CHENNAI: What is it about the Music Academy? I’ve heard about it being the ‘elitist sabha’ known only to favour the Purists. Carnaticians crossing over to the dark side beware! Bagging the Sangeetha Kalanidhi is considered the be-all and end-all of a Carnatic musician’s existence.
Be that as it may, personally I’ve felt quite close to peace whenever I listen to or witness a performance here, notwithstanding the lesser-expensive balcony seats where I’m perched precariously with the constant fear of falling on that uncle’s lap! The Academy somehow brings the best in the performers — whatever slot they perform in. Perhaps it is the lighting, the acoustics, the just-right temperature, no wailing klaxons or our Chennai honkers that interfere with the pure ‘sound of music’.
Cases in point are two concerts by Prasanna Venkataraman on December 16 and Sikkil Gurucharan on December 17.
I was quite chuffed that Prasanna had ‘moved up’ to the 4 pm slot from the 01:45 pm free kutcheri he performed last season. Prasanna may not possess the mellifluous voice of some of his peers but he, more than, makes up for it with his sruthi-suththam and impeccable musical grammar. He does appear serious on stage — like a college fresher who’s giving his semester exam and on who’s first pitch perfect song I wanted to get up and cheer loudly for him.
He opened his concert with the safe albeit lesser known Harikeshanallur Muthayya Bagavathar’s Varnam “Manamohana” in Mohanam. This was followed by his adequately rendered Thyagaraja’s Upachaaramu and a Mayamalavagowla number was followed by the Thanigaivalar saravanabhava in Thodi. Prasanna’s centrepiece in Shankarabharanam was performed with aplomb — his elaboration of the higher and lower octaves book-ended the fast middle phrases and was presented with great care and perfect progression. I felt that the Kalpana-swaram rendition could’ve been meatier.
The violinist Sanjeev overcame an unfortunate broken string at the concert’s beginning but ably followed Prasanna thereafter with his nuanced exchanges for the Raagam Thaanam Pallavi in Kaanada. Poongulam Subramaniam on the Mridangam enhanced Prasanna’s choice of songs with trademark gusto. Prasanna can show us more of his range as all his songs in this concert were in the Shudhamadhyama scale.
Sikkil Gurucharan is not a rising star anymore. He has already arrived and is here to stay. He enthralled us last year (notably the Kanthamani and Ranjani Raagam-Thaanam-Pallavi — RTP) and this concert was no different. He has always been a ‘janaranjagamaana’ singer.
His selection of songs and raagas bear testimony to that! He opened with a sharp varnam in Sri raagam and followed it up with the lilting Nattaikurinji (Maamavasadhaavaradhey), which led us along quite nicely. I could sense a subtle shift in mood when he began the heavy Bhavapriya piece. I noticed some people in the audience scratching their heads in the Aalapana phase trying to figure out which ‘priya’ he was going to invoke. He dealt with this rare raaga with ease.
He sensed the pulse and offered us Dikshitar’s delectable ‘Jambupathey Maampaahi’ in Yamunakalyani (another song in the same raaga: Krishna nee beganey) that immediately uplifted everyone’s spirits. The centerpiece, Sriraghuvara aprameya in Khamboji (another crowd-puller), was handled with erudition. It was amazing to hear his detailing as he traversed the raaga’s range with ‘azhuttham — I truly felt the bhakthi rasaa in this rendition.
The RTP in Saramathi was sumptuous (Marimari Ninne in the film Sindhu Bhairavi composed by Ilayaraja was in this raagam) with his expert tonal changes and rhythmic pallavi “saravananai-gurubharanai-maalmaruganai nidham ninai”. He paid rich tribute to Sangeetha Kalanidhi designate violinist A Kanyakumari by flawlessly performing her Thillana composition in the raaga Thrimurthi, which is constructed only with (as the name suggests) only three notes –— Sa Ma and Dha. He closed with the short and sweet Srimadhava in Behaag (google the songs Ilayaraja composed in this raagam) which was like the Bombay Halwa from the Academy canteen you wish you had one more helping of!