Building on the advantage of a powerful voice that proved a dependable carrier of his musical convictions, Sunil Gargyan opted for Dharmavathi as the first alapana in his concert at The Music Academy. Shadja-varja passages in the tara sthayi lent unusual tints to an impactful essay dominated by madhyamakala and speedy passages. The kriti ‘Parandhamavathi’ (Muthuswami Dikshitar) headed towards niraval and a substantive kalpanaswara foray studded with poruttams. A spirited ‘Inthanuchu varnimpa’ (Gundakriya, Tyagaraja) was positioned as a filler before the main piece in Begada.
Begada was a brisk narrative with little breathing space. A cascade of intricately twined sancharas at the tara sthayi gandhara came as a value addition. Packed to the brim with one eventful segment after another, the alapana afforded minimal time for pause. Or reflection. Happily, this situation was remedied during the kriti and its accoutrements, making for a notably relaxed aural experience. It seemed as though serenity had been earmarked as the preserve of ‘Nadopasana’ (Tyagaraja), niraval and kalpanaswara, once the raga essay was done with and there was no longer any need to keep an anxious eye on the clock. Niraval at ‘Tantri Laya’ was an elaborate outing as was the kizhkala swaraprasthara, while melkala swaras included a well-finished kuraippu at the panchama.
Among the compositions in the first half of the recital were ‘Sri Mahaganapathe’ (Abhogi, N.S. Ramachandran) with attractively sketched sangatis and swaraprasthara inlaid with janta groupings and catchy permutations. The mellowness inherent in ‘O Jagadamba’ (Ananda Bhairavi, Syama Sastri ) percolated through lustrous glides articulated with a strong awareness of their aesthetic content.
Effortless reach
Gifted with an effortless vocal reach across octaves and the ability for full-throated articulation even in fast-paced tara sthayi sancharas, Sunil scored extra points with his azhutham. If, in his raga essays, he could dwell on and savour the beauty of notes, it would bring in an added dimension to his music.
There were ample avenues for K.S. Vijay Balaji (violin) to showcase his skills, particularly in raga expositions that were seamlessly in sync with Sunil’s ideations. His playing carried an appealing earnestness. S. Hariharan’s mridangam accompaniment gave a boost to kriti rendition while his tani avartanam stood out for its non-aggressive projection of laya.
