Powerful voice in peak form
LALITHAA KRISHNAN
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Capitalising on his considerable assets, Maharajapuram Ramachandran performed with e´lan.
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EFFORTLESS RENDITION: Maharajapuram Ramachandran. Photo: K. N. Muralidharan.
Maharajapuram Ramachandran is the inheritor of a prolific musical legacy bequeathed by his grandfather Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer and father Maharajapuram Santhanam.
In his concert featuring the kritis of Mysore Vasudevachar under the auspices of the Music Academy, he capitalised on his considerable assets — a powerful resonant voice in peak form, a selection of kritis in appealing ragas and contrasting kalapramana, the unstinting cooperation of veteran accompanists, a large, empathetic audience and a sound system on its best behaviour — to ensure the programme's success.
Strong gust of Hindolam
Hindolam blew in as a strong gust, bracing and robust, rather than as a delicate breeze. The alapana had a central focus and component elements fused to form a cohesive whole.
A torrent of sancharas, emerging from the tara sthayi shadja and gandhara flowed effortlessly, intensifying the momentum and aural impact. A measure of quietude was achieved during the descending phase as languid curves arced downwards to reach for the mandira sthayi shadja with no trace of showiness — it was a spontaneous expression that demonstrated the clear 2-1/2-octave reach of the voice. The kriti, "Maamavathu Sri Saraswathi'' (Adi) incorporated sarvalaghu kalpanaswaras that were contoured as much for easy flow as for effect.
The soothing strains of Shama in "Paraakelanaiyya Rama'' (Rupakam) were followed by the composition, "Pranamaamyaham'' (misra triputa), a welcome addition to the sparsely populated clique of kritis in the esoteric Ranjani land.
Dedicated seekers of raga signature-bearing kritis were in clover as the raga's name surfaced in the charanam.
In Madhyamavati, the crux of the exposition was to be found in the higher reaches circling the tara sthayi shadja and rishabha, powered by a vibrant undercurrent and the chosen kriti was "Raamaabhi Rama".
Purvikalyani being the piece-de-resistance, the lower and middle suites would have benefited from slower exploratory phrasing and subtle interjections. At the tara sthayi shadja, long-drawn nagaswaram-style patterns and selective shadja-eschewing sancharas proved stimulating. While the exposition was impressive in parts, it lacked the emotive core to pull it all together.
Sensitivity marked the kriti rendition in "Marachithivemo." The layered build-up towards a hard-hitting finale in the neraval and swaras at the line "Pathitha Paavana Neeve" was accomplished with élan. Violinist Nagai Muralidharan presented appreciable delineations of Madhyamavati and Purvikalyani. Guruvayur Dorai with his masterly command over laya intricacies and a complex fretwork of rhythmic permutations on the mridangam was well complemented by the skilful responses of Vaikkom Gopalakrishnan on the ghatam. The duo served up a tani to be savoured.
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