Naadha Inbam observed the birth anniversary of late founder-patron SVK, with a series of recitals featuring senior vidwans as well as up and coming artists known for their dedication to the purist ideal. The inaugural concert by flute maestro N. Ramani saw a large turnout of attentive rasikas.
In a programme that drew strength from vintage compositions such as ‘Shankari Neeve’ (Begada, Subbaraya Shastri), ‘Maamava Meenakshi’ (Varali, Muthuswami Dikshitar) and ‘Enduku Peddala’ (Shankarabharanam, Tyagaraja), the artist’s manodharma tempered by aesthetics, dignity and precision led the way for the accompanists. It was heartwarming to witness the encouragement extended by Ramani to young violinist S. Varadarajan, that manifested in nods of appreciation during raga turns and moments of tangible empathy during swara exchanges.
Varadarajan’s incisive interpretation cut a clean swathe through Varali. Rising above mere technique, there was heart in his playing, as finely honed musical instinct sculpted clear-as-crystal phrases, whether in meteoric flashes that rendezvoused at the tara sthayi shadja or in deep dipping jarus that linked madhya to mandra sthayi – all carrying the stamp of class. Nuances beckoned subtly in the main artist’s niraval at ‘Shaame Shankari’ in ‘Maamava Meenakshi’ in which kizhkala kalpanaswaras swayed languorously towards the eduppu and melkala swaras clicked smoothly into place with a fresh twist here, a twirl there, in permutations ranging from the simple 5x3 to more complex combinations.
Sankarabharanam washed over receptive listeners, the undulating waves of essence-laden sancharas refreshing, soothing and lulling into contemplation. It was an alapana initially structured on minimalist lines with crisp, concise madhya and tara sthayi statements. Just when you were wondering whether the artist had opted for a sketch over an exposition, the veteran artist sprang a surprise. He embarked on a lengthy, unhurried mandra sthayi exploration that was a self-contained chapter in itself. This phase saw a change of bamboo as the long flutes took over, the range delving deep with fluid ease. Bass notes acquired husky undertones in shirred sancharas that converged at the mandra sthayi gandhara. The excursion culminated in a melodic swirl that gracefully circled the lower reaches, gathered momentum and shot across the length of mandram to home in with piercing sweetness at the adhara shadja.
The thinking artist knows only too well the value of the rule of contrast. From wonderfully responsive strings, Varadarajan coaxed definitive prayogas that juxtaposed tranquillity and speed, mellowness and exuberance. The generous canvas of Tyagaraja’s ‘Enduku Peddala’ spelt vistara, lending itself to myriad niraval variations at ‘Veda Sastra.’ Punctuated with staccato bursts the melkala swara kuraippu ventured into intricate kanakkus.
Trichur Narendran (mridangam) and Vaikkom Gopalakrishnan (ghatam) shared the honours in the percussion department, offering sensitive support alive to nuances and an absorbing thani veined with rich variations.
