Vocal: Ramakrishnan Murthy
Violin: Vittal Rangan
Mridangam: N.C. Bharadwaj
Kanjira: V. Krishna Kumar
01 vIribONi varNa bhairavi khaNDa aTa pachchimiriam Adiappayya
02 sAmaja varadA shuddhasAvEri rUpaka pUchi srInivAsa IyengAr
03 sUryamUrtE namOstute saurAshtra CDhruva Navagraha m.dIkshitar
04 nija marmamulanu umAbharaNa Adi tyAgarAja (A, S)
05 sArasAkSha paripAlaya kAmavarDhini ChApu swAthi thirunAL (A, S)
06 karuNA samudra nanu dEvagAndhAri Adi tyAgarAja (A, S)
07 brindAvana lOla tODi rUpaka tyAgarAja
08 shrI subrahmaNyAya namastE kAmbOdhi Adix m.dIkshitar (A, N, S, T)
09 dEvaki nandana nanda mukundana bhAgEshrI purandara dAsa
10 viruttum in bhairavi varALi nILAmbari
11 iLamarimAn nayane jAvaLi bEhAg swAti thirunAL
12 Tom Tom Tadhara pUrNachandrika tillAna Adi Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar
13 nAdi tEdi tiruppugazh bAgEshiri aruNagirinAdhar
14 nI nAma rUpamulaku mangaLa sourAshtra Adi tyAgarAja
A brilliant concert lasting a little over 3 hours 15 minutes. Ramakrishnan Murthy was in full form, voice pliant, sruti-suddha and carrying that characteristic sheen that has become his hallmark. The concert had excellent pacing, a well-thought-out selection of kritis spanning different composers and talas, and ample manodharma without ever feeling rushed or padded.
He began with the khaṇḍa aṭa tāla varṇam vīribōṇi in Bhairavi (Pacchimiriam Adiyappayya). The varṇam was rendered with clarity and good weight in the muktāyis; the unusual anubandham passages already hinted at the energy that would mark the evening.
Sāmaja varadā in Śuddhasāvēri (Rūpaka, Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar) followed, a bright and crisp piece that settled the audience nicely.
The Navagraha kriti Sūryamūrtē namōstute in Saurāṣṭra (Chaturasra Dhruva, Muthuswami Dikshitar) was taken at a measured pace; the raga’s character came through well in the limited space it was given.
The first substantial alapana of the evening was in Umābharaṇa. Ramakrishnan Murthy sketched the raga with clean phrases and a sense of architecture before presenting Tyagaraja’s Nija marmamulanu (Adi). The kriti was handled with care; the few rounds of swaras were well-knit.
Pantuvarāḷi (Kāmavardhini) alapana came next – expansive, with the characteristic oscillations and the raga’s inherent pathos brought out without exaggeration. Swathi Thirunal’s Sārasākṣa paripālaya in Chapu was the vehicle. Neraval and swara exchanges here were lively; Vittal Rangan’s replies were precise and complementary.
Devagāndhāri received a detailed alapana. The raga’s bright yet contemplative nature was explored with good phrases in the upper reaches and careful use of the characteristic prayogas. Tyagaraja’s Karuṇā samudra nanu (Adi) followed. The rendering had both bhava and technical polish; the swara kalpana, especially the concluding korvais, were tightly constructed and drew appreciative responses from the audience.
A shorter but effective Brindāvana lōla in Tōḍi (Rūpaka, Tyagaraja) served as a pleasant interlude before the main suite.
Kāmbhōji was the centrepiece. The alapana was leisurely and richly detailed – the raga’s grandeur unfolded gradually, with well-placed long phrases, imaginative sancharas around the pivotal notes, and a satisfying ascent into the tara sthayi. Vittal Rangan’s reply was equally absorbing, matching the vocalist in both depth and imagination. Dikshitar’s Śrī Subrahmaṇyāya namastē (Adi) was the chosen kriti. Neraval at the traditional place was expansive and bhava-laden; the swara kalpana that followed was vigorous, with interesting combinations and a strong sense of laya.
The tani āvartanam by N.C. Bharadwaj and V. Krishna Kumar was of high quality – well-structured, with good interplay, crisp sollus and a satisfying finale that brought the main suite to a close on a high note.
The post-tani section maintained the momentum. Purandara Dasa’s Dēvaki nandana nanda mukundana in Bhāgēśrī was rendered with feeling. A viruttam moving through Bhairavi, Varāḷi and Nīlāmbarī provided a nice ragamalika interlude. Swathi Thirunal’s iḷamarimān nayane (Jāvaḷi, Behag) was sung with the required lightness and charm. The tillana in Pūrṇacandrikā (Adi, Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar) was energetic and cleanly executed.
Arunagirinathar’s Tiruppugazh Nāḍi tēḍi in Bhāgēśrī and the customary Nī nāma rūpamulaku mangalam in Saurāṣṭra (Tyagaraja) brought the concert to a graceful close.
Vittal Rangan was an ideal accompanist throughout – attentive, imaginative in his replies, and never overpowering. N.C. Bharadwaj provided solid, intelligent support on the mridangam, rising to the occasion in the tani and in the swara passages. V. Krishna Kumar on the kanjira added colour and precision, especially in the faster passages and the tani.
Overall aesthetic: classical, unhurried, and deeply satisfying. Ramakrishnan Murthy’s command over both the kalpita and kalpana aspects was evident, and the concert never lost its sense of proportion or raga bhava. A memorable evening of high-quality music.
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