P. Unnikrishnan | Ragamalika
7m 44s
Recorded at Darbar Festival 2011, on 22nd April, at the Phoenix Theatre, Leicester.
Musicians :
- P. Unnikrishnan (vocal)
- Jyotsna Srikanth (violin)
- Bangalore Praveen (mridangam)
- RN Prakash (ghatam)
- Priya Prakash (tanpura)
Ragamalika, Composition by Agastyar (1500 B.C. - 500 B.C.)
Ragas: Senchurutti, Punnagavarali, Nadanamakriya and Sindhubhairavi
‘Srichakraraja Simhasaneshwari’ is a famous composition by Agastyar (sage from Vedic period dating back to 1500 B.C. – 500 B.C.). The lyrics are in Sanskrit and Tamil and the song comprises of ragas Senchurutti, Punnagavarali, Nadanamakriya and Sindhubhairavi. There are four paragraphs in this song that are respectively set to the aforementioned ragas.
P. Unnikrishnan opens this stunning piece with a sedate strain, building it up with unhurried and elaborate embellishments. Focusing on the lyrical beauty and elegance of the ragas, he takes the dynamics of this piece higher with beguiling sangatis (combinations) and detailed niravals (melodic expansion of lyrics).
Jyotsna Srikanth brings in sustained and competent support to the vocals and a great value addition to the composition. The percussion duo – Bangalore Praveen (mridangam) and RN Prakash (ghatam), provide a rich rhythmic accompaniment to the piece.