Ambujam Krishna is not new to rasikas. Many of her compositions have been tuned by several maestros and popularised on concert platforms. Recently, vocalist Ramakrishnan Murthy performed at The Music Academy in memory of Ambujam Krishna. He was accompanied by S. Varadarajan on the violin, K.V. Prasad on the mridangam and N. Guruprasad on the ghatam. Ramakrishnan Murthy, known for his tradition-bound approach, has to be credited for his vocal prowess and clear diction.
Murthy began his concert with the sloka ‘Vyaso naigama charchaya’ by Walajapet Venkataramana Bhagavatar on Tyagaraja in ragam Atana. He followed it up with ‘Tyagarajaswami padhambujam,’ a Tamil composition by Ambujam Krishna. Except one, all the pieces presented by him were of the composer in Tamil.
Interesting patterns
‘Entabagyamu chesithira’ in Begada carried ample verve with niraval and swaras of interesting permutations on ‘Sanmarga sathsanga.’ The concluding chittaiswaram added to the kriti’s charm. The Yadukulakhambodi alapana was quite meditative. The long, soft and robust phrases added elegance to the raga portrayal. ‘Chinthanai seyyadi’ on Lord Subrahmanya, tuned by Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer was melodious.
Ramakrishnan Murthy’s major offering was an exhaustive Thodi. The emotion conveyed in the raga alapana suited well the pleading tone of the kriti, ‘Thedi thedi alaindhen.’ The niraval ‘Sathsangam penum sadhu janankalilum’ underlined it.
The swarakalpana was not at a feverish pitch; instead, well-developed swara strands were connected with the shadjam-oriented kuraippu swaras towards the finale. Ramakrishnan Murthy acknowledged Prasanna Venkatraman, who taught him this kriti, tuned by Musiri Subramania Iyer. S. Varadarajan’s raga and swara essays were elegant, especially in Yadukulakhambodi and Thodi.
A light- hearted ‘Kanamum maravathe’ in Sama, ‘Aravinda patha malar’ in Kapi and the concluding ‘Varuvai varuvai endru’ in ragamalika were other pieces of merit.
K.V. Prasad is another artiste, who has accompanied both stalwarts and present generation musicians. In this concert too, his support was impeccable in the company of N. Guruprasad on the ghatam. Their tani avartanam, with crisprhythmic sallies, was a neat exercise well within the pleasing decibels.
