The music of R.S. Ramakanth, son and disciple of doyen R.K. Srikantan, has a distinct stamp. His extensive Dhanyasi alapana was indicative of that. It was a picture of tradition. The phrases had the felicity of execution and sensitiveness.
Ramakanth is endowed with a voice rich in timbre. The Tyagaraja kriti, ‘Ni Chitthamu Nishchalamu’ (misra chapu) was majestic. The Saint here not only sees Lord Rama as his Guru, but describes who a Guru is. The niraval and swaras were at the charanam line ‘Guruvu Chillagincha.’ Jayachandra Rao offered a well-conceived thani.
The strains of Andolika at the very beginning of his morning concert were truly inviting. Ramakanth rendered the pallavi for the Harikesanallur Muthaiah Bhagavatar varnam in trikalam. He then took up Mysore Vasudevachar’s piece on Lord Ganesa in Khambodi, ‘Lambodaram Avalambe’ in Rupaka tala in an appropriate kalapramanam. The niraval was at ‘Surabhusura’ and the kalpanaswaras had delightful symmetry in every avartanam.
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Being Tuesday, he rendered Dikshitar’s Navagraha kriti, ‘Angarakam Ashrayamyaham’ set to Rupaka tala in raga Surutti. The Bhavapriya alapana was an example of imaginative exposition.
On the violin, Balu Raghuram displayed competence. Ramakanth rendered Mysore Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wodeyar’s composition, ‘Sri Guru Dakshinamurthe’ in a fine Matya tala (4+2+4). It has a few eloquent passages on Lord Dakshinamurthy.
Ramakanth then rendered two Tyagaraja kritis, ‘Nenendu Vedakudura’ in Karnataka Behag and ‘Samayamu Emarake’ in Kalgada. The Mohanam piece, ‘Gururaya Bandha’ of Sri Padaraja is rich in lyrical beauty and is well-tuned with Durita kala sangatis. Ramakanth rendering brought out its devotional spirit. He wound up the concert with Pattabhiramayya’s popular Khamas Javali ‘Modi Jesevelara’ and the exquisite Sankarabharanam tillana of Mysore Veena Seshanna.
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