For aspiring young musicians, every concert occasion is an ordeal. When competitive spirit is the main theme of an event that is held under the aegis of the Music Academy, the challenge becomes greater. At the end of the 34th Spirit of Youth series, dedicated to the memory of Ambujam Krishna, and held recently at the Kasturi Srinivasan Hall, all the 10 main artistes and their accompanists must have become wiser after the performance, regardless of whether they received an award or not.
In a pleasant irony, the charm of old-school music came as a breath of fresh air in Dhanush Anantharaman’s singing, beginning with Thyagaraja’s ‘Tulasi Dalamulache’ in Mayamalavagowla. The elaborate niravals and kalpanaswaras in the traditional ‘Sarasiruha Punnaga’ were a foreshadowing of what was to come.
Dhanush Anantharaman managed to avoid the repetition of typical vakra phrases in his Kannada alapana. | Photo courtesy: K. Pichumani
Dhanush rendered the Kannada alapana very skilfully, retaining the identity of the raga yet successfully avoiding repetition of the typical phrases of the vakra. Muthuswami Dikshitar’s ‘Sri Mathrubhutham’ was followed by ‘Vaasita Nava Javanthi Pushpa’ which featured intense vocal sequences.
The young singer sang the ‘Varanarad’ in Vijayashree with aplomb and then plunged into the grandeur of Bhairavi, describing the raga in detail before Shyama Shastri’s soulful rendition of ‘Saari Ivaramma’, full of akaars and gamakas. The niravals and swaras in the Aadarsh Kalapramana in two movements in ‘Shyamakrishna Paripalini’ were the highlight of the concert. The adoption of the phrase from the mudra line of Swarajati by the same composer in the keys kaalam added a pleasant touch.
After ‘Jagathinai Kathidum Janardhan’ by Ambujam Krishna, the concert concluded with Thiruppugazh in Senchurutti and Nadanamakriya.
Naga Sai displayed good sensitivity on the violin while Pranav provided enthusiastic percussion support and his thani in Khanda Jhampa was captivating.
melodious melody essay
Supriya Raja handled the Thodi and Kalyani raga compositions with gusto. | Photo courtesy: K. Pichumani
A splendid swara avtaranam in the opening pallavi of Pallavi Seshayar’s composition in Arabic ‘Palimparavadelara’ set the tone for Supriya Raja’s concert, in which she was accompanied by M. Meenakshi Dev and B. N. Kasinadh on violin and mridangam respectively.
Supriya chose two ragas for exploration – Thodi and Kalyani – which are at opposite ends of the vocal spectrum, and handled both with gusto. After a well-arranged raga essay of Kalyani, Supriya effortlessly entered Patnam Subramania Iyer’s ‘Nijadasa Varada’, where the anupallavi line ‘Bhujadhipa sayana’ was taken for an expressive niraval.
She then gave a cursory introduction to Dikshitar’s ‘Ramachandram Bhavayami’ and then entered the main raga of the evening, Thodi, which was built with structural coherence. Supriya’s interpretation of Thyagaraja’s ‘Imi Jesithe’ was marked by deep emotion, followed by a skillful niraval and attractive vocals in ‘Varamantramanyulaku’ in the charanam.
Supriya Raja was accompanied by M. Meenakshi Dev (violin) and BN Kashinadh (mridangam). | Photo courtesy: K. Pichumani
‘Ododi Vanden Kanna’ in Dharmavati was Supriya’s choice for the mandatory composition by Ambujam Krishna. With Kalyani and Dharmavati having the same uttaraanga – in fact, a single swara (ga) differentiates the two – a song in any other raga would have been better. The lively recital concluded with Papanasam Sivan’s Behaga Thillana.
Violinist Meenakshi made the program even more wonderful with her brilliant artistry. While her Kalyani and Thodi were effortless and resonant, she also performed brilliantly in Nirval and Swara exchange along with Supriya. Kasinadh also performed well throughout the program despite a slight glitch in Misra Chapu Thani.
emotional presentation
Atchayaharini’s niraval and swaraprastha for pantuvarali and bhairavi were commendable. | Photo courtesy: K. Pichumani
B. Achayaharini’s singing performance was notable for her deep understanding of musical values, emotion-rich rendition and skillful modulation of notes. After warming up with the varnam in Pallavi Gopala Iyer’s Surati, she stepped on the pedal by slamming notes on ‘Saraswati’ in Puliyur Duraiswamy Iyer’s ‘Sarasirahusanpriye’.
‘Sambho Mahadeva’ sung by Thyagaraja in Pantuvarali and then a charming Bhairavi followed by Dikshitar’s masterpiece ‘Balagopala’, the latter of which was the main song, formed the centrepiece of the concert. Atchayaharini did a commendable job in both ‘Sambho Mahadeva’ and ‘Neela Neerada Sarira’ with the Neeraval and Swara Prasastham. However, a little more pausing in the lower octave would have made her raga alapanas more rounded.
Achayaharini was accompanied by Aditya Anil (violin) and Aravind Raman (mridangam). | Photo courtesy: K. Pichumani
Aditya Anil on violin and Arvind Raman on mridangam graced the recital with their valuable support. Aditya’s raga essays were melodious, and he was equal to the task with his retorts in the niraval and swara sections as well. Arvind presented a strong thani in the do-kalai adi talam.
In between, ‘Kanna Vaa Manivanna Vaa’, a Pancha Ragamalika song by Ambujam Krishna – comprising Kapi, Sama, Vasantha, Neelambari and Surati – added a vibrant splash of colour. Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar’s Thillana in Poornachandrika brought the series to a rousing close along with the concert of Atchayaharini.
