Music aficionados at a music festival at Nochur, Palakkad, were treated to a feast of music. Saketharaman’s vocal recital was outstanding. The Papanasam Sivan song Guruvayurappa in Chakravaham and Swati Thirunal’s Narasimha Mamava in Arabhi provided a majestic start. A delightful sketch of Bilahari preceded Samarasada Maanasa , another Swati kriti.
The emotive contours of Ahiri followed by the Narayanateertha composition Veeksheham Sada were soothing. Saketharaman gave vent to his manodharma in his scintillating elaboration of Sankarabharanam. He rose to great heights in the niraval and kalpanaswaras appended to the Tyagaraja kriti Swararagasudha . He concluded with the popular jawali of Thanjai Chinnayya, Chelinene in Paras.
Nagai Sriram provided excellent accompaniment on the violin with his raga and swara passages. Mridangam wizard Umayalpuram Sivaraman was in top form. His beats in tune with the spirit of the kritis and his subtle touches during the niravals and swaraprastharas were an aural treat. His duels with Giridhar Udupa on the ghatam were delightful. Their tani in Adi tala, replete with masterly strokes, received thunderous applause.
TM Krishna
T.M. Krishna, as is his wont, chose the unconventional path in his vocal recital. Soulful bhava, excellent diction and remarkable sruthi sudha were prominent aspects of his concert. However, he was not at his best in this performance. He chose only Chowkakala kritis, which did not appear to be prudent. He could have rendered a few durita kala kritis to import more tempo. He had great accompanists in Trivandrum Sampath (violin), K.V. Prasad (mridangam) and Vazhapally Krishnakumar (ghatam).
Krishna started with the Swati composition Mohanamaayi in Yadukulakamboji. Next, he asked Sampath to play Thodi raga and the latter presented a sweet version. Curiously, the vocalist straight away took up Dikshitar’s kriti Sree Krishnam bhaja maanasa ; every one was expecting a great exposition of this major raga from him, which was not to be. However, he brought out the devotional content of the kriti and presented a fine niraval, but without the kalpanaswaras. The highlight of his recital was an extraordinary elucidation of Mukhari. He traversed through the entire gamut of the raga, with an array of melodious sangathis.
His creativity blossomed at the niraval in the Tyagaraja kriti Aelavatharamethu . He moved beyond panchamam in the upper octave in the swaras, revealing the amazing range of his voice.
The Tamil virutham followed by Varugalaamo in Manji was steeped in aesthetics. While Sampath’s accompaniment was melody personified, Prasad’s soft and gentle beats showed his originality. Their tani in Jampai tala was superb.
Vishnudev Nambudiri
Vishnudev Namboodiri has bloomed as a seasoned vocalist. Gifted with a sonorous voice, he presented an enjoyable fare. Singing with gusto and adhering to the traditional concert pattern, he started with the Saveri raga varnam, Sarasuda , succeeded by Naada Thanumanisam (Sidharanjani-Tyagaraja). His alapana of Varali, though not descriptive, showcased the raga swaroopa. Picking up the Dikshitar kriti Seshachala Nayakam , he scored well in the charming niraval and swaras. Arunachala Kavi’s Ramanukku Mannan was prefixed with a sweet essay of Hindolam; the interesting swara kalpanas provided depth.
He dwelt at length in the delineation of Kedragowla, depicting its multiple hues. The smoothly flowing sancharas in the ‘mel sthayi’ were a testament to his manodharma. Befitting the occasion, he wisely selected Papanasam Sivan’s Swamikki sari evvare , in praise of Lord Krishna. He appended it with well-chiselled swara korvais.
Rahul accompanied the artist well. Vineeth stole the show with his competent mridangam support. His solo in Khanda chapu tala won him applause.
The programme was held as part of a Bhagavatha Saptaham
