A performance that left rasikas in awe

That the music of trinity is timeless is evident from the appeal it has to people, even in a mileu radically different from the days of yore. This came to my mind, when Maharajapuram Srinivasan who sang for Nungambakkam Cultural Academy, presented his keerthanas, soaked in classicism.Sustaining sruti alignment, his opening version (Pahi Pahi Bala Ganapathe) of Mazhavai Chidambara Bharati, in Raga Hamsadwani, with torrential swaras, in the company of his son Ganesh Vishwanathan, followed by Darbar Raga kriti of Thyagaraja (Yochana Kamala lochana), employing the capability of his stentorian voice was pleasing.His next rendition (Siva Siva enaradha) of Thyagaraja in Pantuvarali, revealed his capability of negotiating different sancharas. The father-son presentation of niraval at Agama Mula Nuthi and swaras in  style showcased the father’s brilliance and his son Ganesh Vishwanathan’s  willingness to follow the footsteps of his father.A remarkable Kalyana Vasantham Raga was delineated with commendable clarity, bringing out the full melodic contours of the Raga, with an emphasis on ‘Bhava’ in the Kriti (Nadhaloludai) of Thyagaraja. It drew admiration from the audience. The piece-de-resistance of the evening was the Raga Sankarabaranam (Entuku Bethela) of Thyagaraja, with arithmetically oriented exposition. It proved that he was gaining stature day-by-day, through the influence of his sampradaya training.The evergreen composition (Ragathil Siranthathu) popularised by his father, composed by musician late Cuddalore Subramanyam with lilting Ragas — Kalyani, Kambodhi, Thodi, Nattakurinji, Bhairavi, Ranjani, Simmendramadhyamam, Sankarabaranam, Saveri, Kappi, Shanmugapriya, Nilambari, Atana, Anandabhairavi, Darbar, Saranga, Bowli, Bageswari, Sama, Sindhubhairavi and Madhayamavathi was enjoyable. On the whole, the concert could have been more pleasant, had he presented it after imbibing the tonal modulations.Nagai Muralidharan (violin) with his precision touch and Mannargudi Eswaran (Mridangam) lent rhythmic cadences of a good order, while Srirangam Kannan (Morsing) provided adequate support.