In the company of Vittal Rangan, HS Sudhindra and Purushottam, RKM gave a brave concert. Brave because he was able to make a campfire with wet wood sticks in windy conditions. The Vyalikaval temple hall has whirring fans, negligible acoustic efficiency and dampening attendance. Add traffic noise and a sense of squalor. And you understand why RKM was brave.
I would not give A+ to accompanists either. Vittal tended to play long and repeat himself. Sudhindra sounded awfully loud and tinny (micasura
). But RKM dug deep into his resources like a de Villiers or Smith determined to win the match. And he did so, according to me. Disclaimer: I am a BIG fan of this young man.
Song List
1.Navaraga varna- nice round of swaras in charanam ragas
2. Samanamevaru KHP- cool tempo. Niraval at paluku paluku done with great sensitivity.
3. Smarane sukhamu - excellent raga alapana in Janaranjani.
4. Mamava Pattabhirama- what an alapana in Manirangu! It was like a rare sweet dish served in a feast. The swaras at "navaratnamantape" invoked vivid images of Thyagaraja decking up his idol with lovely flowers. There was a "dance" in the cadence of swaras. This was a masterpiece.
5. Nenarunchinanu - speed with melody. In some sections you find the Shatabdi train speeding up, but the advantage of the gradient is not lost to any wobble or noise.
6. The bimetallic brilliance of an RTP in Bhairavi and Kalyani. Some may scoff at such adventure. But I am all for it. Both RKM and Vittal showed great presence of mind and musical acumen in changing from one heavy gamaka-laden raga to the other in flashes. At the same time melody or the RKM trademark coolness was not lost. The 2 Kalai 8 beat pallavi had a purvanga: "Dasharathe karuna" and uttaranga :"payonidhe inakulatilaka". Bhairavi dressed up the first bit and Kalyani the second. And later on they changed places. Finally they played hide and seek, especially in swaras. Imagine Kali in Kolkata frolicking with Kamakshi in Kanchi. You get the idea.
Bhairavi and Kalyani shone in a solid partnership. RKM got a lot of applause during tanam, for the way he transitioned from one raga to another.
The bimetallic design works well in temperature control. That's how the concert reached and stayed at a high temperature today.
6. Shloka Narayaneeyam-Sandranandavabodha
Ragas :
Sindhu bhairavi
Hamsanandi
Jonpuri
Behag
Followed by
7.Kandu dhanyanade
8. Karunajaladhe in Nadanamakriya (madhyama shruti)
9. Navroj: Ramachandraya Janakarajaja manoharaya. . Mangalam
In closing I can say that even a great musician needs the right setting and audience to bring out his best. In limiting circumstances, a resourceful musician will cope and still deliver. That was RKM today. Vittal was sweet and sincere. However he should watch out to restrict himself in duration and not repeat phrases. Sudhindra is a seasoned artiste but was noisy today. Anyway the final feeling of satisfaction is what counts for me!