Kanyakumari, Amber Kannan and Vittal Rangan performing at the December Music Festival, 2022 at Sangeet Academy in Chennai | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
a. At the music festival in Kanyakumari, his illustrious disciples Amber S. Kannan and R. There were many high points with Vittal Rangan. The three violins were in three different levels of shruti – Kanyakumari in the middle level, Kannan played in the upper shruti and Vitthal Rangan in the base – blended seamlessly to provide an immersive experience to the listeners. The perfect coordination and understanding between the artistes was evident throughout the concert.
The opening song, Papanasam Sivan’s ‘Ganapatiye’ in Karharpriya was set to a rain of Kalpanaswaras by the trio. Tyagaraja’s work ‘Avarito’ in Manavati was embellished with some swaras.
The first special feature was the ‘Mallari’ which Kanyakumari established in the Khandjathi Triputa Tala composed in Gambhira Nattai. This piece is generally popular in Nagaswaram. Next, Muthuswami Dikshitar’s magnum opus, the Chaturdasa ragamalika ‘Sri Viswanatham Bhajeham’, proceeded at a leisurely pace, highlighting smooth change-overs. ‘Nenarunchara’ by Tyagaraja in raga Simhavahini brought a change of mood with its vibrancy.
Raga Dwijwanti is described in detail in Dikshitar’s ‘Cheta Sri Balakrishnam’. The vocals section saw all the three artistes giving their own touch.
‘Raghunath Nannu’ in Swara Ranjani by Puchi Srinivasa Iyengar was the prelude to Keeravani’s slow navigation. At one point, the Keeravani raga essay smoothly transitions into Brindavansaranga, indicating that the RTP was structured in dual ragas. Tanam was another feature of the concert. The pallavi ‘Lakshmi Srilakshmi Sri Mahalakshmi’ was set in the Khand Jathi Jhampa Taal. An elaborate vocal arrangement followed the pallavi.
Tani Avataram by Patri Satish Kumar on Mridangam and Udupi S Sridhar on Ghatam was marked by high energy.
The concert concluded with a Thillana in Sindhu Bhairavi composed by Kanyakumari.
Kanyakumari’s ability to train her disciples to perfection was evident in this concert. Three violins created an orchestral atmosphere. Kannan and Vittal Rangan enjoyed their parts, and it showed in their individual segments as well