CHENNAI: Unnikrishnan has come a long way in carnatic music, establishing himself as an accomplished artiste.
At a recent concert, when he elaborated the Raga Vasantha Bhairavi, while delivering the number Nee Daya Radha, a composition by Thyagaraja, he not only aligned his recital perfectly on the sruti, but also mirrored the charm of the kriti.
And as swaras traversed through finer modes of musical expression, his carnatic grace was revealed, though one would have expected him to touch thara sthayi panchama in this kriti in order to enjoy the full exhilaration of his rendition.
His delivery of Raga Nataka priya, the 10th melakarta ( Sampoorna Raga) revealed his immense scope for improvisation available in the raga.
It also outlined his studiousness in developing a simple style of musical expressions, and his inclination to dwell in scalar details was very evident. Sangeetha Vadya with neraval at marakoti stood out for perceptive presentation.
When he descended on Charukesi Raga Alapana and came to the Ragam-Thanam -Pallavi session with the number Murali Dhara Gopala delivered in Mohanam Raga, we got to know his pleasing tonal quality, perfection of notes and effortless fluid technique, which were replete with bhava and rasa. It also unfolded the splendour of the raga and outlined the ragas Hamsanandi, Ranjani and Hindolam among others in pallavi, thereby taking the listeners to a pious atmosphere.
On the whole, the concert demonstrated his musical motifs and his capability to handle flashy passages with tidiness. His ascension in this arena as a top ranking vocalist is not far off.
Varadarajan’s (violin) breezy notes, particularly in Vasantha Bhairavi, was not discernible. Anantha R krishnan (mridangam) and Tiruchy Murali (kanjira) as usual, revealed their adroitness.