Kalpakam Swaminathan, Chamber Concert

Kalpakam Swaminathan - L Ramakrishnan (vINai support) - Thanjavur Kumar

Chamber Concert.
7th April 2007. 5 pm

enthO prEma - suruTTi - Adi - TT (R)
srI mahAgaNapatim - aTANA -Adi - Jayachamraja Wodeyar (RS)
AnandEsvarENa - Anandabhairavi - misra cApu - MD (RS)
srI satyanArAyaNam - subha pantuvarALi - rUpakam - MD (R, Tanam)
bruhannAyakI - AndhALi - Adi - MD
venkaTAcalapatE - karnATaka kApi - Adi - MD
hATakEsvara - bilahari - rUpakam - MD (R)
srI dum durgE - srI ranjani - kaNDa Ekam - MD
narasimhA Agacca - mOhanam - misra cApu - MD (RS)
visvanAtEna - sAmanta - Adi - MD (R)
vEnkaTa saila vihArA - hamIrkalyANI - Adi - Subbaraya Sastri(R)
ganEsha kumAra - senchuruTTi - catusra Ekam - MD (R)
siddIsvarAya - nIlAmbari - misra cApu - MD (R)
dharmasamvardhanI - madhyamAvati - rUpakam - MD (R)

It was a priviledge to be part of this chamber concert, featuring one of the senior most vidushis on the vINai. Smt Swaminathan played a very inspiring concert, and was ably supported by her disciple, Sri Ramakrishnan on the second vINai and Sri Kumar on the mrudangam. All her AlApanais were crisp and showed the essential sancarams and pidis. There was no un-wanted frills or anything diluting the high level of classical music in the concert.

The concert began with a short sketch of suruTTi and the varNam. The aTANA AlApanai and the kriti were rendered beautifully with a nice round of svarams. The Anandabhairavi AlApanai began with a beautiful phrase and was elaborated nicely, to be followed by the thiruvarur pancha linga kriti. The subhapantuvarALi tAnam on the vINai was nothing less than mesmerising. All those present were indeed very touched by the tAnam. The kriti was rendered in a moving fashion. The AndhALi and karnATaka kApi pieces which came next were good.

The bilahari AlApanai was touching. The kriti, another of the thiruvarur pancha linga kritis series, was rendered well. The srI ranjani kriti which followed was rendered nicely. The main mOhanam AlApanai was very classical. The kriti was rendered with a round of svarams at the pallavi line. Sri Kumar chose to not play his tani Avarththanam and requested Smt Swaminathan to continue. The sAmanta AlApanai, a rarity by itself, and the kriti were good.

The hamIrkalyANi and the kriti, came as a surprise, as one was expecting some lighter pieces leading to the end of the concert. However, none of the pieces which followed were less-heavy. The senchuruTTi piece was amazing. The nIlAmbari AlApanai with a distinct usage of the bhAshAnga nishAdam and the kriti, yet another of the thiruvarur pancha linga kritis series, were very nice. One was expecting the concert to finish, with a short sketch of madhyamAvati, however, it was a full AlApanai and how can an AlApanai not have a kriti to follow? The kriti was rendered nicely.

If one closes one's eyes and listens to the music of Smt Swaminathan, one is bound to think beyond where one is sitting, who is playing and what the time is and all such wordly questions. It takes you to another world where there is nothing else, but good music and thats all. Probably you can call it mesmerising (or may be a better word), for the music by default makes you enjoy it and not think of anything else.