Reviews
Season Reviews - Ramakrishnan Murthy

Ramakrishnan Murthy @ Bramha Gana Sabha
By
Musical Musings
The morning concert on
Christmas saw a packed house at the TAG Dakshnamoorthy Hall for Ramakrishnan
Murthy, full of energy and anticipation.
Ramakrishnan Murthy,
accompanied by Vittal Rangan on the violin and Anantha R Krishnan on the
mridangam were an impressive team.
They began with a brisk Ra Rama inti daka, which provided the perfect start to what turned
out to be a blockbuster concert. It was a simple rendition at the right pace,
yet it struck a chord as Ramakrishnan Murthy
Sree Ramam Ravikula was a masterclass in Narayana Gaula, keeping
the audience enthralled throughout. The kalpanaswarams were quick-paced and had
many patterns, but neither he nor Vittal Rangan let that affect the leisurely
gait of Narayana Goula.
Following this was
Gaula. Amongst the five pancharatnas of Tyagaraja, Dudukkugala has always been overshadowed by the popularity of the
others. And even during the aradhana, what brought joy was the vibe of singing
together and the ambience. But when Ramakrishnan Murthy presented it here, one
could pay more attention to the Gaula in the kriti. The slight variations,
improvisations, and pauses (he chose the perfect places) made you see the kriti
in a way you hadn't seen
before.
The begada he presented
for his main was unique; He did not emphasise the madhyamam – considered iconic
to the identity of Begada; a novel approach. Despite this, he managed to set up
a Begada beautifully and convincingly. In Kadai
kann, he explored niraval to the fullest. The tani avartanam by Anantha R
Krishnan was crackling with intricacies.
Next up was the popular Nagumomu in Abheri, an enjoyable
rendition. Ragam-tanam-pallavi in Simhendramadyamam followed. Alapana then
shifted to Nagaswaravali and Vagadeeshwari. The ragamalika tanam too was
excellent, both by Ramakrishnan Murthy and Vittal Rangan. The pallavi - Koniyada taramaa Rama nee mahima. After
short niravals, we were treated to ragamalika swaras in the choicest of ragas -
Nattakurinji, Nalinakanti and Kapi. He then sang the pallavi again, but now in
Sindubhairavi and gradually transitioned to Ramanai
Taruvai in the same raga. The piece beautifully describes Vishwamitra
requesting King Dasarata to send his sons with him. He then presented Barathiyar's
popular poem Suttum Vizhi Chudar. The
emotion, lyrics and his voice together melted hearts.
The moment of the concert was when Ramakrishnan Murthy was visibly trying to decide what to sing next, and a member of the audience requested Jingle Bells! Keeping up with the Christmas spirit, he joyfully sang a few lines with the audience singing along. After a sparkling Chenchurutti tillana, he ended with mangalam.
pc: Rajappane Raju