Veteran vocalist TV Sankaranarayanan (TVS) proved that his zest and exuberance are still intact at a concert in Palakkad.
The concert got under way with Narayana Theertha’s ‘Jaya Jaya Swamin’ in Natta. The aalapana of Reethigowla, succeeded by the popular kriti of Swathi Thirunal, ‘Paripalayamam’, was embellished with kalpanaswaras. ‘Natajanapalini’ (Nalinakanthi — Thanjavur Sankara Iyer) was preceded by melodious contours of the raga. The swaraprastharas — forte of the Madurai Mani Iyer style — glowed brightly. The essay of Poorvikalyani, though not elaborate, depicted the raga bhava in full. Taking up his favourite song ‘Intaparamukham Aaedhu’ composed by Vedanayakam Pillai, he excelled in the niraval and manodharmaswaras in the charanam.
Creatively supreme
‘Sevikka vendum ayya’, a kriti of Muthuthandavar in Andolika on Lord Nataraja, was an apt interlude to the main raga Kharaharapriya. The elaborate aalapana of the raga, punctuated with sangathis that reinforced its image, was a treat; the vocalist’s creativity reigned supreme in the range and power of his sancharas, particularly in the upper octave.
Choosing the Tyagaraja kriti ‘Rama neeyeda’, he dwelt at length the niraval at ‘Thana Soukhyamu’ in the traditional style. The permutations and combinations in both the upper and lower octaves in the swaraprastharas revealed his ingenuity; the lengthy swara clusters with ‘rigari’ as the focal point captured the attention of the listeners.
The moving Virutham in Behag and Yamuna Kalyani was followed by ‘Krishna nee begane baro’ of Vyasarajar. Another Virutham, embellished with strains of Sindhubhairavi, led to ‘Ramachandra Prabho’ of Swathi Thirunal, the concluding piece. Accompanists Delhi Sundarajan (violin), Changanassery Harikumar (mridangam) and Giridhar Uduppa (ghatam) enhanced the tempo of the concert.
The concert was held at Chembai Memorial Government Music College, Palakkad, as part of its ‘Sadhana’ festival.
