Shraddha presented an appealing Kiravani

Shraddha Ravindran’s solo violin recital for Kala Prashala on Facebook was quite impressive. Her opening piece, ‘Sri Saraswathi’ in sprightly Arabhi (Dikshitar—rupakam), was a serene rendition. The swift swaraprastara at the pallavi enhanced the appeal of the thematic concert presented as part of Vasant Panchami.

Shraddha learnt from Radha Sundaresan and Sembanarkoil S.R.D. Vaidyanathan. The young violinist is presently training under veteran A. Kanyakumari. The marked vocal style, the effective gamakas, the extended bowing, and lyrical familiarity — all hallmarks of Kanyakumari — were reflected in her performance.

Surfeit of swaras

In Syama Sastri’s Bhairavi swarajati on Kamakshi, Shraddha played both the swara and sahitya segments clearly, bringing out the distinctive aspects. A neat elucidation of raga Mohana Kalyani preceded Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar’s ‘Bhuvaneswariya’. A string of swift kalpanaswaras at the pallavi brought out the essence of this charming raga.

The central piece of the concert was Papanasam Sivan’s ‘Devi neeye thunai’ in Kiravani, themed on Devi. With an exhaustive alapana, Shraddha brought out the beauty of the raga in every phrase. There was a plethora of sangathis in the niraval and the swaraprastara was at charanam, ‘Malayadhwajan maadhavame’.

Madurai Srinivasan’s ‘Karunai deivame’ on Mylai Karpagambal, and Purandaradasa’s ‘Venkatachala nilayam’, both in raga Sindhu Bhairavi, were the tailenders. The latter was played on request from a Facebook rasika.

I was a bit sceptical at the beginning of the solo concert, as the young violinist was going to perform without any accompaniment. But she proved her mettle with a versatile presentation.

The Chennai-based reviewer specialises in Carnatic music.