Nuanced performance

Vocalist Duddu Radhika impressed with her swarakalpana and graceful neravals.

Duddu Radhika Photo:CV.Subrahmanyam

Hyderabad-based vocalist Duddu Radhika presented an impressive concert under the aegis of Visakha Music Academy recently at Kalabharati Visakhapatnam. A disciple of Saraswathi Vidyardhi and Indira Kameswara Rao, she honed her skills under the tutelage of D Raghavachari of renowned Hyderbad Brothers duo. A streak of his influence was discernable in her performance. A penchant for swarakalpana turned out to be the hallmark of her performance. She displayed a remarkable talent in execution of swara sallies. It was quite taut and precise in its measured template.

She warmed up the session with Bhairavi Raga Ata tala varnam Viriboni of Pachhimiriyam Adi Appayyar and followed it up with Raghunayaka of Thyagaraja in raga Hamsadhwani. The appeal of the concert owes much to the choice of compositions and ragas. She sought to present the compositions of different vaggeyakaras in a given slot. It was, in a way, reflective of her good repertoire. That she was mindful of the lyrical nuances in their emotive appeal and musical imperatives of rendition in terms of raga bhava was quite evident all through. Gopalaka pahimam anisam of Swathi Thirunal in raga Revagupthi and Palimpa Ravadelara by Pallavi Gopala Iyer in Aarabhi accelerated the tempo of the session.

A clipped but cute elaboration of raga Purvikalyani for

Ninuvina of Shyama Sastry was elegant with graceful neraval at the line ‘

parama yoguluku ’ and good swarakalpana. Her choice for detailed delineation was raga Sankarabharanam for

Enduku peddalavale of Thyagaraja. While explorative raga essay unfolded the stately profile of raga Sankarabharanam, charming neraval at ‘

Vedasastra tatwa ’ brought out its lyrical import in vivid manner and a brilliant swarakalpana lent a definitive edge to its presentation.

Emitiki dayaradu of Ramadasu in Anandabhairavi and

Natanala bhramayaku of Annamayya in Lalitha and other numbers delighted.

Durga Bhavani on violin, S Subrahmanyam on mridangam and G Venkatesh on morsing lent good support.