A reposeful presentation with no gimmicks marked the vocal recital of V. Sankaranarayanan held at the Nadabrahmagana Sabha in Vanaprastha, Vadavalli, Coimbatore, recently. His measured approach in the opening of ‘Gaanmurthe’ in Gaanamoorthi with swaras drew the
rasika to the core of music. His well-modulated voice lent a touch of
glamour to his vibrant presentation of ‘Sogasugamridanga’ (Sriranjani) with swaras. In his Saaveri alapana for the kriti, ‘Muruga Muruga,’ the articulation of sangatis was passionate and aesthetic.
The Todi raga Vinyasam towards the end of ‘Thirumagane Nalvaram’ mapped out the contours of the raga’s beauty and showcased his musical perception at its best. Ravi (violin) imparted deft touches and delicate shades to the raga alapanas and swaras. R. Sankaranarayanan (mridangam) provided sparks of flashy laya patterns to embellish the songs besides a vibrant tani.
Poignant portrayal
Pandanallur Natyalaya Trust celebrated Thyagaraja Aradhana by presenting the bard’s acclaimed Pancharatna kritis at the tastefully decorated Indian Medical Association Hall (Udumalpet). Meenakshi Chittaranjan complimented Pandanallur Pandian as the torch-bearer of the Pandanallur tradition of Bharatanatyam. The poignant portrayal of the kritis, beginning with ‘Jagadanandakaraka,’ was presented by Harini Chandrasekhar (disciple of Meenkshi Chittaranjan), Archana Narayanamurthi (disciple of Pandanallur Pandian), Lavanya Sankar (disciple of K.J.Sarasa), Murugashankari (disciple of Parvathi Ravi Ghantasala), Niveta Ramkumar and Vividhya Senthilkumar (disciples of Pandanallur Pandian).
The touching kritis were choreographed well and enacted beautifully and were the highlight of the artistes’ performance. The dancers exhibited the nritta sequences with communicative bhava in their abhinaya. The emotive potential of the numbers was explored without excessive dramatics. The surfeit of emotions of Harini’s adavus, energetic and expressive movements of Archana, quicksilver spins of Lavanya, the myriad shades of devotion depicted with conviction by Murugashankari, the beauty and grace in a kaleidoscope of movements and swaras in the recital of Niveta Ramkumar and Vividhya Senthilkumar received applause.
Nattuvangam was provided by the gurus wielding the cymbals with the vocal support of Roshni Ganesh and Praveen Kumar accompanied by Viswanathan (mridangam) and Sigamony (violin).
