A vocal concert by Vivek Sadasivam, accompanied by Prema Vivek (violin), and B.S. Prasanth (mridanga), was part of ‘Nirantara-A Stage for Young Artistes’ organised by Ananya, Bangalore, recently.
The performance began with a clean gamaka-oriented rendition of the ata thala varna in Reethigoula. Brisk, energetic kalpana swars were appended to the rare Deekshithar krithi ‘Sri Ganeshatparam’ set to Ardradeshi raga, the lyrics of which could however have been articulated with greater clarity and emphasis. The quality of the young artiste’s voice and an unaffected style were explicit in the following alapana of Amrithavarshini, which was replete with melodious passages and crisp brigas that often threw the consonance of the madhyama and nishada into sharp focus. Muthaiah Bhagavathar’s ‘Sudhamayi Sudhanidhi’ in rupaka thala was presented in a sedate tempo and adorned with kalpana swaras crowned with simple yet attractive rhythmic patterns.
A short alapana of Ahiri, suffused with raga bhava and marked by an adherence to the traditional nuanced identity of the raga, prefaced an unhurried ‘Mayamma Yani Ne’, Shyama Shastri’s masterpiece in adi thala. The effervescent tempo of Deekshithar’s ‘Purahara Nandana Ripukula Bhanjana’ set to Hamir Kalyani raga and adi thala provided a vivid contrast to the previous item and led to a fairly detailed and systematic elaboration of Shankarabharanam. Commendable improvisational skills were demonstrated in the exercise, which incorporated imaginative patterns couched in conventional phraseology. Thyagaraja’s ‘Enduku Peddala’ in adi thala featured a well-constructed neraval at ‘Veda Shastra’ and kalpana swaras that concluded with diminishing thala cycles at the gandhara, ornamented with rhythmic variations of a particular melodic motif.
The concert also included a compact raga thana pallavi in Shanmukhapriya. The alapana drew out the evocative beauty and majesty of the raga, especially in the passages leading up to the thara sthayi shadja. While the intricate and variegated thana attested to sound basics and fluent manodharma, the deceptive simplicity of the pallavi beginning ‘Ganalola’ was handled with finesse, combining technical competence with spontaneity. The violinist’s improvisational inputs, especially in her solo raga elaborations, were remarkable for dignified restraint, control and melody while the rhythmic responses to the other manodharma components stayed true to the lead artiste’s intent. Percussion support throughout was outstanding, in tune with the tenor of compositions presented and in complete consonance with the improvisational aspects. The recital on the whole was a display of talent honed by assiduous training and tempered by classicism.
