A line up of Abhishek Raghuram, Umayalpuram Sivaraman and Mysore Nagaraj is bound to be a cracker of a concert. And surely it was — in more ways than one. Veteran Sivaraman defies his age with great precision, limitless imagination and a childlike passion. But is he overselling his legacy, of which there are no two opinions, given the euphoric admiration he has had for over six decades? His body language and the huge presence are some things he may wonder if he needs to propel.
Abhishek on the other hand was happy to yield that primacy amidst his own extraordinary abilities. He was an untameable horse racing towards an undefined destination, galloping ahead of many. His raga alapana, niraval and swarams packed a lot of surprise, vocal felicity and imagination as the clock stood still. A thani for 45 minutes does that as well.
For the record, Abhishek focussed his manodharma in Pantuvarali (‘Ramanatham Bhaje Ham’), Kambhodi (‘Maa Janaki’), Sahana (‘Raghupathe Rama’) and Vasanta (‘Harihara Putram’). Abhishek’s creative juices flowed like an akshaya patra . That he doesn't like any leash is quite obvious. Positive pauses should be part of his new mix, to let the audience absorb and assimilate. Warm up and filler pieces — ‘Muddumomu’ in Suryakantam and ‘Samaja Varada’ in Sudhasaveri —get orphaned in Abhishek’s scheme of things.
Mysore Nagaraj is a treat for the clever main artists. His participation was at par with the other two as he showed excellent laya control when called upon. Sree Sundar Kumar was a good foil to Sivaraman, not overawed by the grandeur of the stage. A concert to remember, for many reasons.
