Bharat Sundar’s evening concert at the Ragasudha Hall confirmed his ability to hold the audience interest with his packaging. The detailed Suddha Saveri alapana was inspiring and Nagai Sriram on the violin came up with an impressive response. What could have been a better choice than ‘Darini telusu konti’, where Tyagaraja takes refuge in goddess Tripura Sundari of Tiruvotriyur. “I have now found the path of liberation,” he tells Lord Rama’s sister. And, Bharat created that mood in his unhurried rendering. The extensive niraval, rendered like a (RTP) Pallavi, including in tisra nadai, was at an unusual place, ‘Aajanmamu Peddalu’ in the madhyamakala pace.
Thoughtful accompaniment
Bharat offered a few charming vivahara-laden swaras and Nagai Sriram once again displayed aesthetic sensibilities, which makes him a desirable accompanist.
K.V. Prasad’s mridangam playing was an asset too. He merges with the music to highlight the kriti. Anirudh Athreya (ganjira) lent richness to the concert. The thani they offered was well conceived and executed. If music’s beauty lies in the perfect balance between form and content, Bharat’s style reflected it. Syama Sastri’s ‘Meenalochana Brova,’ (Misra Chapu), after a delineation of Dhanyasi, stood out for its grandeur. He came up with a crisp Kharaharapriya sketch and ‘Vidhi Illaarkku Virumbinaalum’, the rarely heard Anai Ayya kriti.
Bharat is endowed with a voice rich in timbre that traverses with ease all three sthayis. Opening the concert with the Vasantha varnam ‘Ninne Kori’, he rendered ‘Gaanarasamudan’ (Begada-rupakam) with graceful swaraprasthara. Tyagaraja’s ‘Intanuchu Varnimpa’ in Guntakriya (Janya of Mayamalavagowla) was a neat rendition. However, the two gems of the concert were the Kalyani javali, ‘Enthati Kuluke’ (rupakam) and Gopalakrishna Bharati’s ‘Kannale Kandaen.’ The latter, a Ragamalika in Nadhanamakriya, Kapi and Sindhubhairavi, is a recent discovery. He concluded with a Poornachandrika thillana.
