On the 23rd of November 2024, Sri Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha played host to an exceptional music concert by noted vocalist Vid. Madurai N. Sivaganesh accompanied by Vid. Keshav Mohankumar on violin, Vid. P.S. Sridhar on mridanga and Vid. V.S. Ramesh on morching.

The concert, sponsored by senior art patron Madhuri Thathachari in memory of her parents, was a testament to the vocalist’s technical brilliance and his ability to connect with the audience through his music.

The evening began with a vibrant rendition of a varnam in Abhogi ‘Evvari bodhana’ set to Aditala composed by Patnam Subramanya Iyer in which the vocalist skipped the third ettugade swara. Following this he presented Mysore Maharaja Sri Jayachamaraja Wadiyar’s ‘JAlandharam AshrayAmyaham’ in Gambhira Nata. Madhyama kAla Kalpana swaras to the tricky ‘Gambheera nAtya’ part in the charana were notable.

‘RanganAyakam bhAvaye’ by Muttuswami Deekshitar was a good presentation after which an interesting Hamsavinodini was taken for detailed rendition.

The vocalist’s elaborate exploration of the raga was commendable and Keshav’s version of the alapana on the violin was very pleasing. The chosen kriti ‘SharaNam bhava karuNAmayi’ from Sri Narayana Teerthar’s Tarangam is an excellent composition in which Bhudhevi (Mother Earth) sings the praise of Lord Vishnu and prays to him to incarnate in the world to save it from the atrocities of evil demons.

The rendition of this composition brought memories of late T.V. Shankaranarayan who sang this composition frequently. After a brief filler ‘Enta muddu’ by Sri Tyagaraja in Bindumalini, one of the major highlights of the evening came with an elaborate exploration of Simhendramadhyama.

The vocalist showcased his mastery over the alapana, many of his phrases bringing memory of his guru TNS frequently. While the audience expected a grand composition in Adi Vilamba or Mishra Chapu after the detailed raga elaboration, a Madhyama kala kriti ‘Neekenduku dayarAdu rAma’ in a somewhat speedy rendition seemed a bit unproportionate though the neraval at ‘DharaNijA RamaNa varamiyavayya’ from charana followed by intricate swara patterns was quite satisfactory.

Vagadheeshwari was satisfying wherein Sivaganesh navigated the nuisances of the raga, creating a poignant atmosphere.

Sri Tyagaraja’s ‘ParamAtmudu’, the other main item of the evening was meditative with another neraval at the charana ‘GaganAnila tEjO’ and grand kalpana swaras.

P.S. Sridhar’s rhythmic support on the mridanga with V.S. Ramesh on the morching was impactful particularly during the taniyavartanam that followed this composition. Other inclusions in the concert were ‘KangaLidyatakO kAvEri rangana’ by Sripadarayaru tuned surprisingly in Todi and the concluding ‘Muruga ulandavan’ in Behag.

—Dr. Padmavathi Narasimhan