CHENNAI: L istening to vocalist Prince Rama Varma (disciple of Dr Balamurali Krishna) sing adds a sense of fulfilment to listeners. Varma brought out the timeless appeal of classical music and its greatest strength with a ‘tune test’ of its purity. He did not concentrate much on the aspect of mass appeal.
In a way, it was a concert that let elements of music permeate deep into the layers of mind, fulfilling a gentle sense of repose in a peaceful way. He commenced with Jog raga varnam and explored (two rishabam) Maya Mohanamu of Annamacharaya, where the composer explores the philosophy of life. He rendered a kriti composed by MD Ramanathan in raga Yadukulla Khambodi with purity of musical lines, outlining the intuitive perception of the composer, lending quality to music.
Prince Rama Varma gave a vivid account of Simmendra Madyamam, a raga, which has a classically-exalted musical identity of its own. He performed Rama-Rama Guna Seela of Swathi Thirunal, in which he employed the prayogas in aesthetic proportions.
Prince Rama Varma gave a personal identity to the concert, which had the classical element in it. Though it imparted quality, it failed to click effectively, as he had mostly used manthra sthayi sancharas which suited his voice.
A special mention has to be made of violinist SR Vinu of Trivandrum, who revealed his musical acumen and communicated the nuances of raga elaborations and kritis. Harikumar on mridangam and Kartick on ghatam gave rhytmic support, which raised the content of the performance.