Notes of devotion

A musical extravaganza in Palakkad featured several top-notch artistes who impressed the listeners with their virtuosity.

June 25, 2015 08:25 pm | Updated 08:40 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram

The Akkarai Sisters performing at a concert in Palakkad.

The Akkarai Sisters performing at a concert in Palakkad.

Music recitals of renowned musicians enthralled rasikas during a cultural fete at Chathapuram in Palakkad.

Abhishek Raghuram

One of the distinguished singers of the young generation, he presented an energetic concert that revealed his immense flair and insight in Carnatic music. Opening his performance with a fine rendering of the famous Bhairavi Ata tala varnam, ‘Viribhoni’, he moved on to ‘Ganarajena Rakshithoham’ (Arabhi), ‘Merusamana’ (Mayamalawagowla), and ‘Ganapathe’ (Kalyani), all of which were presented with concise raga alapanas and adorned with niraval and kalpanaswaras.

The rapid delineation of Tygaraja’s ‘Dandamu Pattenura’ in Balahamsa, before the main item, was stimulating. The highlight of the concert was RTP in Suratti and Sunadavinodhini. Although Abhishek displayed both the ragas with delightful sancharas, the immensity of the item coupled with the forceful strain in rendering failed to produce a soothing effect. The post main items such as ‘Mayamma’ (Ahiri) and ‘Tharuninjan’ (Dwijavanthi) were superb. B.U. Ganeshprasad (violin) and V. Ramanamoorthy (mridangam) enhanced the aesthetics of the concert.

Mysore Chandan Kumar

Great-grand son of flute wizard T. Chowdiah, Mysore Chandan Kumar commenced the recital with a neat presentation of the Nattakurunji varnam ‘Chalame’. The pre-sub main items included popular numbers such as ‘Vinayaka’ in Hamsadhwani, ‘Saadhinchene’ in Arabhi and ‘Enthamuddo’ in Bindumalini.

Raga alapana and swaras in ‘Siddhi vinayakam’ in Shanmukhapriya/Chamaram, which was taken as the sub-main item, were exuberant and sparkling. The mirthful showcasing of ‘Varanarada’ in Vijayasri and ‘Marukelara’ in Jayanthasri filled the gap between the sub main and main items that followed. A blissful RTP in Mohana devoted to Lord Ganesha, supplemented by ragamalikaswaras in Kanada and Poorvikalyani for pallavi, was the main piece of the evening.

Tukkadas ‘Bho Sambho’ in Revathi and ‘Alaipaayudhe’ in Kanada were enjoyable. Accompaniments Idappally Ajithkumar (violin), Karthick Viswanathan (mridangam) and Payyanur Govindaprasad (morsing) provided matchless support.

Saketharaman

The vocalist’s enchanting voice and cheerful presentation enlivened his concert. ‘Joothaamurare’ in Arabhi and ‘Piravaavaram’ in Lathangi received an expansive treatment. Rendering of raga alapana, niraval and kalpanaswaras stayed within the parameters of the raga. Swati Tirunal’s ‘Bhogeendra Sayinam’ in Kunthalavarali was presented with great zeal. The highlight was the main kriti in Thodi and a lovely RTP in Nalinakanthi. ‘Thamathamen Swami’, the kriti in Thodi, was exquisitely sung. Ragamalikaswarams in Sahana and a rare raga Shyamkalyan were sung for pallavi. The vocalist was effectively supported by Swaminathan (violin), Kodunthirappully Parameshwaran (mridangam) and E. M. Deepu (ghatam).

U. P. Raju

Starting from the Abhogi varnam, ‘Evari Bhodhana’, the opening piece, consummate mandolin artiste U.P. Raju showcased his mastery over the instrument. A soulful rendering of Bahudhari was followed by Tyagaraja’s ‘Brovabharama’ with alluring swaras for pallavi. ‘Thayethripurasundari’ in Suddhasaveri, ‘Endaromahanubhavulu’ (Sri) and ‘Raghuvamsasudha’ in Kadhanakuthuhalam were rendered with vigour.

Raju chose Kalyani as the main ragam and presented ‘Vasudevayani’ of Tyagaraja. One noteworthy feature of the concert was the excellent rendition of Mallari in Gambheeranatta, which is usually played by nagaswaram artistes during temple rituals. Manjoor Renjith (violin), Sekhar (thavil) and Manjoor Unnikrishnanan (ghatam) extended competent accompaniment.

Akkarai sisters

Proper understanding, blissful harmony and expertise were evident during a violin duet of the Akkarai sisters. They began their recital with ‘Sarasijanabha’, Swati Tirunal’s superb Ata tala varnam in Kambhoji. After the popular ‘Mahaganapathim’ in Natta, Swarnalatha presented a fine alapana of Shanmukhapriya, followed by Annamacharya’s ‘Paramapurusha’. ‘Janani Ninnuvina’ in Reetigowla and ‘Bruhadeeshwaro’ in Ganasamavarali were rendered with charm and majesty. The main item of that day was RTP in Kaapi devoted to Lord Vinayaka. Subbalakshmi’s Kaapi alapana was vast and astonishing.

‘Theerathavilayattupillai’ and a thillana in Khamas were the post-main items. Accompanists were Sreedhar Parthasarathy (mridangam) and P. Sudheer (ghatam).

Malladi brothers

Perfect synchronisation and good selection of kritis were the main reasons for the success of the concert of the Malladi Brothers, Malladi Sreeramprasad and Malladi Ravikumar. They opened their concert with the Kambhoji varnam ‘Sarasijanabha’. ‘Panchamathanga’ in Malahari, ‘Varasikhivahana’ in Supradeepam and ‘Janani Ninnuvina’ in Reetigowla were some of the compositions rendered before the main item – RTP in Sankarabharanam. Avaneeswaram Vinu (violin), Mahesh Kumar (mridangam) and Vazhappally Krishnakumar (ghatam) provided ideal support.

Haridwaramangalam K. Palanivel presented a Talavadya concert, accompanied by B.S. Purushothaman (ganjira) and Aakambakkom Sankar (ghatam).

Mridangam Subba Iyer day

The concerts of Kaveri Moorthy and Savitha Sreeram were organised as part of Mridangam Subba Iyer day celebrations. Kaveri presented a charming concert beginning with ‘Mathe’ (Khamas).

Her concert included pieces such as ‘Siddhivinayakam’ (Chamaram) and ‘Sharanam Sidhivinayaka’ (Sowrashtra). Savitha started her vocal recital with ‘Vanajakshi’ (Kalyani). Her impressive presentation included ‘Vallabha’ (Begada), ‘Maaramanan’ (Hindolam) and ‘Anupamagunambudhi’ (Atana).

The programme was held in connection with the Maha Kumbhabhishekam of the Chathapuram Sri Prasanna Maha Ganapathi temple, Palakkad.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.