It is heartening that several young artistes are not only making a mark, but are striving to chart new paths. For instance, the three-member youth brigade, which performed at Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha. The concert of V. Venkatanagarajan, disciple of Tiruchi Ambujam Vedantam, was traditional and delightfully free of pomp. The very first piece, the Palahamsa Ata tala varnam of Patnam Subramanya Iyer, established the young vocalist’s firm foundation in classical music.
Gifted with a sonorous voice, Venkatanagarajan crafted an elaborate, well-designed alapana of Mayamalavagowla, the main raga. On the violin, Sayee Rakshith (disciple of Kanyakumari) offered a creative, impeccable delineation. ‘Merusamana’of Saint Tyagaraja was rendered in all its majesty. Raghuvira is strong and inviolable as Mount Meru, says the Bard of Tiruvaiyaru. Niraval and swaraprasthara were at ‘Galamuna Shobhillu’. B.S. Prasanth, (disciple of Patri Satish Kumar) presented a masterly thani. His concluding korvai was a rhythmic beauty.
The Hamsanadam alapana had several lovely fast-moving phrases. Sayee Rakshith showed considerable maturity in bringing out the raga’s essence. In M.M. Dandapani Desigar’s ‘Paadavendumae’ (Rupakam), Venkatanagarajan offered a well-blended niraval at the Pallavi itself, but chose not to include swaraprasthara. In the Asaveri kriti of Tyagaraja, ‘Rara Mayinti’ he presented a garland of kalpanaswaras at the pallavi.
To me, Muthuswamy Dikshitar’s creation, ‘Geethi chakra ratha sthithayai’ (Kannada, Misra Chapu) deserves special mention. A rarely heard piece, this kriti on Goddess Shyamala Devi is in fourth Vibhakti. It has a clear reference to Lalithasahasranamam (69) – ‘Geya chakra rathaaroode’, a chariot that produces sweet music. Venkatanagarajan conveyed the grandeur of the composition. Here is a vocalist who radiates exuberance, but never in excess.
