Some efforts are being made by a section of musicians to create a new concert format much to the delight as well as disappointment of Carnatic music aficionados. Young vocalist Rithvik Raja seems to have taken up this mission quite seriously and his vocal recital differs and stands out from the rest of his peers.
Rithvik’s opening was very leisurely with the slow and sedate Yadukulakambodi swarajathi ‘Kamakshi’ by Syama Sastri. It was soulful, but the slowness turned soporific after a point. While the swara part was played by violinist Shriramkumar, the sahitya was rendered by Rithvik. Mayamalavagowla was detailed in the same fashion. ‘Shri Nathaadi Guruguho’(Muthuswami Dikshitar) was embellished with an extensive unhurried niraval on ‘Brahma roopo’ and swaras. To break this monotony slightly, raga Bahudari entered at the anupallavi ‘Sri Vasudeva’ of Tyagaraja’s ‘Brovabarama.’ The swara exchanges here centered on gandharam, creating a few ripples.
Ragamalika tanam
Rithvik Raja was not keen to increase the tempo or reduce the ‘super sowkyam’. He drew a few phrases of Kapi and instantly moved over to tanam. It was set to be a ragamalika tanam exchange between Rithvik and violinist Shriramkumar. So the colourful tanam trade went with Mukhari, Kambodi, Purvikalyani and back to Kapi. The pallavi started with ‘Inta Sowkya’ and the kriti moved on. In fact, the whole concert seemed to be a ‘personal musical conversation’ between Rithivik Raja and Shriramkumar. The company of Sumesh Narayanan (mridangam) and Anirudh Athreya (kanjira) was seemingly incidental, their presence felt conspicuously only during the tani avartanam.
Rithvik also connected every kriti with a brief extension of the previous raga and then switched over to the next raga. Some style! The tail-enders were ‘Eppo Varuvaro’ in Jhonpuri by Gopalakrishna Bharati and ‘Shanthi Nilava Vendum’ in Tilang by Sethumadhava Rao.
Gurucharan’s fine start
There was no spate of swarakalpana for almost consecutively an hour in Sikkil C. Gurucharan’s concert. He focused on the lyrical beauty and raga elegance of the compositions he sang. His recital started with the scholarly Nilambari varnam ‘Senthil Nagar Mevum Deva’ composed by violin maestro Lalgudi Jayaraman with a masterly swara-sahitya blend. “Seshachala Nayakam” in Varali had a preface of raga and a detailed niraval at ‘Aravinda Patra Nayanam.’ Then came Tyagaraja’s unique ‘Ne Nendu’ in Karnataka Behag with its several beguiling sangathis.
Swara passages
Thus the stage was set for the main raga Saveri. A highly pliable raga which offers vast scope for the vocalists’ creativity, Gurucharan made full use of his ingenuity in painting its dynamic image. The choice of the kriti also matched the raga alapana, ‘Sri Rajagopala’ by Muthuswami Dikshitar. Gurucharan presented a detailed niraval at ‘Neera Sampoorna’ and it was linked to an exhaustive swarakalpana. The swara cycles centered on shadjam later reached a calculated crescendo after several rounds.
V. Sanjeev on the violin contributed competently to Gurucharan’s vocals. His responses in Saveri alapana and swaras need special mention. K.V. Prasad on the mridangam and Sunil Kumar on the kanjira opted for subdued percussion support and an equally sober thani.
The closing pieces were ‘Rama Namame’ in Desh by Thanjavur Sankara Iyer, ‘Maname Kanamum’ in Abheri by Papanasam Sivan and a thillana in Sindhubhairavi by Oothukadu Venkatakavi.
Listening to a concert in the virtual medium as opposed to a concert in an auditorium does have a difference. Nevertheless, as long as music remains the major charm, it will be a gratifying experience. The organisers deserve praise for their planning and arrangements.
