Camouflaged in soft felicity of expression, the vocal recital of Rathipriya, disciple of vidushi Vedavalli, was featured by Amrithavarshini Fine Arts, at Hotel Midland Residency, on the Perur Main Road, Coimbatore.
The concert began with ‘Neranammi,’ the Kaanada varnam, in two speeds and progressed with ‘Ganapathiye Karunanidhiye’ in Kharaharapriya, sprinkled with swaras.
Her Begada enunciation for the composition, ‘Sankarineeve,’ revealed her ability for voice control in the upper reaches at the madhyama, panchama and in the brigha-oriented passages. Both the elaboration of the raga and the kriti brimmed with an emotional appeal.
Rathipriya’s Varali version for the kriti, ‘Karunajootavamma’ was majestic. Her involvement in the oeuvres of this composition lent extra slant to the aural experience. ‘Bodhendrasayinam’ (Anandabhairavi) and ‘Etavunara’ (Kalyani) highlighted the scintillating allure of the ragas in the manner in which it was rendered by the vocalist. ‘Kannathandri Naapai’ was a faithful version of the bard’s emotional appeal to Lord Rama not to leave him in the lurch at any cost.
Sriranjani’s violin accompaniment was wholesome. Guru Raghavendra (mridangam) was scrupulous in his percussive support though his beats were a little jarring.
Despite the vocalist’s homework and presentation skills, the recital lacked melody and harmony.