Season 2024-25

By T T Narendran

Yet another season has gone by. There appeared to be more sabhas and more concerts this year. The sparse attendance at many of these has become an accepted feature. For artists who are yet to attain popularity, the audience is often made up of friends and relatives. It is a season when artists and listeners travel from other places to Chennai. In the lobby and at the canteen of a prestigious sabha, one could hear Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu all at the same time. Even the morning sessions for academic discussions at the Music Academy saw a good number of people; it was heartening to see young musicians and research students of music in the gathering.

Air-conditioning seemed milder, amplification systems seemed to work better than last year though a “zero defect” situation remains elusive. Canteens seem to remain rooted to traditional south Indian food.

“Can teens come here to eat?”

“Yes, if you do not insist upon non-traditional stuff!”

The geriatric age-group constitutes a significant proportion of the audience; quite a few among them face a challenge to squeeze themselves through occupied rows of seats to reach the empty seats that exist only in the central part of the row. Perhaps, the need to execute this task can be a motivator for people to focus on their diet and fitness! “Leg room” is a luxury, as much in auditoria as in aircraft.  

Plenty of music of different styles, with different emphases and priorities, was on offer. I shall refrain from citing perceptive factors such as “quality” and “standards” here.

Fluent and catchy swaraprastara is a hallmark of Ashwath Narayanan’s singing. This was evident when he sang swaras for Yochana kamala lochana (Darbar, Tyagaraja) while the violinist, M.S.Ananthakrishnan, did not appear too comfortable, playing swaras for a vakra raga. Thiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam (mridangam) played appropriate to the context and B.S.Purushotham (khanjira) complimented him well. Memories of Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar were kindled by some of the phrases sung by Ashwath in Todi (Thanigai valar, Papanasam Sivan). Ananthakrishnan played his supporting role very well during the raga alapanas. The entire team contributed to blissful music when Ashwath sang Jambupathe (Yamuna Kalyani, Dikshitar). There were some interesting phrases in Ashwath’s essay of Kambhoji (Evari mata, Tyagaraja). However, it seemed as though he wanted “to be different” and that hurt the image of the raga a bit. In the same vein, he chose to sing niraval at shakti gala but skipping the niraval in the faster tempo, left a sense of incompleteness. A special mention for Bhaktavatsalam is due here; a senior artist played for a young vocalist, with complete team spirit, focussing on the success of the concert.   

Does singing film songs affect the quality of a musician’s performance in the Carnatic genre in any way? The Music Academy featured three singers who earned fame through reality shows such as Super Singer. They impressed the viewers when their training in classical music enhanced the quality of their performance in these shows. Without a doubt, they are endowed with good and pleasing voices. Is there a difference in the manner of usage of the voice for a studio recording and for a Carnatic concert on stage? I have heard mentions of “chest voice” and “head voice” in reality shows. Does it align with Tyagaraja’s reference to Nabhi hrth kanta in his famous kriti in Jaganmohini: Sobillu saptaswara? Such questions arose while listening to them. The first was Sai Vignesh, who won an award for his song in a Kannada film. He sang Gam ganapathe (Hamsadhwani, Muthiah Bhagavatar) at a comfortable speed, embellished with swaras finishing with poruthams. Sreelakshmi Bhat (violin) followed him effortlessly, marking herself as an artist to watch for. He sang Nasamani Sree Rama Saraswati, Dikshitar) melodiously, without letting its vivadhi hurt the ears. Sreelakshmi played a scalish version, in turn. Sai Vignesh sang an impressive Todi (Emijesite, Tyagaraja) with a healthy balance of gamakas and brigas. Sreelakshmi played a contemporary version of the raga with composure. Vignesh provided good percussive support. He was soft when melody prevailed and adroit when he played for Thaaye Tripurasundari (Suddha Saveri, Periasami Thooran). 

Instrumental music on Chennai’s Carnatic stage throws a few challenges, thin attendance being the foremost among them! While Hindustani music lets instrumentalists traverse a different track, the South Indian counterpart expects them to toe the line of the vocalists. Kritis must sound like the vocal version, there must be raga alapana, niraval (many skip this part or give it minimal treatment) and swaras, much like a vocal concert. Add to this, the task of keeping tala when the hands are not free for that purpose: a steep ask, perhaps! The occasional forays into Mallari by nagaswara vidwans and the larger dose of tanams on the veena are a few exceptions.

Mysore Nagaraj and Manjunath were featured in the morning slot of the Music Academy. The brothers showed a high level of mastery over the instrument, with a good range of coverage on single strings, fast passages at incredible speeds, good control over laya, effortless playing and a rich tone (Nagaraj fared better than Manjunath in this aspect). Their alapana of Latangi (Marivere, Patnam Subramania Iyer) dazzled, displayed virtuosity and, occasionally showcased the melodic shades of the raga. The kriti was played at a comfortable pace and swaras gave them ample scope for fireworks, actively supported by Thiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam (mridangam) and Vaikkom Gopalakrishnan (ghatam). While speed and virtuosity can be appreciated, acceleration of kalapramana can be kept in check. Bhairavi (Balagopala, Dikshitar) had a melodic start before “instrumentalism” took over. The percussionists provided excellent support, modulating according to the music on play.

S.Srivathsan gave a bright start to the proceedings with a brisk rendition of Natakurinji varnam. The same trend prevailed when he sang Ennaganu rama bhajana (Pantuvarali, Bhadrachalam Ramadas). His niraval at Premameera bhadradri and the swaras that followed were engaging; L.Sudharshan Srinivas (mridangam) provided excellent support in this phase. A sedate alapana of Devagandhari preceded his Gopalakrishna Bharati’s Enneramum from the anupallavi. A fast-paced Okapari judaga (Kalavathi, Tyagaraja) drew enthusiastic percussive support from the mridangist. He elaborated Kambhoji (Evari mata, Tyagaraja) Vaibhav Ramani, a skilled and talented violinist, played some good phrases of the raga mixed, inevitably, with its contemporary version! Srivathsan built up a good niraval at Bhakta paradeena but skipped its second speed and switched to swaras, probably, with an eye on the clock.

How would it feel to take the stage, a mere 15 minutes after your rock-star guru set the place ablaze with a stunning performance? Well, it happened to S Adithyanarayanan (who currently learns from the iconic T.M.Krishna) on Christmas Day at the Music Academy. I could hear snatches of the guru’s singing from the lobby, with the halls being jam-packed. That was not enough for me to write a review, but I returned to listen to his disciple, in comfort. He sang Tyagaraja’s Raga ratna malikache (Ritigaula) and embellished it with a niraval at Bhagavatottamulu and swaras with a fine finish. His essay of Saranga (Tyagaraje kritya, Dikshitar) sounded technically right without making much of an impact. This rarely heard kriti had a soporific effect on this listener. A suggestion to Adithyanarayanan and to others of his ilk: when you sing a kriti in Jhampa tala, I think it is important to show the last count of the beat clearly, with an open palm. The high point of the concert was his alapana of Mukhari (Ksheenamai, Tyagaraja), rich in content and effective in delivery. He sang a flowing niraval at Eti jesina and topped it off with a round of swaras. He is one of the younger talents to watch for.

The second “Super Singer” on view was Abhilash Venkitachalam. His list of songs did not seem to be in tune with the priorities of the Music Academy. He began with a varnam of Balamuralikrishna in Shanmukhapriya, showcasing the style of the composer. It was rendered well with good support from V.S.Raghavan (mridangam). A short and sweet Arabhi (O Rajeevaksha, Tyagaraja), with niraval and swaras at Mavara suguna, followed. While finishing, the singer might have realised that ragas such as Arabhi are not too amenable to the standard korvais to end the swara prastara. There is not much to write about a Swati Tirunal kriti, tuned in Vakulabaranam or about the popular Vanchatonuna (Karna Ranjani, Muthiah Bhagavatar). Abhilash’s alapana of Kalyani (Un padamalarinai, Ambujam Krishna) had a good blend of gamaka-laden phrases and brigas. He sang niraval for the anupallavi line, competently. He received good support from Alangode V.S.Gokul (violin) and from V S Raghavan. I am not sure if his performance matched his potential!

Thiruvotriyur Tyagayyer’s varnam in Sahana (Karunimpa) and Koteeswara Iyer’s varana mukhava in Hamsadhvani made for a lively opening of Bharat Sundar’s concert at the Academy. His swara passages and ending for the kriti betokened his creativity and intelligence. He essayed Mukhari for a less-heard Thalachi nandane (Tyagaraja).It was a good alapana but Rajeev (violin) did better. It was interesting to watch Sumesh Narayanan (mridangam) let the pallavi of Jambupathe (Yamuna Kalyani, Dikshitar) pass without him playing a single stroke! The tempo of the kriti was such that, Sumesh’s discretion let the first part of the song be heard, purely for its melody. Bharat and Rajeev vied for honours in their elaboration of Todi (Thamadhamen swami, Papanasam Sivan). Bharat chose to highlight the composer’s plea while singing the part, Ini podhum un thiruvilayattu, in the charanam and showcased the emotional side of his music. It was a good performance by the entire team which also had Chandrasekhara Sharma (ghatam), contributing significantly to the success of the concert.

With the Music Academy choosing to feature no more than a solitary veena artist, one had to look elsewhere for this traditional instrument. Quite a few were on view at the Ragasudha hall. With technology enabling the vainikas to sustain the vibration of the string for longer durations, some have emerged as effective performers. It was a delight to hear Ashwin Anand “sing” Dikshitar’s Soundararajam (Brindavana Saranga) through the veena! A convincing alapana of Pantuvarali (Sambho Mahadeva, Tyagaraja) and niraval and swaras at the anupallavi line, were in the best of vocal tradition. Ashwin again stamped his class with an eloquent alapana and a brief tanam in Sahana (Giripai, Tyagaraja) and topped it up with swaras for the charanam line, Pulakangithudai. B.Sivaraman (mridangam), who accompanied well throughout, played a rather long spell in the tani avartanam that followed. Thiruvananthapuram Rajagopal (khanjira) played a good supporting role. There was ragam-tanam-pallavi (Shanmukhapriya, khanda jati Triputa tala, two kalai) too, in this concert. A melodious alapana, a pleasing tanam and a pallavi, embellished with niraval and swaras bore testimony to the calibre of this vainika, who migrated from Bengaluru to Toronto and flew down here for the season.

Charulata began her veena recital with Mysore Maharaja’s Sri jalandara (Gambiranata) which provided a bright opening. A brief alapana of Anandabhairavi preceded Marivere gati (Syama Sastri). The kriti was rendered in a rather slow tempo but Vamshidhar (mridangam) and Rohit Prasad (ghatam) played well without accelerating the tempo. Sivakameswareem (Kalyani, Dikshitar) was presented with a good alapana and flowing swaras. Sahana (Inkevarunnaru, Annaswami Sastri) was the main raga. While the alapana was generally good, there were a few uncomfortable touches to the gandhara. Tanam followed in Sahana and moved to a ragamalika that had Saveri, Natakurinji, Ranjani and Kapi. This kriti was played at a slow tempo, but Vamshidhar, who had to set the tone for the tani avarthanam, took the liberty of accelerating to his comfortable speed. Rohit Prasad utilised his opportunity during the opening lines of the charanam to show that he could play appropriately in the slow tempo.   

Back to the Academy to listen to the third and last of the Super Singers, R.P.Shravan, with his silky voice, made a sedate beginning, singing the Todi varnam, Era napai, in two speeds. A less-heard Dayajuda samayamide  (Jaganmohini, Syama Sastry) followed. Shravan sang a good Purvikalyani (Gnanamosgaradha, Tyagaraja) though the ending was a stretch. Krithik Koushik played a scalish version of the raga with a few good phrases in between. There was noticeable acceleration during the niraval; not sure if it was the mridangist’s (S.Kavichelvan) “contribution”. Shravan should be appreciated for daring to elaborate Kokilavarali (Samukhana nilva); he also sang a string of swaras for the song. Bhairavi (Balagopala, Dikshitar) alapana commenced in a relaxed tempo and was developed well up to a stage. The finishing phase was marred by meandering in the higher octave and by a few phrases which did not quite “belong there”.

Sedate and scholarly alapanas of Yadukula Kambhoji (Kamakshi, Syama Sastry) by Sangeetha Sivakumar and R.Hemalatha set the mood for a satisfying concert at the Ragasudha hall. The slow tempo of this swarajati did not appear to be Poongulam Subramanian’s (mridangam) cup of tea. Credit to him and Sunil Kumar (khanjira) for not spoiling the show. The delightful combination of vocal and violin rendering the song made it a memorable listening experience. Sangeetha’s voice sounded rich in the mandra sthayi. A surprise followed: She chose to elaborate Pushpalatika (Ikanaina, Tirupati Narayanaswamy), which is tantalisingly close to Manirangu, both sharing the same descent. It was a fluent and convincing essay, matched brilliantly by Hemalatha. She ended the song with a rousing round of sarvalaghu swaras. The high spirit of the concert continued through Purvikalyani (Thillai chidambaram, Gopalakrishna Bharati). Good essays of the raga by Sangeetha and Hemalatha and a relaxing rendition of the kriti followed. The momentum was sustained with a sumptuous alapana of Kharaharapriya (Tsakkani raja margamu, Tyagaraja), well matched by Hemalatha. There was niraval and the rest at Kandiki sundara, adding up to a memorable concert of this season.    

Rithvik Raja experimented with a double violin (M.Rajeev and M.S.Ananthakrishnan) accompaniment, avoided the mridangam and chose to have a khanjira (Anirudh Athreya) and a ghatam (Chandrasekhara Sarma) for percussion. Sadinchine (Arabhi, Tyagaraja) was the first song. Ananthakrishnan played the pallavi to the accompaniment of Anirudh’s khanjira. Rajeev played the anupallavi with Chandrasekhara Sarma’s ghatam support. Rithvik sang the opening line of the charanam; thereafter, he let the two violinists play the swaras while he sang the sahityam for this pancharatna kriti. He also sang swaras at the end for Samayaniki and asked both the violinists to respond, sequentially. However, there were questionable swara patterns at the finish: what fitted the arithmetic did not seem to fit Arabhi! Rithvik’s alapana of Pantuvarali (Ninne nera, Tyagaraja) had some good ideas. The violinists shared the alapana in phases with good understanding and camaraderie. During the niraval and swaras at Veda shastra, both the ghatam and khanjira artists provided enthusiastic support, almost suggesting, “don’t miss the mridangam!” Rithvik’s alapana of Dwijavanti sounded good in the mandra sthayi. He is fond of starting kritis from the anupallavi; he did that to Chetasri (Dikshitar), with a slow kala pramanam. The metallic and sruti-aligned sound of the ghatam, the gumkis created by striking at the mouth of the instrument (an innovation by T.H.Vinayakaram, still shunned by a few purists), and the gumkis from the khanjira (again a later innovation in which the left hand that holds the instrument, also stretches the hide using the fingers, to create this sound) provided lilting accompaniment to the song.  In summary, it was a well-managed event in which the vocalist, who was the event manager, lost a bit of his spontaneity while singing!

There was an old-world-charm about the veena concert by the Iyer brothers. They played the Ata tala varnam in Kambhoji (Sarasijanabha) in two speeds and Panchamatanga (Malahari, Dikshitar) in the opening phase of their concert at the Ragasudha hall. Reetigaula (Janani ninnuvina, Subbaraya Sastry) was the first alapana. A Natakurinji phrase that was smuggled into Reetigaula by Subbaraya Sastry was generously present in their alapana. The kriti was rendered evocatively at a relaxed tempo. A good alapana of Sankarabharanam preceded Tyagaraja’s Manasu swadhinamaina. There was a soothing Bagayanayya (Chandrajyoti, Tyagaraja) before the brothers took Keeravani (Kaligiyunte, Tyagaraja) on for elaboration. An impressive alapana and a tanam played in traditional style were a feast to the ears.      

The mandolin was, earlier, a stringed instrument with a pair of strings for each tuning and used for playing discrete, flat notes. It was used in the background score for film music of a bygone era. Then entered a prodigious U.Srinivas who revolutionised the instrument. He switched to single strings, made creative use of amplification and showed the world how the mandolin can be adapted for Carnatic music. Among those who entered the field thereafter, U.P.Raju and Nagamani became prominent performers. Taking the stage on New Year’s Day at the Music Academy, they delighted the audience with a good combination of vocalised and pure instrumental approach. The half note of Gaula (Sree maha Ganapati:, Dikshitar) was heard clearly; the swaras at Prakashakaro went on longer than required.

Arabhi (Narasimha mamava, Swati Tirunal) was also handled well. Raju played Vanaspati (Pariyachakama, Tyagaraja) melodiously with just the appropriate exposure for its vivadhi note. They played Shanmukhapriya (ragam-tanam-pallavi) elaborately. Melody and bhava prevailed for a good part of the alapana. A moderate dose of “instrumentalism” and a brief grahabedham to show a shade of sallabam were there. Tanam sounded good and the pallavi was executed in three speeds after a short niraval. The swaras included a ragamalika chain. Umayalpuram Mali (mridangam) provided seasoned accompaniment, with a pleasing gait. Manjoor Unnikrishnan (ghatam) gave enthusiastic support though, inevitably, it also resulted in acceleration!

When the season extends into January, the non-residents of Chennai “evaporate”, leaving the performers to face scarcer audiences.

There was poor T.S.Sahana with a rich and husky voice, taking the stage with Bargava Vignesh (violin) and Sarvesh Karthik (mridangam). She began with the Ata tala varnam in Reetigaula (Veenai Kuppier), sang in two speeds with good support from the percussionists. She displayed a good feel for Dhanyasi while singing Dikshitar’s Mayuranatham. The highlight of her concert was Kambhoji (Evarimata, Tyagaraja). She sang a leisurely alapana, investing a good part of her time for the lower and middle octaves. She built it up assiduously to the upper octave but gave it a rather tame finish. Still, it was classy.

Sai Harini is an upcoming vainika with high potential. She played a fast Natakurinji varnam with good control. As she outlined Gaula and played Dikshitar’s Mahishasura mardhini, this writer was reminded of the early years of Veena Gayathri who took the Carnatic world by storm when she was still a kid. Sai Harini has a firm grip over laya and proceeded to play kritis and swara prastaras without looking out to anyone to show her the talam. She also played some poruthams while finishing her swara passages. Amrutavarshini (Anandamruta karshini, Dikshitar) sounded an empty scale while Paramathmudu (Vagadeeswari, Tyagaraja) was melodious. Kaushik Sridhar (mridangam) was a live wire, providing enthusiastic and sensitive support while Karaikkal Jaikishan (ghatam) was a perfect foil for him. Her playing technique and her mastery over the instrument were on full view when she explored Todi with some characteristic phrases of the raga, bringing out the shades of the raga beautifully. While speed is certainly her strength, one hopes that she would know when to slow down to enhance her melodic output, as she matures as a musician. Her tanam was masterly as expected. She played Sarasijanabha (Swati Tirunal) followed by niraval and swaras, as comfortably as a vocalist would.

Looking around, one feels that young vainikas are raising the bar in the laya aspects and in overall presentation. Raga alapanas could be better but that is true of vocalists, too!

PHOTOS COURTESY: THE MUSIC ACADEMY AND 
BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT