A scintillating performance!

CHENNAI: Vocalist Neyveli Santhanagopalan is a seasoned artiste and sticks to the traditional guidelines. His singing at the concert is marked by authenticity and he explodes and presents ragas, revealing his propensity to be a ‘swanubhava musician’. When I attended his concert at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, these factors got enforced. Though he is not an open-voiced communicator, yet he revels in what he reveals.He began his concert (Kanchadhalayatakshi) in Raga Kamalamanohari of Dikshitar with lilting swaras at Raga Sasivadhana around Ma – Da – Pa – Da – Pa – Ma mostly in Vilamba kalam, suiting his voice. He next took up (Sabapathikku) in Raga Abhogi in Rupaka Thalam of Gopalakrishna Bharathi. It was devoid of undue haste and unnecessary frills. It was executed with his usual grace and he communicated with abundant devotion, the nuances of Raga Jayanthasree (Marukelara O Raghava) of Thyagaraja.His exploration of Raga Kamas (Brochevarevarura) of Vasudevachariar with extensive swaras at Seethapathe was dainty.  It testified to his zest to capture the striking profile and exploit the nuancic potentiality of sampradaya contours. Raga Kamas always impresses with its frugal simplicity. Neyveli Santhanagopalan patted the sancharas to reveal its beauty and the tints of musical images, though he never took us to exhilarating Tharasthayi. When he ended with Ragam – Thanam – Pallavi in ‘Tisra-tripuda Thalam’ and took up (Peetambara Daari – Yedhukula thilaka) in Raga Kaapi, there was all round appreciation for his keen fusion of imagination and ability. On the whole, the concert was reposeful with an accent on his bani, the pattern of the presentation, revealing how spiritual conditioning imparts a high sense of musical discipline proving the dictum ‘A true musician is one who stands for its more conservative values’. H N  Baskar on the violin lent his professional support, while Padri Satish Kumar (mridangam), S V  Ramani (ghatam) were their usual self.