Brought for Madhura. Ravikiran’s concert proceeded on two engines – Thyagaraj Kritis and good performance. There is an ongoing debate between the familiar and disruptive innovation in the world of Karnataka. We may not have reached a verdict, but a well sung ‘Avarimata’ in Kamboji trumps a brilliantly sung unknown song on any given day. Congratulations to Ravikiran for not being tempted by the innovation-at-price approach of his generation.
‘Narad Guruswami’ was a fine opener in the court (Thyagaraj), though the slow pace took away the real charm of the court. It is rare for a large Kalyani work to be devoid of melody and Ravikiran again reposes his faith in the beautiful Tyagaraja masterpiece, in which Durita Kala Charan offers a different perspective of the musician. He sang a catchy wacky nirval, mostly in the upper scale in ‘Bhajan Sev’, and wrapped it up in standard vocal lines.
Ravikiran’s approach to Dhanyasi Raag Alapana included subsistence and action and abandoned roller-coasters. There was a lot of rage in it. Violinist L. Ramakrishnan claimed his share in the peaceful proceedings. ‘Ni Chittamu Nishkalamu’ in Mishra Chapu by Tyagaraja seemed a perfect choice to lift up the Dhanyasi mood. Niravals and vowels are not necessary for every main or sub-main part and one felt that some young people understand this.
The singer lost his way with a blurry version of ‘Panchbutha’ (Kirnavali, Dikshitar, Khanda Ekam) which lacked conviction. Apart from Chittaswaram, perhaps a small battle of voices would have enhanced its sketch. The fast paced ‘Atukaradani’ (Thyagaraj, Manoranjanani) also did not add any value, even if it was only to break the pace. In his Kamboji Aalpan, Ravikiran gave priority to pleasantness rather than radiance of manodharam. Ramakrishnan spent about one-third of that time in weaving the raga aesthetically.
clear consistency
The ‘Avarimata Vinnavo’ was authentic and the entire lava of the Kamboji volcano was blown away. Ravikiran’s quirk in ‘Bhakta Pardhi’ in the first motion was very attractive and really wanted to live more in that moment. The vocals that followed were interesting in slow motion. In both Niraval and Swara, the faster versions were template driven. Jhonpuri has a vintage appeal of ‘Sapasya Kaushalya’ and Ravikiran sings each accompaniment with clarity and just the right emphasis. Ramakrishnan was frugal with time but generous with music. Arun Prakash was heading for a draw between the five-day Test match and the slog overs of the T20 match. His Thani had an attractive structure. Guruprasad competently supported the concert at Ghatam.
Ravikiran’s energy was consistently high. He uses his voice training as ammunition for flawless execution. Maybe they’ve gotten a few more points by sandwiching the intelligent rhythms in different choruses and vocals. The intensity of the audience, perhaps unintentionally, suffers when artists seek too much recovery time between pieces. The old masters knew exactly how to ensure a smooth flow.
The author is a classical music critic and commentator.