MadRasana set Bharat Sundar’s digital live performance within the sylvan atmosphere of Auroville, with Vittal Rangan on the violin, Praveen Sparsh on the mridangam, Chandrasekara Sharma on the ghatam, and Mani on the tambura. Bharat’s clear voice and ideal diction stood out within the live performance, which was titled ‘Swaraksharam’ or the synchrony between lyrics and swaras.

Bharat started with Balamuralikrishna’s Thodi varnam ‘Saraguna gavumu’, which has a number of swarakshara components. Lots of Muthuswami Dikshitar’s compositions additionally carry this particular function. Bharat Sundar rendered ‘Rajagopalam bhajeham’ with an intensive and fascinating swarakalpana on the road ‘Parijatha taru moolam’.

The Dhanyasi raga essay was neatly framed in ‘Meenalochana brova’ by Syama Sastri, with a succinct niraval on ‘Kamapalini bhavani’ carrying a compact swaraprastara. GNB’s ‘Nee padame gati’ in Nalinakanti was subsequent.

Effectively-structured sancharas

The night’s centrepiece was Kalyani, and the innately vibrant raga was led by way of prolonged karvais and lengthy, sruti-aligned phrases. The sancharas within the higher register have been impressively structured, with Bharat’s voice in superb type. The artiste offered an equally elegant tanam, which moved steadily throughout all segments and speeds. The pallavi set to khanda eka talam went as ‘Pallum datum padamaippaada kallum sarinigar samanamaaguma’ penned by the vocalist’s pal Madhusudanan Kalaichelvan, which interprets as ‘is singing with stunning swaraksharas as intoxicating as alcohol?’ The pallavi, niraval and swaras have been dealt with impeccably, and the second kala swaras, centered on nishadam, have been expertly interlaced to the end.

Vittal Rangan’s violin was in good sync with Bharat’s creativity, and Praveen Sparsh and Chandrasekara Sharma got here up with a vibrant thani.

The live performance closed with Bharati’s ‘Matha parasakthi’ in ragamalika, and a thillana, composed by Bharat, in Karnataka Devagandhari. Nice modifying and audio readability added sheen to the presentation.

The Chennai-based reviewer

writes on Carnatic music.