Fitting finale to a week-long series
Ramakrishnan Murthy’s beautiful rendition, which exhibited his brilliance in Pallavi singing, concluded the 53rd Annual Music Festival of Kalasagaram
Good guru, good padantham and good practice will pay its dividends. This is what Ramakrishnan Murthy proved at the concluding concert Kalasagaram’s 53rd Annual Music Festival. He was accompanied by Charumathi Raghuraman on the violin, NC Bharadwaj on the mrudrangam and on the kanjeera by BS Purushottam.
He began with a varnam Chalamela in Natakurinji. Devadi Deva Sadasiva in Shanmukhapriya was a simple rendering with a brief swaram. A tad too fast with his swara Kalpana at times gives one the feel that he is the T20 mould. However, he has the capacity to adjust quickly to the need of the raaga and also ensure that the overall pace of the concert is not overtly speeded up. Annasami Sastry’s Asaveri kriti, Sri Kanchi Nayakiye was rendered soulfully.
A brief alapana of Jayamane Hari and Sri Ramya Chittalankara of Thyagaraja and swaras were well-received. Then came a super rendition of raaga Varali with a fine alapana before the rendition of Mamave Meenakshi with neraval and swaras. The way he handled the raagam and the kriti exhibited his scholastic control.
Charumathi was equally good in keeping up with the Ramakrishnan. A scintillating thani avarthanam by Bharadwaj and Purushottam added fizz to the presentation. Gopalakrishna Bharathi’s masterpiece Enneramum in Devagandhari was another delight.
After a brief raaga alapana in Manirangu and the rendition of Jaya Jaya Padmanabhe of Swathi Thirunal came the masterpiece of the evening. RTP in two raagas — Mohana Kalyani and Todi — was taken up. From one raaga to another and the reverse were done extremely well by both. After a beautiful tanam, the Pallavi Kamala vadane in Tisra Triputa exhibited his brilliance in Pallavi singing.
Paras raaga Javali Smarasundarangini, Ramajogi in Khamas of Ramadasa, Susmigatham Neelakesham in Ragamalika Mayamalavagowla, Sahana, Kapi were followed. Shobane in Pantuvarali of Thyagaraja, Nadanthekalgal in Sindhu Bhairavi, an Alwar Pasuram were to follow. Ramakrishna Murthy is always pregnant with ideas to deliver at any time the required and beautiful rendition of items. Kakaichiraginele in Brundavana Saranga, Athikana in Kapi, Athirupagazh in Bagesri were enjoyed by the viewers. He concluded the concert with a Mangalam in Saurashtra.
It was indeed a fitting finale to a week-long series that Kalasagaram hosted with hesitation but great success. President Sudarshan Iyengar and secretary Narayanan put body and soul for the event. Members in the Executive Committee, especially Madhusudhan, who took charge of the technical support and made sure that the concerts in Chennai were being recorded, ensured that the audience got the very best.
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