Dikshithar, a simple kirtana presentation using it as the curtain raiser for the main melody pristine and rich Thodi for Sri Krishnam Bhaja Maanasa of Muthuswamy Dikshithar. The delineation of Thodi was carefully handled with an approach of mood building through the segments of methodical raga build, first moving to upper part of the octave and then back to mandra. Kirtana rendition was appealing. The kalpanaswaras mirrored her imaginative skills in giving impressive finish.
The end numbers of Kamala’s concert were Parama Purusha in Behag of Narayana Teertha and a popular tillana of Balamurali in Kadanakuthuhalam.
