Manodharma well balanced

Vishnudev painted vivid raga imageries.

Vishnudev Namboodiri performing for the Indian Fine Arts Indian in Chennai

Fast gaining recognition on the kutcheri circuit, vocalist Vishnudev Namboodiri, a disciple of vidwan P.S. Narayanaswami came up with a recital that did his guru proud. A balanced distribution of manodharma elements ensured an evenness from start to finish.

A forceful ‘Meru Samaana’ (Mayamalavagowla, Tyagaraja) was the brisk opening piece. Thoughtful touches in the sangathis, such as the swarakshara highlighting of the ‘sa ma’ in ‘Samaana’ added interest. Sarvalaghu kalpanaswaras in two kalas gathered pace for a rousing touchdown in the concluding round.

The nuances of Surutti raga shone through a compact exposition that prefixed Muthuswami Dikshitar’s ‘Angarakam Ashrayamyaham.’ As the beauty of the Navagraha kriti unfolded, you appreciated anew the importance of patanthara imbibed directly from one’s guru. The Tamil kriti ‘Karpaga Manohara’ (Papanasam Sivan) weaving sinuously through the details of Malayamarutham was the launching ground for appealing kalpanaswaras.

Given that he was featured in the hour and a half slot, the vocalist chose to focus almost exclusively on the main piece, Kalyani, a decision that yielded rich dividends in terms of leisurely exploration, vistara and depth.

Finely textured madhyamakala phrases forged a focused route to the panchama. With uncommon hues surfacing at the nishada suite, the scene of action shifted to the tara sthayi gandhara. Shadja-varja passages, pidis and dynamic prayogas supported a full-throated exploration of the upper register which made a descent to an energetic rounding off at the madhya sthayi shadja. Even as the rich, fruity flavour of ‘Pankaja Lochana’ (Swati Tirunal) filled the air, the scene-stealer turned out to be the niraval at ‘Brindavanantha.’ Soaring on flights of imagination that circled the rarefied strata of the tara sthayi gandhara, the elegant passages exemplified fluid grace. Melkala sarvalaghu swaras sparkled with poruthams. A brisk ‘Sa Pashyat Kousalya’ (Jonpuri, Panchapakesa Shastri ) wound up the concert.

Violinist Shreya Devnath presented neat raga essays. H.S. Sudhindra (mridangam) and Nanganallur S. Swaminathan (ghatam) contributed an energising thani marked by clarity of sollus.