Aditya Madhavan’s music has sparkle but needs more substance

Aditya Madhavan with Bhargav Tumkur (violin), Kishore Ramesh (mridangam) and Nerkunam Shankar (kanjira). , Photo Credit: Raghunathan SR

A free-flowing baritone voice, subtle raga singing ability and a fairly good understanding of the values ​​of classical music were the key elements of Aditya Madhavan’s singing at Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha. Accompanists Bhargav Tumkur (violin), Kishore Ramesh (mridangam), and Nerkunam Shankar (kanjira) added sparkle to the performance.

Aditya’s rendition of the Saveri Varnam ‘Sarasuda’ composed by Kothavasal Venkatarama Iyer displayed a captivating charm. He then sang Tyagaraja’s ‘Girirajasutha’ in the rare Raga Bangla, an unusual piece for good measure. It is in Sanskrit, and the deity is Ganesha; The raga consists of flat notes devoid of gamakas. At the beginning of the song, his imaginative voice was lively, but it would have been better if it had been shorter. This will help them avoid haste and repetitive phrases at certain places.

Aditya Madhavan. , Photo Credit: Raghunathan SR

Grandeur marked Aditya’s Bhairavi raga essay, which unfolded organically, yet was leisurely and refreshing. The liberal use of gamaka-laden phrases and pregnant pauses gave it a classy dimension. Bhargava was equal to the task with Dhanush, presenting a neat outline of his own. ‘Upacharamu Jesevaru’ in Roopakam is a poignant composition in which Tyagaraja prays to God not to forget him, and Aditya did justice to the sentiment with a soulful rendition. In ‘Vakitne Padhilamuga’ (not ‘Pathilamuga’ as it was sung) Niraval also brought out his keen musical instincts.

A quick entry into the Saranga introduced ‘Kanmaniye Soladi’, a composition on Muruga by Mazhavai Chidambara Bharati, which was full of sparkling phantasmagoria. Aditya then confirmed that playing the raga with the dazzling Bilahari is his forte, bringing out the colors and shades of the Audave-complete raga. Bhargava again gave an excellent performance with a pleasing response.

‘Na Jivadhara’, the chosen work, is a Tyagaraja classic, consisting only of metaphorical words and providing much scope for assonance exploration. The beauty of this composition is best brought out in a meditative tempo, but Aditya preferred to sing it at a faster pace. This sacrificed some of the beauty of the composition, as intensity took priority over stillness. However, Aditya performed better in the vocal section with the same speed, but the faster flow resulted in awkward notes.

Percussion partners, Bhargava and Shankar, decorated the concert with sensitive playing, and their Tani Avtaranam (two-wrist Adi rhythm) was concise and spirited.

Subramaniam Bharati’s evergreen ‘Chinnanchiru Kiliye’ in ragamalika (kapi, manda, vasantha, tilanga, nilamani, and nilambari) and Tiruppugazh set on Chatusra Dhruva tala in Surutti closed the concert, representing the works of Dikshitar and Shyama Sastri. Didn’t happen.

Aditya has a keen grasp of the basics, and a slight adjustment of the tempo will give more control to his music and make it more sophisticated.