Ever heard of a Vocal Trio, in Carnatic Music? A news was being heard among the musical aficionados since two months. Dual performances are not rare. But three vocalists performing in unison was never heard of.
The cousins, Baby Sreeram, Sharmila and Santhala performed a Vocal Trio at Trichur on March 3rd 2023. The concert was held under the aegis of Sree Tyagabrahma Sabha, Trichur. The trio were accompanied by Vayala Rajendran on the violin, Dr K Jayakrishnan on the mridangam and Aluva Rajesh on the ghatam.
The concert kick started with the famous varnam “Sarasijanabha” in Kamboji, set to Ata Talam. The rarely heard kriti of Dikshitar “Ganarajendra Rakshitoham” in Arabhi was crafted with intricate nuances in swara singing.
The Kritis “Sri Kanchi Nayike” a composition by Annaswami Sastri, in Asaveri, “Vadarasane” a kriti in Poorvi Kalyani, composed by Walajapet Venkatramana Bhagavathar, were rendered in gay abandon. The swaras in the Poorvi Kalyani kriti, rendered by Baby Sreeram was intriguing, emulating the TRS style of swara singing.
After a crisp rendition of “Aparadhamu” in Darbar, a kriti of Tyagaraja set to Khanda Chappu, the trio was all set for the main composition. The kriti “Brovumu anine” by Shyama Sastri was the highlight of the concert. The synchronisation of the “thrayam” in rendering of raga, niraval and swara singing was the hallmark of the concert. The main kriti was followed by a finely organised Tani by Dr K Jayakrishnan and Aluva Rajesh. Vayala Rajendran provided excellent support to the vocalists through his aptly crafted playing of the violin.
To sum up, the concert was well organised, though all the three sing in different sruthis. The synchronisation and the distribution of singing were very good. The only point one would have noted was the slight slips in the Sruthi.
Uniting three different timbre of tones is not an easy task. The trio were able to maintain the tempo throughout the concert. The Kalapramanam was observed excellently well.
Though the depth in the voice of the trio were different, the unison in their singing was commendable.
Finally, the mellifluous voice of Santhala stood apart from the others.
narayanan.desamangalam 