The most striking aspect at that evening’s concert was the age of all the three musicians who adorned the stage. What was even more prominent was that their understanding of music far exceeded their age. When many veteran musicians have given up values like restraint and unhurriedness, what one got from this team was exemplary. The vocal concert at Sri Rama Lalitha Kala Mandira by Ashwathnarayanan accompanied by Apoorva Krishna on the violin and Akshay Anand on the mridangam was a memorable one. The confident and mature Ashwathnarayanan, recipient of The Hindu M.S. Subbulakshmi award, has received training from the legendary K.V. Narayana Swamy and his wife Padma.
The young vocalist began his recital with Tyagaraja’s kriti in Arabhi “Nadhasudharasambilanu”. Endowed with a good voice, Ashwathnarayanan infused the kriti with power and clarity. He presented Malayamaruta expounding each note with patience and care, filling the shadava raga with immense possibilities. The young violinist Apoorva Krishna’s delineation of the raga was a reflection of her fine sense of music. The manner in which she conceived the raga and enriched the fine Malayamaruta that Ashwathnarayan had created was admirable. Ashwathnarayanan rendered the kriti “Manasa Etulo” with a conviction that was reminiscent of masters like Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar. His neraval at “Kalilo” brought forth his ability to adhere to the technicalities of music; however, from his rendition it was amply clear that skill never overshadowed the essence of his music. In Akshay Anand lies a perfect accompanist -- the manner in which he followed the neraval, providing emphasis in a way that it harmonised with the stresses of the vocal rendition was testimony. to his role as accompanist.
Ashwathnarayanan, as if it were a tribute to the legendary vocalist MS, rendered two kritis that have been made immortal by her. The lovely Annamacharya kriti in raga Lalita “Natanala Brahmyaku” and the mellow, sedate “Bhogheendra Shayinam” in Kuntalavarali raga. Without taking away the spirit of their original renditions, Ashwathnarayanan brought his own into it, like a competent musician would do.
His alapane for Simhendramadhyama was rich with ideas, Ashwathnarayanan’s voice brought out the raga bhava complemented with a chaste Carnatic idiom. In this delineation which stretched to a considerable length of time, he never sounded repetitive; it was a well thought-out and detailed piece. Apoorva added to what Ashwathnarayanan had built; in a meditative exposition, Apoorva’s flourishes had the Lalgudi touch to it – the double string effect, the subtle dissonances et al. He rendered Mysore Vasudevacharya’s kriti “Ninne Nammiti Naiya” replete with complex sangatis and the neraval at “Pannagendra Shayana” was robust, yet never lost the devotion of the kriti. A torrential swara prastara and a tani by Akshay Anand took the piece to its crescendo. Akshay’s fine artistry carries in it the glimpses of the legends of percussion, and doesn’t show the temptation of gimmickry.
The concert was indeed a treat. It seemed like one was watching the curtains go up for a new phase of promise in Carnatic music. One hopes that all the three artistes will hold on firmly to their musical values in the days to come.
