Young S.R. Vinay Sharva of Bangalore displayed his yen for traditional classicism in his enchanting vocal recital in Palakkad.
Being groomed by veteran musician Nedunuri Krishnamurthy, he has imbibed a style that retains the core elements of classical music. His major asset is his powerful reverberating voice that traverses smoothly in all the octaves. Furthermore, he has excellent control over his vocal chords.
‘Sarasijanabha Ninnu’, the famous Ada tala varnam of Swati Tirunal in Kamboji, gave a pulsating start to the recital. A brief sketch of Natta followed by ‘Sree Maha Ganapathe’, an appealing composition of Mayuram Vishwanatha Sastri, and Tyagaraja’s ‘Raramayintidaaka’ in Asaaveri were rich in evocative bhava. The classical flavour of Pantuvaraali was pronounced in the well-structured raga alapana, decorated with plenty of akaaras. Choosing the Tyagaraja kriti ‘Sambho Mahadeva’, composed in praise of Korur Sundareswarar, he presented intelligent improvisations in the neraval at ‘Paramadayaakara Mrigadhara’, bringing nostalgic memories of Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar. Vinay’s portrayal of ‘Jaya Jaya Padmanabha’, composed by Swati Tirunal in Manirangu, and ‘Kanchadalaayadaakshi’, a Dikshitar composition in Kamalamanohari, revealed his keen sense of sahitya.
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The tour de force of the concert was the brilliant ragam, tanam and pallavi in Thodi. Vinay delved deep into the nuances of this major raga, touching many facets of its inherent strength; the brigas and gamakas exuded charm. The elaborate tanam was characterised by alluring sangatis.
He displayed his mastery over laya in presenting the pallavi in a complex tala. The text of the pallavi was ‘Aananda natana prakasam Sankaram Siva Sankaram Sadaasivam Girija Manoharam Sada bhajeham, (Sachidaananda)’. It was rendered in Kanda jathi Ada tala in three nadais: the first lagu was in tisra nadai, the second was in Kanda nadai and the two ‘duritams’ were in Misra nadai. Rendering the pallavi authentically in the above tala with Anulomam and Prathilomam was a marathon effort. The swaraprastharas were marked by perspicuity and precision. The melodic twists in Behag, the interesting swirls in Hindolam, the captivating glides in Kapi and the graceful whirls in Madhyamavathi in the ragamalika swaras won a big round of applause.
The concluding numbers, ‘Vandhipenamma Saradhe’ of Jaganmatha Dasar in Varamu and ‘Tamboori meetitava’, a Purandaradaasa composition in Sindhubhairavi, were etched in soulful aesthetics. A talented musician that Vinay Sharma is, he should pay a little more attention to ‘sthana sudham’, that is placing the swaras perfectly while rendering them.
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Extending splendid support, Attukal Balasubramanian followed the vocalist like a shadow.
The guru-sishya combination of Shertalla Jayadevan (mridangam) and Vazhappally Krishnakumar (ghatam) teamed up well to provide adequate support. The concert was organised under the auspices of The Palghat Fine Arts Society at their auditorium in Tharekkad.