Talent without presentation proficiency does not sell, even in Carnatic music. Vignesh Ishwar understands this well. He wielded this skill as his trump cardhis concert for the Music Academy. His uncomplicated style has an instant appeal. Further, he packaged his talents in such a way that there was a balance between cerebral and user-friendly facets, as UI (user-interface) is a powerful notion in the modern world.
His Thodi alapana was as fluent as it was intelligent. A surfeit of powerful sangathis in the middle octave was enough to showcase Vignesh’s alapana skills. The clarity in the upper octaves have to be matched at the lower end, as Vignesh progressed from here. ‘Ninne namminanu’ (Syama sastri, Misra Chapu) is a classic treatise and Vignesh’s version would have made many senior vidwans proud. Niraval mounted on such a kriti after an elaborate ragam has to be special to be remembered — Vignesh’s repetitive breathless phrases at ‘Kamakshi kanchadalayadakshi’ didn’t add to the grandeur.
RTP in Saranga with more emphasis on the tricky pallavi in Chatusra Jampai, Kanda nadai (‘Chetasri ramam chintaye’) added feathers to his cap. The trikalam rendition was handled competently. In the opening segment, the ata tala Ananda Bhairavi varnam (’Sami Ninne’) and ‘Theratheeyaga rada’ (Tyagaraja, Gowlipantu) led to a well-dressed alapana of Sahana. ‘Emana dichevo’ (Tyagaraja), the quintessential Dhanammal school favourite, sparkled with the niraval and swaram at ‘Susareerama.’
Variety in tempo
The concert was notable also for the variety in tempo, as the choice of kritis and their sequencing bore the stamp of nuanced thinking. Vignesh’s unhurried approach could be viewed in two ways: it ensured that every moment of the concert could be lived, and on the flipside, that it could be construed as lack of energy.
M. Vijay’s raga alapana of both Sahana and Thodi were signs of a top-order violinist in the making. His model of stringing together short impactful phrases allows for reflective enjoyment. The Trivandrum duo of G. Babu (mridangam) and Rajesh (ghatam) seemed well-chosen artistes to complete the promising line-up.
