Trichur V. Ramachandran's vocal skills were honed under the tutelage of gurus such as G.N. Balasubramaniam and M.L. Vasanthakumari. And this influence is apparent in the first-rate concerts that the vocalist has been presenting from the age of 14 onwards. It is his in-depth knowledge of the medium and complete mastery over it that were on display at a concert in Thrissur.
Ramachandran started his concert with an Ada tala varnam in Kalyani – ‘Vanajakshi Ninne Kori Valachi,' composed by Pallavi Gopala Iyer. Obeisance to Lord Ganapathi came in the form of ‘Pranamamyaham Gauri Sutam' (Gowla-Adi tala-Mysore Vasudevacharyar). One of the highlights of the concert was Tyagaraja's Pancharatna kriti in Sree, the well-known ‘Endaro Mahanubhavulu.'
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His alapana in Hamsanandi, mainly in the ‘melsthayi,' showcased the essence of this Janya raga. The composition – ‘Sachamara Rama Vani' in Roopaka tala by Muthiah Bhagavatar – was embellished with ornate manodharma swaras.
Violin interludes by M.A. Sundareswaran were superb. Following this Ramachandran sang ‘Teliyaleru Rama Bhakti Marga Munu' (Dhenuka-Adi tala-Tyagaraja) without any elaboration.
A Swati Tirunal composition in Arabhi and Adi tala, ‘SreeRamana Vibho Kalayami' (incidentally, a favourite of Balamuralikrishna) was also presented briefly before the maestro launched into Shankarabharanam, the main raga.
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The opening alapana was by itself, a testimony the skills of the artiste.
It had wide range and great depth, and every nuance of the raga was diligently delineated. His voice went down to the panchamam – the lower scale – with ease, giving the presentation a rich flavour.
Completely immersed in the flow of notes, Ramachandran seemed to revel in the sheer joy of performance. The delightful accompaniment on the violin seemed to be almost an extension of the vocals. Such was the synchronisation between the two artistes.
‘Eduta nilichite,' a Tyagaraja composition, exhorting Sree Rama to appear before the devotee, followed the well-crafted alapana. Rhythm variations within the structure of Adi tala structure gave variety to the niraval, which was focussed at ‘Nuduti.'
Spirited tani
Jayakrishnan on the mridangam and Vellattanjoor Sreejith on the ghatam came up with a spirited taniavartanam.
The melodious Swati padam ‘Alarshara parithapam' in Suruti (Mishra Chapu tala) was soothing. This was followed by a lilting ‘Mohana Mayi Tava Murali' in Yadukula Kamboji (Mishra Chapu tala). Ramachandran ended the concert with the opening verses of ‘Narayaneeyam' in ragamalika, followed by an incredibly sweet Purandara Dasa composition in Tilang (Adi tala).
In all the performance was masterly, however one wished that there was more clarity in the lyrics. The concert was organised by Bharatam, Thrissur.