A Heart-Melting Performance: Vidushi Suguna Varadachari at MITHAS (Boston)

Vidushi Suguna Varadachari
May 21, 2016, Killian Hall, MIT
Shri RK Shriram Kumar (Violin) and Shri Arun Prakash (Mridangam)
Accompanying Vocalist: Ahi Ajayan

I had heard of Vidushi Suguna Varadachari's reputation as a torchbearer of the Musiri bani and a renowned guru, but had never heard her singing live until last week at MITHAS. Mami, accompanied by the time tested duo of Shri RK Sriram Kumar on the violin and Shri Arun Prakash on the mridangam, and her student Ahi Ajayan as accompanying vocalist, gave a grand and truly soul stirring performance at MIT's Killian Hall that truly melted one's heart, much like her famed guru of yesteryears was wont to do.

The concert began with a shlokam followed by Samugamu, Vadivelu's ata tala varnam in Nattai, studded with the intricate charana swara patterns typical of the Thanjavur Quartet's composing style.  A tantalizingly short, thrilling sketch of Varali was the prelude to a rare Muthuswami Dikshitar composition, lambodarAya namaste, laced with a quickfire set of kalpana swarams. Sukhi evvaro in Kanada followed, a very refreshing and delightfully different pAtAntharam from the ones I have personally heard earlier.

Looking back, I will remember this concert for what came next: the best rendition of Sama I have ever heard live, starting with classical pidis, and oozing with the essence of the raga. Honorable mention to Shri RKS’s reply here - to follow Mami's Sama cannot have been easy, yet he came up with inspiring explorations of his own that had Mami nodding appreciatively.  The kriti, Maravakave O Manasa, an old favourite of Musiri, had a beautiful neraval brimming with emotion.  There is just something about the neraval of the Musiri bani that is so distinct and delightful. You had to be there to hear the oohs and ahas and sabashes from the audience and from Shri RKS/Arun Prakash, phrase after phrase.  What an experience!

After a brief interlude in Hamir Kalyani singing a Tamil kriti of Gopalakrishna Bharati, "Edo Theriyamal Pochude", Mami launched into Muthuswami Dikshitar's magnum opus chaturdasha (14-) ragamalika, Shri Vishwanatham Bhajeham. The Musiri school's rendition of this kriti is what I'd call more "orthodox" than the popular ML Vasanthakumari version. I particularly recall a wonderful downward sweeping jaru in Bhairavam that left me breathless and wanting more. The main piece was a grand Kamboji, and here both Mami and Shri RKS excelled themselves, phrase after phrase of Kamboji fired off like sixes from Kohli's bat. Ahi Ajayan, Mami's student, sang a creditable cameo of an alapana.  She has good shruthi suddham and I was impressed with her sincere and full throated rendition of Kamboji akaras in the thara sthayi, complementing Mami's reach in the lower octave. The magnum opus of Veena Kuppier, Koniyadina Napai, came alive as both Mami and Ahi sang sangathi after sangathi in full force followed by a neraval at "Ninnu Minchina", taking the audience to a different world. Have to mention Shri Arun Prakash's thani avarthanam for this piece, which included some out of the world delectable phrases, never failing to keep the audience guessing as to the take off and landing points.

Mami established Natakapriya superbly with a mischievous flash that was neither Kharaharapriya nor Thodi. The ragam thanam pallavi was another rare treat, "Idi Samayamu Brovarada Yadukulatilaka Natana Natakapriya Neeku", echoing Mysore Vasudevacharya's classic composition, and including the raga mudra in the second line, set to Mishra Jathi Triputa Tala in Khanda Nadai. Special mention of the interesting garland of ragamalika swaras, all in "Priya" melakartas: Natakapriya, Gayakapriya Rishabhapriya, Kharaharapriya with Rasikapriya to top off.

What followed were two sublime pieces of the Musiri school: Manju Nigar, a favourite kavadi chindu of this school, and Pahi Ramachandra, a moving ode by Shri Thyagaraja in Yadukula Kamboji. These and the Sama would be my pick of the concert - what a treat! The audience was spellbound listening to every curve and nuance. At a point it felt like Musiri Iyerval's spirit had been invoked and was in the room.

An awesome viruttam in Paras, Ananda Bhairavi, Dhanyasi, Sahana and
Shanmukhapriya, followed by a kriti in Shanmukhapriya, were topped off with Shri TK Govinda Rao's Gambheeravani Thillana and the Mangalam to conclude this rare treat of a concert for Boston area music lovers. Overall, probably one of the best MITHAS concerts I have ever been to and am glad I didn't miss this one!

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