Mavelikkara P. Subramaniam’s concert at the music concert hall, Government College Chittur, was rich in aesthetic nuances. The musician achieved a fine balance between innovation and traditional classicism. With his musical lineage, commendable experience in the field of teaching and performing for more than three decades, Subramaniam has evolved an individualistic style that illustrates his insight into the intricacies of music.
Subramanian began the concert with a melodic ‘Chalamu seya vae’, an Adi tala varna in Valaji. Next came Dikshitar’s ‘Sri Mahaganapathi Ravathumam’ in Gowla, in which the artiste maintained the right kala pramanam. This was followed by ‘Sama gana lole’, marked with excellent brigas and subtle gamakas. The GNB influence was clearly visible in the rendition of the song.
The artiste portrayed the charm of the raga in an alapana of the ghana raga Arabhi. A rendition of Dikshitar’s evocative ‘Marakoti koti lavanya’ set to Khanda chappu tala, saw Subramaniam evoking the spiritual fervour of the lyrics. The kalpanaswaras that followed had him placing emphasis on samvadi swaras such as ‘ri pa’.
A bhava-laden elaboration of Panthuvarali-Kasiramakriya in Dikshitar tradition was greeted with applause by the audience. Violinist Sindhu Dileep’s eloquent accompaniment was noteworthy.
Dikshitar’s ‘Visa lakshmi viswasam’ set to Misra chappu tala was embellished with jathi and well-articulated niraval.
Maheshkumar made his mridangam sing while accompanying the kritis. His exquisite tani with combination of Nadais was woven into intricate patterns. Papanasam Sivan’s ‘Enna thavam seithanai’, which evoked soukhyam, was followed by ‘Pullai janikkarutho’ a ragamalika comprising Sahana, Manirang and Subhapanthuvarali, which was composed by Subamaniam’s uncle, Mavelikara Ramanadhan.
The concert was organised in connection with a seminar on the compositions of Muthuswamy Dikshitar.
