A presentation marked by clean lines, wholesome music, a dedicated approach and a resonant voice, these were the first impressions from the vocal recital of Vishnu Namboothiri, a promising young aspirant this Margazhi Season; impressions that were favourably sustained through the concert.
Madhyamavathi featured early on introduced an element of mellowness to the performance. The rejuvenating synergy of voice, strings and percussion in ‘Dharmasamvardhani’ (Muthuswami Dikshitar) swept you into the flow of song. There was keen awareness of sahitya bhava and well-enunciated kritis, with the niraval unfolding at ‘Madhava Sodari’.
Hovering on the madhyama-dhurita kala cusp, the energetic pace of ‘Muddumomu’ (Suryakantham, Thyagaraja), the filler, was complemented by an economical round of sarvalaghu kalpanaswara. Positioned midway, the alluring Swati Tirunal varnam ‘Suma Sayaka’ (Karnataka Kapi) in a relaxed kalapramanam brought in a ruminative flavour. The pace quickened from the charanam ‘Manini’ onwards but slowed down during the ragamalika swaras in Kalyani, Khamas, Vasantha and Mohanam, crafting a colourful montage in conclusion.
An unexpected treat came in the choice of main raga, which turned out to be Hamir Kalyani. In-dwelling karvais and passages at the shuddha madhyama and the gentle lobbing of swaras within the dual madhyama-and-panchama unearthed fresh insights. The power of pure notes conjured up the ambience of a Hindustani sammelan, at once meditative and stirring. There was a profusion of winding, festoon-like passages, but tedium did not set in. For contrast, the artist could have interspersed these with short, veena-style phrases. ‘Maanamu Ledha’ (Thyagaraja) was handled with the vistara it merits.
With kizh kala and mel kala swaras appended to the pallavi eduppu, the celebratory rhythm of melkala danced its way into poruttams and a kuraippu at the panchama ending in an apt non-aggressive korvai.
In his Madhyamavathi alapana, violinist Vittal Rangan’s playing showed natural flair accentuated by sweetness in turn of phrase. N.C. Bharadwaj’s mridangam had a crisp, sharp edge that sliced into sollus to achieve remarkable clarity. Udupi Balakrishnan’s deft ghatam echoed the voice and the strings in a much-appreciated thani avartanam.
Vishnu has a refreshingly full-throated voice that is given free rein. A rich timbre shines through the lower and middle registers, matched by the vigour in the upper register, with open articulation and appreciable control, without lightening or constricting the tone. Stylistically, there is a gathering maturity that can only ripen and a tonality that can only get richer, given the disciplined path the young vidwan has chosen to tread.
