Something special, something rare

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  Vocal concert by Swarna Rethas at Sivagami Pethachi Auditorium in Chennai. Photo: M. Vedhan

  Swarana Rethas’ voice was clear and commanding in the higher register while elaborating Khambodi and it enhanced the effect of the alapana

  Except the main piece ‘Evarimata’ in Khambodi, all the others chosen by Swarna Rethas were rarely heard ones. The Pada varnam in Kalyani by Swati Tirunal ‘Satoorakamini’ made for an effective opening. The first line and the charanam sounded similar to the well-known Kalyani, Adi Tala, varnam ‘Vanajakshi’, but the rest was beautiful especially the lilting final swaram. After ‘Ponna’ in Mayamalavagowla, he launched into the alapana of Sriranjani, which was impressive; if it had been slightly slower it would have been more appealing. L. Ramakrishnan’s essay on the violin stood out particularly at the lower tempo. The vocalist scored well with Muthuswami Dikshitar’s ‘Sri Ramachandro’.
  Another rare piece was ‘Mohanakara Muthukumara’ in Neetimati by Koteeswara Iyer. While rendering the kriti, it would be proper to sing the composer’s mudra ‘Kavi Kunjara Dasa’ continuously without splitting it.
  Swarna Rethas’ voice was clear and commanding in the higher register while elaborating Khambodi and it enhanced the effect of the alapana. Ramakrishnan’s effort was good.
  The kriti, ‘Evarimata,’ had the niraval as always at ‘Bhaktapara,’ which was an extension of the alapana, followed by kalpanaswaras. Sankaranarayanan’s support on the mridangam was enthusiastic throughout the concert.
  The finale was a Tamil song, ‘Bhaktimudalam,’ comprising Ahiri, Hamirkalyani and Surutti.
  Four is musical company
  Four young talents joined forces at this concert. Sriranjani Santhanagopalan was accompanied by Vittal Rangan (violin), Delhi Sairam (mridangam) and Anirudh Athreya (ganjira). In the lively performance, all four vied for top honours, albeit in a supportive manner.
  After the Pantuvarali varnam, Sriranjani came up with an honest essay of Begada prefixing Muthuswami Dikshitar’s ‘Vallabha Nayakasya’. In the sollus following the madhyamakala passage, she played on the Rupaka tala almost mischievously.
  Two major pieces followed — Keeravani and Sankarabharanam. In the alapanas of both the ragas, her command over breath control and ‘akara’ singing was evident. Instead of hovering on the upper octave, she balanced the essay by singing in all the three octaves. In every alapana be it Begada, Keeravani or Sankarabharanam, Vittal Rangan’s effort was commendable and he deserved the audience’s appreciation.
  The chosen kriti in Kiravani was ‘Amba Vani’ by Muthaiah Bhagavatar, with impressive niraval and swaram for ‘Vaniveenapani’. Sankarabharanam was followed by Tyagaraja’s ‘Enduku Peddala’ with lengthy niraval and swarams. She embellished both with some unconventional swara suites and innovative korvais. Less of brigas would have made it more attractive.
  By varying the tones and tempo of their respective instruments, Sairam and Athreya enhanced the vocalist’s effort.
  Their skills were on display in the tani avartanam. A final virutham in Kanada and Behag was followed by a tillana in the latter raga.
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  Sriranjani Santhanagopalan File Photo