Reviews
Season Reviews - Gayathri Venkataraghavan

Date : 26.12.23
Venue : The Music Academy, Madras
Artist : Gayathri Venkataraghavan
Violin : Mysore V Srikanth
Mridangam : Neyveli S Skandasubramaniyam
Ghatam : Udupi Sreedhar
By Sivapriya Krishnan
Gayathri Venkataraghavan started her concert with a
bright Sakalagraha Bala Neene in Athana,
followed by Sree Jalandhara in
Gambeeranata, a Jayachamaraja Wodeyar composition. Next in line was Marubalga, Sreeranjani in a neat
madhyamakala. The main song was Nijadasavarada
in Kalyani, one of the masterpieces of Patnam Subramania Iyer. The raga
exposition for Kalyani was elaborate, though one felt that a few Yamuna Kalyani
traces touched the Kalyani notes. With an elaborate niraval and swara
prasthara, she moved onto a ragam-tanam-pallavi in Vagadeeswari in misra Jhampa
chatusra nadai. The pallavi in srotovaha yati from arudi to arudi - Vagdevi Sree Sarade Vagadeeswari in the
purvanga and Kala rasike namaste in
the uttaranga. The ragam-tanam-pallavi was handled well with all the requisite
embellishments, though while commencing the alapana, there was a slight
meandering, with the raga not firmly taking shape initially. It wasn't until
the first few minutes had passed that the distinct flavour of Vagadeeswari
began to emerge.
He Govind He Gopala, a Surdas bhajan, followed this. The concert
concluded with a brisk Arabhimanam Vaithu
Adhari, a ragamalika which she fitted in about the last seven minutes of
the concert before the finish line. Leveraging her significant vocal range,
Gayathri demonstrates adept control and skill in her performance.
Mysore Srikanth (violin) exhibited a graceful bowing
technique and showcased intelligence in his musical expressions. He adeptly
shadows the main artist and enriches the concert with well-timed flashes and
elaborate performances. Neyveli Skandasubramaniyam (mridangam) and Udupi
Sreedhar (ghatam), skillfully managed the percussion, seamlessly complementing
the overall concert experience.
The author is a Carnatic vocalist, writer and
management professional