What made Sangita Kalanidhi-designate R.K. Shriramkumar’s concert special?

Some concerts resonate beyond music, shaped arsenic overmuch by lived journeys arsenic by the notes that unfold connected stage. For Amritha Murali, her recital astatine The Music Academy was 1 specified defining moment. She took the dais with violinist and Sangita Kalanidhi-designate R.K. Shriramkumar, her mentor of implicit 2 decades.

That this important performance fell connected a Thursday and opened with Dikshitar’s guru-vaara kriti ‘Bruhaspathe’ successful Ataṇa, acceptable to Tisra Triputa, lent the evening a consciousness of inevitability. Amritha’s spontaneous acknowledgement of the day’s significance, shared aft the song, heightened the moment.

Senior percussionists N. Manoj Siva (mridangam) and C.P. Vyasavittala (kanjira) completed the ensemble, embellishing the recital with their expertise.

Amritha continued with Tyagaraja’s uncommon Sanskrit kriti ‘Mamava satatam’ successful Jaganmohini. After rendering the song, built astir vocatives and steeped successful poetic beauty, she capped it with swarakalpana successful 2 speeds.

Well-spaced phrases, flowering with the raga’s diagnostic gamakas and suffused with a pleading tone, marked the Anandabhairavi alapana. There was small hint of the astonishment successful store arsenic Shriramkumar completed his solo turn. When Amritha began ‘Nee samana deivamu’ successful Rupakam — a creation connected Kamalamba seldom heard before, offered successful spot of the listed kriti ‘Marivere’ — it evoked Syama Sastri’s lyrical benignant and gait. The suspense deepened arsenic she embarked connected niraval astatine the pallavi opening, each operation brimming with melodic allure. The ensuing swara exchanges successful 2nd velocity shimmered with cleanable accord, carrying the kriti to a vibrant close. Amritha revealed the composer — Shriramkumar.

The celebrated shloka ‘Kasturi tilakam’ from Krishnakarnamrutam, was sung arsenic a prelude to Dikshitar’s ‘Chetasri balakrishnam’ successful Dwijawanti-Rupakam, bringing retired the raga’s immersive quality. A brief, saccharine violin reprise flowed into the kriti, and Amritha’s rendition underscored its languid grace. Tyagaraja’s ‘Patti viduva radu’ successful Manjari followed, mounting the signifier for much elaborate explorations.

The main suite was Kamboji, and Amritha began the raga alapana connected a serene enactment successful madhya sthayi, unfurling its contours done absorbing, gamaka-laden phrases and looping movements. Dwelling successful the precocious register, she punctuated it with nimble forays. The violin effort added its ain measurement of charm. A 3rd Dikshitar kriti emerged — the comparatively uncommon ‘Sri valmikalingam’ successful Khanda Ata tala.

After rendering the kriti with elan, Amritha presented a niraval connected the charanam enactment ‘Shankaram somakulambika amboja madhukaram’. The operation carries the raga mudra and portrays Shankara arsenic the honey-bee to the lotus, Goddess Somakulambika. Well-nuanced swara exchanges past gave mode to the rhythm-rangers Manoj and Vyasavittala, who revelled successful exploring the uncommon tala arithmetic. Showcasing versatility and clarity, they wove engaging patterns done their dialogue, culminating successful a lively korvai.

Amritha unveiled different caller creation by Shriramkumar — a pallavi successful Kapi, acceptable to Misra Triputa (Chatusra nadai) successful 2 kalai, erstwhile again connected Kamalambika. After little delineations of the ragam and tanam that evoked Kapi’s karuna rasa, she took up the pallavi ‘Karunatmika pinakadhara priya maam paathu sarvada — kamalambika’, meaning “May Kamalambika — the embodiment of compassion and beloved consort of the bow-bearing Shiva — support maine astatine each times.”

Notably, the raga mudra is derived from the last syllable of ‘karunatmika’ and the opening of ‘pinakadhara’. The karuna rasa, intrinsic to Kapi, further resonates with the opening epithet ‘karunatmika’. Equally striking successful the rendition was the ragamalika segment, thoughtfully aligned to the taxable and tradition. Highlighting the chiseled handling of Kapi successful the Tyagaraja and Dikshitar paramparas, it traversed ragas sharing the sanction but differing successful melodic individuality — moving from Kapi to Devakriya, Saraswati Manohari, Kalavati and Ritigowla.

The well-ideated performance befitting the juncture concluded with a Thayumanavar verse successful ragamalika virutham, followed by the opus ‘Angai kodumalar’ successful Chenchurutti and Nadanamakriya and the Thiruppugazh ‘Kumaragurupara’ (Ragamalika-Misra Chapu).