Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 05, 2007

Music Season

The Chennai December Festival

MUSIC ACADEMY

Mellifluous voice, graceful exposition

GARIMELLA SUBRAMANIAM

Savita Narasimhan's delivery attracted the lay listener and the connoisseur.

Photos: S.R.Raghunathan and S. Thanthoni.

SHARP DEPICTION: Savita Narasimhan.

Savita Narasimhan's mellifluous voice and exquisite delivery would have struck the lay listener and the connoisseur would have savoured the contrast that she drew between suddhamadhyama and pratimadhyama ragas. The navaragamalika varnam that contains scales more subtly differentiated set the tone for the other sharper depiction. As she sang `Yenta Nerchina' next, Savita set you off on some reflection about the rather strong language of this kriti, unusual for Tyagaraja. He says: "One who has not bestowed constant thought on the right path, that is after the heart of the Lord of Lakshmi, however learned, however extensive his `kshetradanam,' pilgrimage and however great he may be, is bound to become a slave to women." (The translation is from C.Ramanujachari's `The Spiritual Heritage of Tyagaraja,' published by Ramakrishna Math.)

Another, entirely unrelated, connection to the above kriti that is set in Suddha Dhanyasi was prompted by Savita's recent twin-album that is entitled, `Dhanyasi' and comprises kritis in that raga. As you pondered over these issues, Savita had finished a beautiful ornamentation and moved onto a pratimadhyama ragam — Purvikalyani.

The vocalist sang `Paripurnakama,' unusually with the first charanam alone rather than the second, which bears Tyagaraja's signature.

`Maravairi Ramani Manju Bhashini,' in Nasikabhushani topped Tyagaraja's share of kritis for the afternoon; but not necessarily Savita's yearning for meaning in the music of other composers.

So it was first Neelakanta Sivan's `Endraikku Sivakrupai Varumo' in Mukhari. Kumara Ettendra's `Gajavadana Sammodita,' in Hanumathodi with a highly nuanced niraval of `Kartikeya Vagvilasa,' was the major composition.

`Saramaina Matalento Chaluchaluraa,' in Hamirkalyani completed the more or less alternating sequence of kritis based on melodic scales that are differentiated by the use of the flat and sharp fourth note.

Ranjani Ramakrishnan on the violin paired wonderfully with the vocalist and Erode Nagarajan on the mridangam observed diligence throughout the recital.