SUDHA RAGHUNATHAN AT NARADA GANA SABHA

Sudha Raghunathan's concert at Narada Gana Sabha, under the auspices of Kartik Fine Arts, was a recital where melody, sruti, laya, and the clarity of lyrics were all in place. The repertoire at the concert covered almost all the well known composers like Lalgudi Jayaraman, Thyagarja, Muthuswamy Dikshitar, Papanasam Sivan, Badrachala Ramdas, Muthaih Bhagavathar and Periasami Theeran.

Combining classical strength and zeal, Sudha Raghunathan delighted rasikas with the pleasantness and melody in her voice and the powerful flow, in co-ordination with the sruti. She started with a varnam in Ragam Nalinakanthi, Talam - Adi, composed by Lalgudi Jayaraman. 'Saramegani' in Ragam Pantuvarali, set to Adi talam, helped Sudha warm up. The unhurried approach to Dikshitar's melodious 'Chandrashekaram' in Ragam Margahindolam, set to Adi Talam was noteworthy. She scaled greater heights in Papanasam Sivan's 'Nekkurugi' in Ragam Abhogi, Talam Adhi. This song, on Lord Muruga, was sung with involvement and devotion and transported the listener to a different plane. The vocalist's exercise of the brighas and the swaras were resourceful and the mridangam accompaniment of Palladam Ravi, was elegant and precise.

Alapana in Carnatic music gains beauty when the vocalist modulates the brigha passages with discreet moderation and this was amply evident in Sudha's next kriti 'Kamalanayana' in Ragam Suruti, set to Rupaka Talam, composed by Bhadrachala Ramdas. She strove to sustain the raga's shapeliness through a moving presentation of the piece. 'Bhuvaneswariya' in Mohanakalyani, set to Adi Talam, composed by Muthaih Bhagavathar was gratifying. 'Needayaradha' in Ragam Vasantabhairavi and Talam Rupakam was a good prelude to the song 'Kaligiyunte' in Ragam Keeravani, in Adi Talam, composed by Tyagaraja. The subtleties of the ragam came to the fore through a shiny elaboration of it. The raga Alapana in the higher octaves was commendable.

The violinist Lalgudi Vijaylakshmi's interpretation was amply indicative of strict classical discipline. Palladam Ravi played a brief Tani avartanam and was sedate while playing for the song and the swaras. The simple, heart-warming lyrics in a light raga such as Mand, in the song 'Muralidhara', composed by Periasami Theeran, was a good choice for the recital. The next, an Ashtapadi 'Haririha' in Ragam Sumanesaranjani, in Chatushra Ekam talam, was also very pleasant. A Virutham in Ragam Ragamalika, preceded the scintillating rendition of the Tillana in Ragam Revathi, set to Misrachapu Talam.

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