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Aural magic: R. Prasanna

At the sub-junior level, there were a few good finds such as Lakshmi Varma and Devi Varma (disciples of T.H. Subrahmaniam) who presented a violin duet.

Repose or ‘vishraanthi’ is said to be the quintessence of Carnatic music and Chepppad Vamanan Nambuthiri, who presented the first major concert, has that quality in abundance. A traditionalist to the core, he began with ‘Saami Ninne,’ a varnam composed by Karur Devudu Iyer in Sree raga.

The depiction of Chandra Jyothi was replete with its characteristic contours and the rendition of ‘Baagaayanayya,’ in which Tyagaraja unveils the mystic existence of the Lord, was appreciated by the listeners. Arabhi was followed by a Swati Tirunal composition ‘Narasimha Maamava.’ ‘Sobhillu,’ composed in Jagan Mohini by Tyagaraja, helped in sustaining the equilibrium of the concert.

Papanasam Ashok Remani

S. Sowmya always sings in a style that is reminiscent of her guru, S. Ramanathan. Her rendition of ragas has a bewitching aura about it and her diction has a velvety softness. After beginning with Tyagaraja’s ‘Seethamma Maayamma’ in Vasantha, she delineated Arabhi through the Swati Tirunal kriti ‘Paahi Parvatha Nandini.’

‘Bantu riti,’ a Tyagaraja composition in Hamsa Naadham, was embroidered with kalpana swaras and in its wake came an eloquent description of Sahana, with ‘E vasudhaa’ by Tyagaraja.

S. Sowmya

‘Sadaa Chaleswaram’ in Bhoopalam and ‘Kshithijaa Ramanam’ in Devagandgari, both by Dikshitar, added gravity to the concert.

Delineating a raga like Kanakaangi is not easy for a vocalist because it is structured by ‘Vivaadhi’ swaras, which are unfriendly with one another. But it was not a difficult proposition for M. Jayachandran. He sang the raga with élan. His composition ‘Amba Jagadamba,’ which was adorned with the ‘ragamudra,’ too was catchy.

Prior to that, he etched a classic Tyagaraja composition in Mayamalava Gowla, ‘Thulasee Dalamulache,’ which was embellished with niravel and swaras. ‘Jaya jaya Raghurama’ was enlivened by a cluster of swaras attached to it.

The Tyagaraja kriti ‘Enduku Peddalavale’ in Sankarabharam was the nucleus of the concert. In between, Jayachandran sang ‘Orajupu’ in Kannada Goula, ‘Sarasijanabha Sodari’ in Nagagandghari, ‘Siva Siva Siva Yanaraada’ in Panthuvarali, a bhajan in raga Patdeep and so on.

Despite his singing in ‘Thaggu sruthi’ (low pitch), Papanasam Ashok Remani impressed rasikas with his his selection of kritis and grip on tempo. His rendition of ‘Bhuvini Daasudane,’ a Tyagraja composition in Sree Ranjini, emphasised the message of unflinching loyalty to the Almighty.

There was an element of shining classicism in his exposition of Poorvi Kalyani while ‘Jnaana mosaga raada’ was laced with kalpana swaras.

Papanasam Sivan’s ‘Maa Remanan’ in Hindolam, and Swati Tirunal’s ‘Jaya jaya Padmanabhamurare’ in Sarasangi was followed by a comprehensive depiction of of Thodi, in which there was a flash of Kalyani, which was brought about by manipulating the basic scale.

Tyagaraja’s ‘Kaddanuvaariki’ had a comely tapestry of niravel and swaras. ‘Saanthaakaaram Bhujagasayanam,’ a ragamalika combining Hamsanandi, Begada, Surya and Bageswari, was an attractive piece.

Karukurichi N. Shashikiran and Chitravina Ganesh (Carnatica Brothers).

Ragam-thaanam in Dharmavathi, with the pallavi adorned by Kanada, Renjini and Kapi, was appreciated by the audience.

Maharajapuram S. Ramachandran began his concert with a varnam in Sahana, ‘Karunimpa Idi’ by Tiruvottriyoor Thyagaiyer. Dikshitar’s ‘Mahaganapathim’ in Natta had enchanting sequences of chittaswaram and kalpanaswaram.

Khamas was enlivened when it came forth in the form of Dikshitar’s ‘Santhana gopala Krishna.’ Mellifluous Kalyani followed with Tyagaraja’s ‘Nidhi Chaala’ in Chaapu. ‘Ranganathude,’ a kriti by Tanjore Ponniah Pillai in Sowrashtram, and ‘Bandu riti’ in Hamsanadam were followed by an erudite ragam thanam pallavi in Khaharapriya and a thillana in Sivaranjini.

When vocal concerts are presented by a duo and one of the singers act as a good foil to the other, the audience relish it. This was evident in the manner in which a recital of Karukurichi N. Shashikiran and his cousin Chitravina Ganesh (Carnatica Brothers) was appreciated by the listeners.

They began with the delectable Padavarnam ‘Chalamela’ in Naattakurinji, composed by Moolaiveedu Rangaswamy Nattuvanar. ‘Kshanameva Ganya,’ composed by Oothukadu Makakavi in Bhouoli, came next.

The elaboration of ‘Lalitha’ by Shashikiran was a tribute to the legend in Nagaswaram, Karukurichi Arunachalam. The duo vied with each other in the realm of niraval and swaras that came in the wake of Dikshitar’s ‘Hiranmayim.’ ‘Malayamaarutham’ was sung well by Shashikiran and ‘thaanam’ with Neelambari, Ahiri and Surutti, culminating in a pallavi, was shared by the duo.

N. Remani can make any raga or kriti memorable because of his unhindered and spontaneous ‘Gaayaki’ style bequeathed to him by the immortal Mahalingam. The Ada tala varnam in Kambhoji was followed by ‘Vathapi’ and Renjini, with its raga edifice built up craftily with the help of ‘Durmaargacharaa,’ composed by Tyagaraja and set to Roopaka tala.

‘Evaruraa,’ a Tyagaraja kriti set to Chaapu, evoked the mellowness of Mohanam. Chaarukeshi had a fluent melodic lay-out and Swati Thirunal’s ‘Kripayaa Paalaya’ kept the listeners nodding in approval. ‘Sree Krishnam’ in Thodi was the centre piece of the concert.

Chennai R. Prasanna’s guitar recital was a sumptuous feast. The flourishes and glides that he played on the instrument when playing ‘Paraakela,’ composed by Syama Sasthri in Kedaragoula, was unbelievable.

‘Jayajaya Padmanabhaanujesha,’ a Swati kriti in Manirangu, and ‘Deva deva,’ again by Swati, were widely applauded. Hindolam appeared with a tinge of Mohanam in it, by virtue of shruti bhedam. ‘Saamaja vara gamana’ had a torrent of swaras. Bilahari was followed by ‘Tholijanma,’ a Tyagaraja composition in Jhampa.

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