Vivek Sadasivam displayed fine aptitude in raga sancharas

Vivek Sadasivam deserves compliments for his confident approach to manodharma in raga alapana and in the display of swarakalpana. While his Thodi alapana was full of grace, his swara phrases for the Kannada raga kriti with variations in nadai had zest and speed.

He began the concert with Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar’s ‘Kamalambike mamava’ in Naatai. The sahitya with a madhyama kalam in the anupallavi as well as in the multiple charanam line set the tone for a vibrant concert. The singer dressed it up with kalpanaswaras in the pallavi as well as in the phrase ‘nata raga priye.’

After a brief sketch of Kannada raga, he took up Muthuswami Dikshitar’s rarely heard creation ‘Palayamam parvatheesa’. Thoughtfully preceding it with lines from the Umamaheswara stotram, ‘Namah sivabhyam’, which states the oneness of Shiva and Parvati, he presented the kriti with the chittaswaram and appended with kalpanaswara phrases, also with interesting variations in gait.

Vivek should also be lauded for his choice of kritis for the one-hour concert. His composed rendering of Arunachala Kavirayar’s ‘Eppadi manam thunindhadho’ in Husseni with clear diction made a telling impact. A quick and neat ‘Samana rahite’, G.N. Balasubramaniam’s Saranga Tarangini composition, followed with its in-built short chittaswaram.

Expansive Thodi

In the fairly expansive elucidation of Thodi with gamaka-rich sancharas, he showed fine aptitude. In the build-up of sangatis, one could hear the clarity in phrases that are characteristic of veena playing. The niraval at the charanam line ‘Rama Sri Tyagaraja’ and the chain of kalpanaswaras had a balance of plain and briga notes and a sprinkle of rhythmic finesse.

Sandeep Ramachandran on the violin followed the kritis, swaras and the gati variations diligently. His Thodi version was crisp and snappy. G.S. Nagaraj on the mridangam picked up an enjoyable khanda nadai in the tani avartanam and presented an enjoyable session.

The concert concluded with Mayuram Viswanatha Sastri’s ‘Bharata samrajya sikhi’ in Desh. The flow of ideas and a good patantaram complimented Vivek’s performance. It is also important that he concentrates on using his voice without exploiting the capacity of its range.