Endowed with a mellifluous voice with an amazing range, Savitha Sreeram presented a breathtaking vocal concert at Tharekkad, Palakkad. Her proficiency in ‘Nama Sankeertana’ was an added advantage for her to unfold the devotional content of her renditions.
The opening items, the varnam ‘Maathe Malayadhwajan’ (Khamas, Muthiah Bhagavathar), ‘Swaminatha Paripaalaya’ (Natta, Muthuswamy Dikshitar) and ‘Thappagaane vachhuna’ (Sudha Bangaala, Tyagaraja) proved to be a strong foundation for the concert. Beautifully designed akaaras coupled with orthodox sancharas marked the alapana of Poorvikalyani.
‘Tunai Purindarul’ (Varamu, Papanasam Sivan) was followed by a scintillating delineation of Keeravani. With her subtle voice modulations, she could capture the melodic niceties of the raga. That she is comfortable in the thara sthayi was evident in her effortless movements.
Selecting the less–heard kriti of Patnam Subramanya Iyer ‘Varamulosagi’, she sparkled in the niraval at ‘Paramadaya’, thanks to the superb prayogas and phrasings. Savita gave full vent to her vast manodharma in her ingenious elucidation of Kamboji, the main raga of the concert. After such a grand elaboration, Tyagaraja’s popular classic ‘Evarimaata’ was on expected lines. Here too, she presented a lucid niraval at the charanam ‘Bhaktha paradheenutanuchu’. Her creative skills came to the fore not only in the niraval but also in the innovative swara combinations.
The abhangs ‘Abheera Gulaala’ in Mohanam and ‘Roopatuje Deva’ (Ragamalika) exuded charm. One expected a few more abhangs from the vocalist, given that she is a specialist in the genre. The concluding thillana, ‘Tom Tanana Dhirana’ in Hamsanandhi, well-composed by Srimushnam Raja Rao, was notable for its enchanting laya phrases.
Karaikal Venkatasubramaniam’s superb accompaniment on the violin was a true reflection of his guru violin maestro T.N. Krishnan’s style. M.S. Venkatasubramaniam was equally good on the mridangam. Gopi Nadalaya (morsing) rose to the occasion with his resonant display. Their crisp tani in Adi tala after the Kamboji kriti was greeted with a well-deserved applause.
The concert was organised by Palghat Fine Arts Society.
