A powerful, pleasant voice was paying musical homage to the ‘Ongi Ulagalandha’ Lord (Thirrupavai song in Arabhi). There was purity and firmness in Aswath Narayanan’s delineation along with a meticulous care sahityam for all the songs he rendered. In Patnam Subramania Iyer’s lyric ‘Marivere,’ Desadi, the singer appeared to be actually pleading to Lord Rama, as his last and only resort.
The alapana in Shanmukhapriya preceding this was competently developed. With the facility of his voice, he could do elegant justice to the raga, dwelling on the different notes on the scale of this raga. One wished that with his seasoned, bass voice, he could linger longer in the mandhra sthayi.
One also wonders why the mandhra [range] is given such brief treatment by younger artists. His higher reaches were free from the struggle to hold on at Panchamam. He could have done better if he had controlled his vocal output through more sensitive modulation.
K.P. Nandini had all that it takes to be a fitting accompanist to his style. Her violin had deep volume and rich timbre.
Introduction of raga Kedaram at this point aptly lifted the mood above the sombre profundity of the earlier kriti. With a sweeping sketch of the raga, Aswath came up with Muthuswami Dikshitar’s ‘Thyagaraja Gurumashraye’ in Rupakam, painting a visible festive mood. He evoked the image of the deity on a palanquin, in a joyous celebration, to the sahityam ‘Nagaraja Sayana’ and the following jathi.
Akshay Ram too lent total, wholesome support, pulling highly aesthetic combinations of sollus, skilfully executed. His accompaniment during the kriti phase served to create the illusion of the actual sahityam.
His follow-up passages of one or more avartanams among pallavi, anu pallavi and charanam were a delight to listen to. Aswath’s elaboration of raga Mohanam demonstrated his dedication. Both he and Nandini scrupulously kept clear of the kakali nishadha, which always waits to creep in.
This is not a major achievement for a good artist, but it is also not one over which the musician can let down the guard.
Following the voluble vocal sancharas, the violin conjured up the scene of the morning sun peeping over the sea at sunrise. She displayed expert modulation to bring about the effect. It is refreshing to listen to such pleasant improvisations, instead of just a plain presentation that is grammatically impeccable.
All three artists on stage joined in a cheerful rendering of Thyagaraja's ‘Evarura Ninuvina’ in Misra Chapu talam. A sprightly niraval appeared at the words ‘Ee Jalamu’ to give way to a volley of kalpanaswaras.
Akshay Ram’s tani avartanam, while displaying his mastery over the formation of clusters, also brought out his perfect finger control and the use of both sides of the mridangam to full advantage. Racing merrily in a khandam trot, it segued into the normal chatusram.
The first of the two thukkadas was Bharatiyar's ‘Engal Bharatha Desamendru Thol Kottuvom.’ It was a ragamalika; Kedaragowlai; Pantuvarali (‘Velli Pani Malai’); Punnagavarali (‘Pattanila’) and Sindhubhairavi (‘Sindhu Nadhiyin Misai’). The music made one ponder how far this desam has lived up to Bharatiar’s vision. With the familiar Thillana in Paras, the artists drew the curtain on their concert.
