Sowmya began her concert at The Music Academy by announcing that she was dedicating the kutcheri to her illustrious guru Dr. S. Ramanathan, on his centenary year, through ragas and kritis popularised by him and which were close to his heart. So the start was with a varnam in Poornachandrika composed by Dr. Ramanathan in praise of Saint Tyagaraja. The composer’s mastery over the laya and swaras were evident in this unique creation.
The next piece ‘Varalandu Kommani’ was a rare one in raga Gurjari by Tyagaraja . Here, the speciality was the swaraprasthara by Sowmya and the various combinations of ma, pa and da. Nayaki was briefly outlined with a lot of stress on the phrases. The sober composition was Tyagaraja’s ‘Kanugonu Sowkyamu’. Contrastingly came, ‘Varanarada’ the brisk one of the same composer in raga Vijayashri. The swara kalpana seemed like a roller-coaster with breathtaking niraval on ‘Prakadambuga’.
Sowmya’s relaxed Bilahari alapana and the popular ‘Dorakuna Ituvanti’ with many sangatis on the pallavi augured well. The detailed niraval on ‘Ramabrahma Tanayudu’ showcased the nuances of the raga. The swaraprasthara was done with well-defined combinations. The piece-de-resistance was the brilliant RTP in Thodi set in Anga Talam with 24 aksharas. Sowmya named it Guru Pada. She chose the pallavi ‘Nin Malaradi Inai Thunaiye’ and executed it with remarkable laya control accompanied by long-winding but attractive swaraprasthara.
The other captivating numbers were ‘Yarukkuthan Theriyum’ in Deva Manohari by Gopalakrishna Bharati, ‘Sri Guruna Palithosmi’ by Dikshitar in raga Padi and ‘Bhooloka Kumari’ in Bhimplas by Bharati.
Charumathi Raghuraman (violin) showed outstanding grasping power and responded to Sowmya’s expressions with equal intensity. She bristled with energy in all swara segments, matching the vocalist's speed. Neyveli Narayanan and H. Prasanna on percussion bolstered the concert’s quality.
A rich tribute indeed!
