Vocalist fascinates music lovers

It is obvious that Carnatic music draws strength from spiritual motifs and an equally fascinating sangeetha. But in concerts now, artistes have the propensity to give a ‘go by’ to devotional message, packing their performances with sterile sangathis. This is  to display their vocal propensities.When vocalist Sowmya, in her concert for Narada Gana Sabha, displayed the ‘Sukham’ aspect of music, rather than displaying vocal propensities, the ‘loftiness of Carnatic music came to the fore.When she dwelt at length on (Ra Ra Mayandi) of Thyagaraja in Raga Asaveri with extensive swaras, the astuteness of the vocalist, in evoking the ‘Bhava’ came to the forefront. Her rendition of Mohana Ragam alapana, done with tonal eloquence, though not very rich with charms of melody, exhibited the ‘singing technique’ of the artiste. Her elaboration of Bhavanuta Naa Hridayamuna of Thyagaraja and rendition of swaraprastharas with ‘Sowkiam’ around ‘Pa Paa Paa Dha Pa’ ensured that there was ‘Akala Suddha’ in the use of her voice. The maturity of musical thoughts came to the fore in (Parvathi Ninnae) of Shyama Sastri in the Raga Kalgada in Rupaka Thalam, which was brought out with maturity and eloquence.She also elated audiences with ingredients of a pleasing quality in Ranjani alapana (Ranjani – Niranjani) of GN Balasubramaniam. Her rendition with niraval swaras at Kanchadalalochini reflected the clear perception of the features of the Raga’s excellence.The pieces presented next, (Annapoorne) of Dikshitar in Raga Sama and (Brova Barama) of Thyagaraja in Raga Bhahudari were praiseworthy, as they revealed her painstaking efforts to present her package with placid contents. Continuing her quest to make the recital a delightful experience for listeners, she chose Karaharapriya alapana in Ragam – Thanam and her sensitive rendition of a terse Pallavi (Harapriyae – Lalithae – Mampahi) held the audience’s attention.On the whole, the richness of her experience and her dedication to dwell on phrases with time honoured genre was a rewarding experience.The accompanying artistes – Vital Ramamurthy (violin) with his usual instrumental diction and Neyveli Narayanan (Mridangam) supported the recital successfully.