The Navarathri Music Festival at Kallekulangara Emoor Bhagavathi Temple, Palakkad, offered a sumptuous feast to music aficionados.
Palakkad G.K. Sivaraman His vocal recital was an amalgam of perfect sruti, pleasing presentation and soulful aesthetics. A graceful sketch of Nalinakanthi for ‘Neepadame gathi’ , a kriti of GNB, and the cluster of kalpanaswaras tagged to it created a good impact. A sweet sketch of Saaramathi followed by ‘Unnatha Venkata Nilayana’, a rare kriti of Thulasivanam, and the racy ‘Telesiramachanda’ (Poornachandrika - Tyagaraja) imparted a fine tempo.
After a moving ‘Seethavara sangeetha gnanamu’ (Devagandhari – Tyagaraja), Sivaraman took up Keeravani for comprehensive elaboration. He focussed on highlighting the radiance of this beautiful raga through well-created sangathis. The tanam phrases enhanced the brilliance of the delineation. His manodharma blossomed in his delectable presentation of the rare kriti of Papanasam Sivan –‘Nee Arul Puriya Vendum’, and in the well-crafted niraval and swara korvais. Extending competent accompaniment, V. Sindhu (violin) presented fine essays of the ragas. Palakkad Ganesan (mridangam) put up a splendid show, displaying his maturity and prowess. He played an impressive tani.
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The main item was an outstanding exposition of Kharaharapriya, punctuated with delightful glides and curves at apt passages. Her in-depth elaboration at each and every swara brought out the raga bhava in full. She successfully attempted sruti bheda in her delineation. The kriti was Tyagaraja’s masterpiece ‘Chakkani raajamaargamu’, which received exhaustive treatment. The expansive niraval and swara korvais at the charanam ‘Kantiki sundara’ bore the stamp of originality and revealed her creative abilities and keen sense of laya.
Violinist Anoop Bhaskaran’s raga sketches and kalpanaswaras stood out for their classical purity. Cherthala Dinesh’s nimble fingers moved swiftly on the mrindangam, providing ideal accompaniment. E.M. Deepu lent adequate support on the ghatam. Their interesting tani was well received.
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T.V. Sankaranarayanan Veteran musician T.V. Sankaranarayanan (TVS) was at his best in this soul-stirring vocal concert. He takes immense pleasure in bringing his unique perspective to the music that is refreshingly delightful. Age has not withered his enthusiasm and creative instincts. He packed an assorted variety of appealing compositions in his three-hour recital.
The concert gained momentum right from the start with fine kritis such as ‘Jaya Jaya Ramaanaatha’ (Natta – Narayana Thirtha), ‘Maamavasada varadhe’ (Nattakurinji – Swati Tirunal) and ‘Sakala kalaa vaaniye’ (Kedaram – Suddhananda Bharathi) each of which was appended with pleasing swara kalpanas. The spontaneous flow of sangathis in the alapana of Saraswathi showcased TVS’ extraordinary skill in handling any raga with ease. The kalpanaswaras rendered after the kriti of Muthiah Bhagavathar’s ‘Vageeswari Vaani Saraswathi’, with a special stress on Rishabha, were simply marvellous.
After exploring the ghana raga Thodi from different dimensions, he presented a vibrant niraval at ‘Thyagaraja Vinutha’ in the Tyagaraja kriti ‘Enduku Dayaraadhura’. He won the hearts of the listeners in his majestic portrayal of Mohanam, which was ornamented with enchanting sangathis. His sancharas in the upper octave deserve special mention. Choosing his favourite Tamil kriti ‘Kapaali’ (Papanasam Sivan), he spun a fragrant garland of swara patterns, which bore testimony to his exceptional manodharma.
The virutham covering all the gods, particularly Krishna in Yamuna kalyani followed by ‘Krishna nee begane baaro’ (Kanakadasa) was full of aesthetic nuances. His other favourites such as ‘Sarasamukhi’ (Gowdamalhar-Muthiah Bhagavathar), ‘Eppovaruvaro’ (Jonpuri – Gopalakrishna Bharathi), and ‘Vellaithamarai’ (Bimplas - Subramanya Bharathi) received thunderous applause.
R. Swaminathan’s violin support was superb. His raga essays were noted for rich melody and tonal strength. Kallekulangara P. Unnikrishnan’s mridangam accompaniment, marked by deft touches, was valuable. He was well supported by Arunapala (ghatam) and Gopi Nadalaya (morsing). Their tani in Adi tala, led by Unni Krishnan, was a wonderful creation.
The other artistes who performed in the festival were Pallavur Krishnan Kutty (Kurumkuzhal recital), Sadanam Harikumar, Pranavam Sankaran Namboodri, Kallekulangara Anil Kumar, Vishwesh Swaminathan and Vishnu Das. Koduntharapully Subbarama Bhagavathar’s ‘Radha Madhava Kalyana’ bhajans revealed his deep musical capabilities.