Shashank Subramaniam. , Photo Credit: Raghunathan SR
It is not often that the audience gets the opportunity to choose the main melody of a concert. S. for Mylapore Fine Arts Club. This happened due to Shashank’s flute playing. Out of the shortlist of Madhyamavati, Surutti, Vagadishwari and Karaharpriya, the former emerged as the clear favourite. However, the flute player kept the song option for himself while presenting ‘Ram Katha Sudha’.
Rich tonal quality, delicate composition, impeccable blowing technique and fluid playing style marked the presentation, which was graced by Srikanth Venkataraman on violin, Delhi Sairam on mridangam and Aniruddha Atreya on kanjira.
Shashank started off on a meditative note with Tyagaraja’s ‘Attukaradani Balka’ in Manoranjanani. An elaborate vocal section, particularly in the second movement, with some repetitions, offered attractive phrasing and a generous dose of amusing mathematics. After this she played the role of ‘Akilandeshwari’ in Dikshitar’s Dwijwanti. The exchange in swarakalpana between Shashank and Srikanth was fascinating, maintaining the poignancy of the raga. The high-tempo phrases and Nadai variations provide a final crescendo to the song.
Shashank Subramaniam with Srikanth Venkataraman, Delhi Sairam and Anirudh Athreya. , Photo Credit: Raghunathan SR
The first raga essay of the evening was Lathangi. Shashanka dips into the Mandra Sthiri at the base of the raga before launching into a series of fast and complex phrases. Although it demonstrated his command of the instrument, it also ignored aesthetics. He finished the alapana without using the top octave. Srikanth compensated for this deficiency by continuously using high notes in his response. Shashank’s rendition of Patnam Subramaniam Iyer’s ‘Marivere Dikkevvaru’ in Khanda Chapu was serene. This was followed by another lengthy vocal section of instrumental dexterity, but which also emphasized the challenge of combining high-tempo creativity to fully meet the demands of the musical subtleties.
The frenzy gave way to a fresh Madhyamavati. Shashank filled the raga with long, ultra-slow phrases filled with gamakas. The excellent glides, expressed on the strength of perfect shruti alignment, split into a shorter and faster round towards the end. Srikanth came in his turn and presented a melodious version.
Shashank hit the right Kalapramanam in ‘Ram Katha Sudha’. The swarakalpana of ‘Bhamamani’ in Anupallavi became the high point of the singing. The flautist fully explored the gamaka-laden pentatonic structure in the first movement before weaving note sequences in circles in the fast movement. Srikanth negotiated the expressed phrases with aplomb, while percussionists Sairam and Anirudh demonstrated exemplary teamwork. The ensuing tani had its share of lively rhythmic attack and interesting exchanges.
The later section of Tani included Purandaradasar’s ‘Kaliyugadalli’ in Chenchurutti, Subramaniam Bharathi’s ‘Chinnanchiru Kiliye’ in Ragamalika, Vyasaraya’s ‘Krishna Nee Begene Baro’ in Yamuna Kalyani and the lively Purvi Thilana composed by T. Vaidyanath Bhagavathar.
published – January 17, 2025 06:36 PM IST
