Vasudha Ravi’s concert was an ode to the MLV bani

Vasudha Ravi presented a well-structured concert.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Vasudha Ravi, who is adept at singing abhangs and bhajans, guided the second half of her concert with a soulful rendition of ‘Tulsidas nainan un mein siyaram’ in raga Subhapantuvarali, followed by a virutham in Sindhubhairavi reminding us of MLV bani, to which she belongs to. This was followed by a poignant presentation of ‘Karunai deivame karpagame’. 

Vasudha’s 20-plus years of training came to the fore in the way she structured her two-hour concert for Kedaram Isai Vizha and sang kritis confidently with the correct diction and intonation. 

The artiste’s akaras were adorned with oscillations that sometimes stretched a bit, with an avoidable vibrato, especially in the higher octaves. Vasudha  chose a less sung Dikshitar kriti ‘Gunijanathi nutha’ in raga Gurjari. 

J. Vaidyanathan’s mridangam was measured and accompanied the chittaswaramlike clockwork.  The main kriti for the evening was Tyagaraja’s  ‘Ravunara nilakada niku’ in Kalyani. Vasudha’s exposition of Kalyani was elaborate, both in her alapana and niraval. 

The tani avartanam featuring J. Vaidyanathan and H. Prasanna on the ghatam was simple and well-coordinated. 

Vasudha started her concert with Kothavaasal Venkatrama Iyer’s varnam in Saveri. The chowka kalam and the racy dhurita kalam were delivered with poise. This was followed by ‘Rama nannu brovara’ in Harikamboji. Vasudha’s expressive singing shows how she internalises the lyrics. For instance, in ‘Tappu panulu leka unde’, where the composer pleads to Rama for protection, saying that he didn’t indulge in any unscrupulous acts, Vasudha captured the emotions in the lyrics.  

Vasudha’s exposition of Anandabhairavi was  extensive. She sang ‘Marivere gathi’. Her soulful rendition for the evening also included Tyagaraja’s  ‘Ganamurthe’ in raga Ganamurthi. 

She concluded the concert with Lalgudi Jayaram’s thillana in Khamas. R. Raghul’s violin was clear and crisp and in sync with the singer throughout the concert.

Lathangi Sisters’ concert was dedicated to Tyagaraja

Archana and Samanvi, popularly known as the Lathangi Sisters, themed their concert on Tyagaraja kritis.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Archana and Samanvi are popularly known as the Lathangi sisters. While one has a powerful voice, the other has a melodic texture. Their presentation focussed on the compositions of Tyagaraja and avoided too much manodharma.

The artistes began with ‘Sobillu’ in raga Jaganmohini. The sisters complemented each other during the kalpanaswaras. 

They next sang ‘Koluvaiyunnade’ in Devagandhari. They brought out the poignancy in ‘Durmargachara’and were at their expressive best in theniraval at  ‘dharmaatmaka dhana dhaanyamu daivamu neevai unndaga’ .

A brisky ‘Vara raga laya’ in Chenchu Kamboji was marked by synchronised singing of the chittaswaras. A detailed exposition of Bilahari followed, where the sisters sang  ‘Dorakuna ituvandi seva’. They adopted a kalapramanathat allowed them to demonstrate the exquisite phrases of the raga. However, it was quite apparent that the sisters need more experience when it comes to manodharma. The violin accompaniment by M. Vijay was neat, and he stuck to the grammar of ragas well.

The singers concluded the concert with another Tyagaraja kriti ‘Sompaina manasutho’ in Ahiri.

Senior artistes Poongulam Subramanian and A.S. Krishnan accompanied the young sisters on the mridangam and morsing, respectively. Their accompaniment, sarvalaghus, farans, nadais and korvaisreminded one of the traditional style of playing.