S. Mahathi’s concert proved to be a rewarding experience, more so as it was a full-length Tamil recital. ‘Vallabhai nayaka vandanam,’ a beautiful Mohana Kalyani varnam by Lalgudi Jayaraman was the opening piece and within minutes, she had succeeded in weaving a web of charm with her gifted voice.
She then crafted a dazzling Suddha Hindolam with a majestic alapana. On the violin, L. Ramakrishnan’s response was equally impressive. His aesthetic sense makes him a desirable accompanist. Subramania Bharati’s ‘Saagaa varam arulvaai’ (misra chapu) on Rama, was the chosen kriti. He entreats the Lord to grant him immortality. The swaraprastara was at ‘Nithya, nirmala.’
‘Vazhi maraitthirukkudhe’ from Gopalakrishna Bharathi’s Nandanar Charithram stood out for its imaginative rendering in an unhurried Nattakurinji.
Pleasant Madhyamavati
Madhyamavati is a raga that has a pleasant musical architecture. In the exhaustive alapana, Mahathi succeeded in weaving patterns that brought out its essence. Again, Ramakrishnan portrayed the raga superbly. Papanasam Sivan’s brilliant creation, ‘Saravana bhava guhane’, in a leisurely adi tala fitted well with the singer’s mood of improvisation. In the kalpanaswaras, she conveyed the emotive aspects of the raga through beautiful voice modulation. The swara exchanges between her and the violinist were sparkling.
N.C. Bharadwaj (mridangam) and Sai Subramaniam (morsing) struck a wonderful partnership in the thani.
Mahathi enlivened the closing phase of the concert with Bharathidasan’s ‘Isai amudhile en uyirkkili’ in Desh. She wound up the evening with her guru T.N. Seshagopalan’s thillana in raga Niroshta. Overall, a well-spent 90 minutes indeed.
