Reviews
Concert review: Mylapore Arts Academy (I)

At the 27th Music Festival of Mylapore Arts Academy, Rithvik Raja was accompanied by Shreya Devnath (violin), Praveen Sparsh (mridangam), and N
Guruprasad (ghatam).Rithvik began the
concert with the navaragamalika varnam Valachi Vacchi, which unfortunately,
didn’t quite hit the mark. The embellishments he tried didn’t sit well with the
pace, making for a rather dull start, especially when compared to a Sahana
varnam he rendered in Raga Sudha more than a year ago. That Sahana lingered in
memory well after the concert. The varnam was followed by the classic Raju
Vedala in Todi, where Shreya definitely stole the spotlight in the kalpana
swaram segment.
A much-welcomed feature in Rithvik’s concerts is the creative
space he offers to his co-artists, especially the violinists. Here too, he gave
Shreya ample opportunities, which she utilised to her fullest. She played an
alapana in Mohanam, one that wasn’t heavy with gamakas or classic phrases.
Instead, she opted for plainer notes and a distinct aesthetic. The phrases were
short and felt fresh, not necessarily following a structure, but more like
random strokes of paint making for a beautiful abstract painting. I was curious
about what composition would match this aesthetic—of course, it was Kapali. This kriti lends itself beautifully to plain notes
and is also a fitting composition to present for the Mylapore Arts Academy. It
was a great rendition, with Praveen and Guruprasad shining during the
swaras segment.
Rithvik was back in his element with Karuna Elagante in Varali, beginning from the Anupallavi. The rendition was crisp, with the swarams and neravals turning out to be an absolute delight. Rithvik's back-and-forth with Shreya was entertaining.
Next, Rithvik and Shreya presented a raga in Bhairavi, along with tanam. Praveen and Guruprasad softly accompanied them during the tanam, considerably elevating the experience. Koluvai unade was the kriti, presented in a completely slow-paced contrast to the Varali. He presented leisurely slow-speed swaras, with a mel sthayi Ri as a base note. While it’s common to refer to tani avarthanams as "firecrackers," I don't think any other adjective would suit this one. It was short and crisp. In his very first avartanam, Praveen bolted to speed, and before you knew it, the korvai had arrived. We definitely deserved to hear an elaborate one, but time constraints, I suppose, thought otherwise.
Rithvik then presented a melodious Sarvam Brahmamayam and Dikshitar's Sankarabharanam nottu Rama Janardarana, beautifully connecting it with Muttiah Bhagavatar’s nottu swaras. Even here, Shreya's violin tone added a beautiful layer to the Sankarabharanam. Rithvik ended the concert on a high note—quite literally—with the mel sthayi Ga.
Overall, it was a good concert, with Varali and Mohanam truly standing out.