The 169th Tyagaraja Aradhana celebrations at Kalpathy, Palakkad, featured outstanding performances by both leading and up-and-coming Carnatic musicians.
The festival began with a vocal recital by Harikrishnan Parvathipuram. ‘Sugunamule’ (Chakravakam), ‘Neevadanegaana’ (Saranga), ‘Ksheenamai’ (Mukhari) and ‘Sattalenidhina’ (Naganandini) were rendered by himThe extravagant treatment for the main kriti ‘Jesinadalla’ (Thodi) was noteworthy. Viswesh Swaminathan (violin), Karthick Viswanathan (mridangam) and Trivandrum Rajesh (ghatam) accompanied.
The second day of the fete witnessed a superb concert by Sandeep Narayanan. He opened with a brisk presentation of ‘Eeva Sudha’ (Sahana). After a powerful depiction of Kalyani blended with fabulous phrases, he sang the popular ‘Ammaravamma’ adorned with energetic niraval and kalpanaswarams. ‘Paramathmudu’ (Vagadheeshwari), the main item, rendered with grace, earned him generous applause from listeners. Accompanists V. Sindhu (violin), Adoor Babu (mridangam) and Kadanad Ananthakrishnan (ganjira) played a significant role by extending valuable support.
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On the third day maestro O.S. Thyagarajan mesmerised the listeners with his concert. ‘Vidamuseyave’ (Kharaharapriya), ‘Easapahimam’ (Kalyani), ‘Rama Raghukula’ (Kapi) and ‘Upacharamu’ (Bhairavi) were some of the kritis he sang. The portrayal of Kapi and Bhairavi alapanas included scintillating passages that exhibited the raga swaroopams in exhaustive scales. T.H.Subramanian (violin), Kovai Prakash (mridangam) and Kovai Suresh (ghatam) extended superlative accompaniment.
Meghna Murthy showcased her commitment and enthusiasm during her concert. ‘Merusamana’ (Mayamalavagowla), ‘Syamasundaranga’ (Dhanyasi) and ‘Neevadanegana’ (Saranga) were sung with zeal. The attractive feature of the concert was the expansive treatment given to the main item ‘Tulasi Bilva’ (Kedaragoula). The raga alapana revealed her mastery in delineating the beauty of the raga. The niraval and kalpanaswaras rendered for the main item had brilliant sketches in Kedaragoula. While Thiruvizha Viju S. Anand sparkled in violin accompaniment, outstanding rhythmic support was provided by Vadakara Anilkumar (mridangam) and Kannur P.K. Santhosh (ghatam).
Good choice of kritis and enthusiastic renditions were the hallmarks of Sunil Gargyan’s recital. ‘Muddumomu’ (Suryakantham), supplemented with swaras on the pallavi, was alluring. ‘Samajavaragamana’ (Hindolam), ‘Sambho Mahadeva’ (Pantuvarali) and ‘Okaparijooda’ (Kalavathi) were sung neatly. Both Pantuvarali and Khambhoji alapana were refreshing with standard phrases. ‘O Rangasayee’ (Khambhoji), the main piece, was demonstrated with exuberant niraval and blissful kalpanaswaras. He rounded off the concert with ‘Pahi Rama Dhootha’ (Shadvidamargini). Accompanists Vaikom Padma Krishnan (violin), Kozhikode Hari (mridangam) and Kovai Suresh (ghatam) did well.
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The fete concluded with a vocal concert by Vinay Sharva. He began with ‘Janaki Ramana’ (Shudhaseemanthini) followed by ‘Yochana kamala’ (Darbar) and moved to ‘Sambho Mahadeva’ (Pantuvarali), embellished with good niraval and kalpanaswaras. The main kriti of the day was ‘Swararagasudha’ (Sankarabharanam). Vinay pictured the ragam with many attractive sangatis. The niraval and swaras at ‘Mooladhara’ were also well-received. Attukal Balasubramanian (violin), Thrissur Jayaram (mridangam) and Anchal Krishnaiyer (ghatam) extended delightful support. This concert was followed by Aanjaneyothsavam.