The concert ‘Sangeetam Andariki Sangeetam Andaridi’ hosted at Ravindra Bharathi lived up to its name. Ranjani Sivakumar’s vocal concert didn’t appeal rasikas alone, the due focus on presentation ensured a regular listener could also appreciate the emotional and literary subtext of the various Tyagaraja and Dikshitar kritis and kirtanas. With improvisations wherever necessary, the diverse choice of compositions and styles, both familiar and rare, worked to the performers’ advantage.
The disciple of Pantula Rama began with a series of Dikshitar’s works and what better than Vatapi Ganapatim Bhaje to start it all. For every rendition, she went onto describe what’s her muse for the piece, in this case, it was the raga Hamsadhvani’s pentatonic scale (five notes per octave) and the lines that precede the words mooladhara kshetrastitham . It was a firm start to the concert that was followed by other Dikshitar compositions like Swaminatha paripalayashumam and Anandanatana prakasha , set in naata and kedaaram ragas. Her choice of compositions was governed on aspects like sound, light and dance. All along, visuals that explained the essence of the songs were a picturesque backdrop to the concert.
She chose mohana ragalapana as her main piece of the concert, Tejas Mallela’s sharp responses on the violin formed the major highlight, before she moved onto the Tyagaraja kriti Nannu palimpa nadachi vacchitivo , set in the same raga soon.
The rendition was testimony to the musician’s vocal range, as she handled the crests and troughs of the anupallavi and the charanam with reasonable ease. However, it was the elaborate interplay between kanjira and mridangam players Shivam Kumar and Burra Sriram that enhanced its musical appeal.
The tone of the concert underwent a shift then, with compositions of Surdas and Kabirdas, Hey Govind Hey Gopal and Kamalamukha Rama respectively. Hey Govind , a number that glorifies various facets of Lord Krishna presented the best of Ranjani’s abilities, her distinct style, bhakti, technical precision all laced with soul. Popular choices like Muddugare Yashoda and the mangalam (Ramachandraya) brought her back to a familiar zone that fittingly ended her concert on a high note.
