Sandeep Narayan’s concert focused on musical aesthetics

Sandeep Narayan. , Photo Courtesy: Srinath M

Sandeep Narayan demonstrates that the allure of frills and thrills does not necessarily come at the cost of aesthetics. The singer enthralled the audience with superb music in his concert for Krishna Gana Sabha in the accompaniment of Vitthal Rangan (violin), Neyveli Venkatesh (Mridangam) and KV Gopalakrishnan (Kanjira).

Endowed with a pleasant voice that can soar and sink with equal ease, Sandeep, in a presentation of consummate appeal from beginning to end, cherishes the creative raga Alpana, and presents the kritis with aplomb, bringing out subtle nuances in the niraval and kapanvaswaras. Energy was transmitted.

The recital began with Papanasam Sivan’s ‘Sri Vathapi Ganapatiye’ in Sahana, and Kalpanaswara was combined with delightful Jantai and Dhattu patterns in the opening Pallavi. The portrayal of Kapi by both singer and violinist in Khanda Chapu led by ‘Meevalla Gunadosham’, a composition by Tyagaraja, was subtle and melodious.

Sandeep Narayan. , Photo Courtesy: Srinath M

The intense, devotional flavor of Dikshitar’s Dwijavanti work ‘Akilandeshwari’ was brought out well by Sandeep in a perfect Kalapramanam. He quickly changed the mood with a fiery rendition of Tyagaraja’s ‘Padavini Satbhakti’ in Salakabhairavi. Sandeep’s spirited vocal singing, Vitthal’s pleasing reactions with the bow, and the charming rhythmic support of Venkatesh and Gopalakrishnan garnered spontaneous applause.

The delicate colors of Natakurinji came to the fore as Sandeep composed a raga essay replete with long phrases and distinctive glides. Vitthal reflected the artistry of the singer. Emotions prevailed in the presentation of Swati Tirunal’s eighth day Navratri composition ‘Pahi Janani Santam’ at Mishra Chapu. The opening charanam ‘Kaamneya’ was the Niraval point, and not only were the variations he adopted for the word true to its meaning – ‘attractive’ – but so were the entire Niraval and vocal passages.

Sandeep captured the lusciousness of Simhendramadhyam with an organic flow in the octave, with long and imaginative phrases. The point of confluence at Grabsham, take-off and landing, sandwiching the boulevard, provided a breathtaking contrast.

The Vitthal version of the main raga had a velvety touch, bringing out its soul and melody. For variety he chose Bouli’s brother Saveri, who came at the very end of his essay.

Then came Tanam, which was presented neatly. The pallavi line was ‘Kamakshi Sakallok Sakshi Tripurasundari Kanchi’, which was based on Aadi Taal. As is the order of the day, Pallavi was presented very briefly, with a few niraval rounds and a few descents into the swaras, all within 10 minutes. Although what was presented was good, what was left out also caught everyone’s attention.

Venkatesh and Gopalakrishnan’s lively Taani Avtaranam was dominated by interesting rhythmic match-ups.

The concluding phase offered a journey through diverse musical landscapes – ‘Nindati Chandanam’, a Jayadeva Ashtapadi in Darbari Kanada; ‘Guruvige Tanuvannu’, a Kannada song with Hindustani touch in Mohanam, composed by Puttaraja Gavai; a Lalgudi Jayaraman Thilana in Ragesari; and a Tiruppugazh in Behaag, set to the Khanda Triputa tala, sung in two tempos.