If the leitmotif of Carnatic music is bhakti, a two-and-a-half hour concert by Sankari Krishnan was a vertitable demonstration of the same. Her select compositions apart, the style of rendition was eloquent proof of devotion.
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A disciple of the maestro Lalgudi Jayaraman, Sankari adhered to the traditional format of the Carnatic concert. She opened with the Adi tala varnam in Syama of her Guru – ‘Tharunam en thaaye’. Thereafter the flow of the recital showed that she was not in a hurry but was inclined to present each number with élan. Shanmughapriya is known as Chamaram in the Dikshitar School and the composer’s ‘Sidhivinayakam anisham’ in it was rich in swara embellishments.
Striking were the few sangathis she rendered in ‘Parvathy Nayaka’, a composition of Swati in Bouli and Adi in two kala. The slow tempo added an extra elegance to the song. Darbar had a short but neat introduction and the composition once again created an ambience of serenity. She chose the Tyagaraja composition ‘Ramabhirama, ramaneeya nama’ in Misra chap.
The harbinger of the main raga was ‘Sesha chalanayakam’ also of Dikshitar, in Varali, set to Roopakam. Among the Uthara Mela ragas, Varali stands out for the distinctiveness of Madhyama that is slightly higher than the other ragas belonging to this category. For the same reason, it is called Varali Madhyamam. Both Sankari and Vayalar Rajendran (violin) were careful enough to negotiate the meandering scale for which the gandhara also has its esoteric identity.
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Perhaps the only number rendered in a relatively fast tempo was ‘Durga devi, duritha nivarini’, a composition by Harikesanellur Muthiah Bhagavathar in Navarasakannada, Adi. The kriti is noteworthy for the picturesque narration of Devi’s myriad attributes. The chitta swaras coined by Lalgudi for the composition were strikingly captivating for their hyphenated format.
Sankari’s selection of the main raga for the concert was Madhyamavathy and the composition, ‘Ramakatha sudharasa’, a popular one. Elaboration of the raga was marked by erudition, it was crisp and highlighted the essence of the raga.
The percussion duo Guruvayur Sanoj (mridangam) and Vellananjur Sreejith (ghatam) came together for an energising tani. The rhythmic dialogue between them was especially noteworthy. Notably, the musician appeared more cheerful only during this part of the concert.
‘Kanthanode chennu melle’, the immortal padam of Swati, followed in the post-main part. Neelambari known for its soothing appeal was handled by the musician in a deft manner. She seemed to enrich the melodic content of each syllable of the composition by delving deep into the subtleties.
Devotion to her guru was further evident in the last two numbers, the first being ‘Sree Jagadeeswari Durga matha’ in Ahirbhairavu and the thillana in Kamas, both Lalgudi compositions.
The concert was organised by Rasikapriya, Thrissur.