The Sri Rama Navami Music Festival at Kalpathy, Palakkad, got off to a melodious start with a pleasing vocal recital by Mavelikara Subrahmanyam. His judicious selection, drawn from a rich repertoire, imparted wholesomeness to the concert.

The initial phase, consisting of ‘Unnaiyanri,' a Tamil varnam of Lalgudi Jayaraman in Kalyani, Muthiah Bhagavathar's ‘Ganapathe sugunanidhe' in Janaranjani and Patnam Subramanya Iyer's ‘Ninnujuchi' in Saurashtram set the pace for a lively concert.

The alapana of Varali, marked by subtle sancharas, revealed the swaroopa of the raga. ‘Aetijanmamithi,' a composition of Tyagaraja, showcased the vocalist's sense of sahitya while swara combinations at the phrase ‘Saatileni' were interesting. It was heartening to see Subrahmanyam taking up raga Devamanohari. This fine melody, popular with musicians of yesteryear, is rarely heard in concerts these days. The raga delineation, followed by Mysore Vasudevachar's ‘Palukavethemira' registered well with the audience.

After a quick ‘Neevaatanegaana,' composed by Tyagaraja in Saranga, Subrahmanyam embarked on a voyage to Bhairavi. The in-depth elaboration, full of imaginative sangathis, was majestic. The rendition of Pallavi Sesha Iyer's kriti ‘Ikanannubrova,' adorned with an impressive neraval and swaraprastharas, was a testament to the artiste's good paataanthara. A moving ‘Pibare Raamarasam' in Yamunakalyani and Lalgudi's tillana in Behag were the concluding items.

Pakala Ramadas (violin) excelled in his role. His raga versions were precise and tidy. Trivandrum Balaji gave a spirited display on the mridangam.

On the second day, N.J. Nandini provided rich aural pleasure. She established an instant rapport with the listeners, right from the opening piece ‘Thulasidalamulache,' the Tyagaraja kriti in Mayamalavagoula.

After Vasudevachar's ‘Brocheva' in Kamas, Nandini took up Pantuvarali. She gave a lucid exposition of the raga, embellishing it with ‘akaaras' and ‘kaarvais.' The kriti was Tyagaraja's not-so-popular ‘Saaramegaani.'

She did full justice to Karaharapriya. Preceded by a brief thaanam, she rendered a pallavi ‘Raamaneesamaana mevaru nee samaanamevaru' in Triputa tala and capped it with well-designed swaraprastharas, revealing her good laya gnana. She too concluded with the Behag raga tillana of Lalgudi Jayaraman.

Manjoor Ranjith gave competent support on the violin. His raga essays were appealing. Guruvayur Sanoj (mridangam) and Manjoor Unnikrishnan (ghatam) acquitted themselves well.

The third and concluding day featured O.S. Thyagarajan in a scintillating concert. With stalwarts M.A. Sundareswaran (violin) and Thiruvaarur Bhakthavatsalam (mridangam) by his side, OST was at his best. He rendered mostly Tyagaraja kritis in praise of Lord Rama.

Starting with ‘Sri Raghukula' in Hamsadhwani, he moved on to ‘Sundarataradheham' in Pantuvarali, the swift kalpanaswaras providing a fine tempo. ‘Sujana Jeevana,' a gem of Tyagaraja in Kamas, acquired a rare glow in OST's presentation; the devotional flavour of the kriti was projected with great bhava.

The artiste paid his reverence to Tyagaraja by choosing ‘Dwaitamu Sukhama.' As proof of his wide repertoire, he rendered two rare kritis of Tyagaraja – ‘Adugaaradhani' in raga Manoranjani and ‘Srimaanini' in Poornashadjam.

OST's fertile manodharma was in full bloom in his expansive elaboration of Thodi. With innovative sangatis and gamakas, he presented the raga in its varied hues. His interpretation of Tyagaraja's ‘Aemijesithe' was truly classical. The phrases in the neraval and the permutations in the swaraprastharas were ingenious.

‘Vandhanamu,' a Tyagaraja kriti in Sahana, and the slokam ‘Sri Raghavam' in Anandabhairavi, followed by ‘Ramabhadra rarara' of Bhadrachala Ramadas were soaked in aesthetic nuances. The concert was rounded off with ‘Naathupai' in Madhyamavathi.

Sundareswaran's violin accompaniment was an amalgamation of tone and melody. His emphatic bowing and fingering techniques were noticeable in his solo flights.

Bhakthavatsalam's mridangam display was marked by impeccable precision and agility. His superb tani was an interesting demonstration of laya and rhythm.