Unalloyed classicism was the watermark of the concert by the Rudrapattanam Brothers at the Sivapoorna Auditorium, Thripunithura.
The brothers, R.N. Tyagarajan and R.N. Tharanathan, engaged in no counter challenges as is usual in such ‘duo recitals,' there were no gimmicks but just the unmistakable stamp of erudition.
They opened the concert with a stimulating Sahana varnam and followed it up with G.N. Balasubramaniam's awesome composition, ‘Saraswathi namosthute…' in Saraswathi raga.
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In his highly graphic and musical set of Navagraha kritis, Muthuswami Dikshitar has one on Shani (Saturn).
‘Divakara tanujam…' refers to the planet as the slow-moving, courageous one, the son of Surya. This kriti, aptly, is set in the ancient raga Yadukulakamboji.
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The tempo and mood of the raga gels with the meaning, and, onomatopoeically, the unfettered movement of the ‘graha' is musically mirrored.
The duo etched the shades of Yadukulakamboji sensitively. The best part of the meditative concert was perhaps the pleasant delineation of Mukhari. The brothers chose Subbaraya Sastri's ‘Emani ne ni mahima…' The alapana was serene, uncomplicated. Maybe they did not probe the character of the raga to its depths, but they certainly did provide a sumptuous, satisfying exposition. They were able to infuse a mood and create an ambience.
Midway through the concert, with Tharanathan troubled by a hoarse throat, Tyagarajan sang open-throated, making a huge difference. In fact, what was compelling was how the two coordinated in such situations without tainting the rendering or letting the emphasis and clarity in sahitya suffer.
The unhurried pace and relaxed treatment of ragas continued even when they went into the main piece of the concert.
The brothers chose Shanmukhapriya and the not-so-very-popular Swati Tirunal kriti ‘Mamava karunaya…' An elaborate alapana and manodharma swaras embellished the rendering.
Another Swati krithi ‘Paramapurusha…,' (Vasantha) ‘Samayamidhe…' (Behag) and ‘Kelannu Hari talano…' (Surutti) completed the concert.
Palakkad Swaminathan on the violin and Tharanathan's son Sanjay on the mridangam provided adequate back-up.
Before the concert, the brothers joined the audience to pay homage to T.K. Govinda Rao. They talked about their association with the maestro and his invaluable contribution to Carnatic music.
The concert was held under the aegis of Sree Poornathrayeesa Sangeetha Sabha.