Abhishek Raghuram handled a weighty repertoire with elan

Abhishek Raghuram sharing the stage with veteran mridangist Trichy Sankaran, violinist H.N. Bhaskar, and ghatam vidwan Chandrasekara Sharma.
| Photo Credit: RAGHUNATHAN SR

The word passion doesn’t seem enough to describe Abhishek Raghuram’s relentless pursuit of musical excellence. On any given day, his music might exude blissful melody, unravel compelling complexities, or embrace unbridled eccentricity — or a combination of these.

His concert for Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, was a celebration of the Trinity’s timeless compositions and Andal’s ‘Aazhimazhai kanna’ from Tiruppavai. Sharing the stage with violinist H.N. Bhaskar, mridangam maestro Trichy Sankaran, and Chandrasekara Sharma on the ghatam, Abhishek came up with a weighty repertoire.

A setlist featuring Darbar, Varali, and Mukhari for raga delineation is a classic one. With a kriti each by Syama Sastri and Dikshitar also in the mix, it turned out to be entrancing.

Abhishek Raghuram’s Varali was not only leisurely but also followed a less-charted course.
| Photo Credit:
RAGHUNATHAN SR

Abhishek began with a virutham ‘Naanadhedhu neeyadhedhu’ extolling Rama nama in Sahana as a prelude to the varnam ‘Karunimpa’ by Tiruvotriyur Tyagayyar. ‘Neelayatakshi’ brought out the soulful essence of Paras, and a succinct kalpanaswara section highlighted the swarakshara beauty at ‘Samagana lole’ (sa ma ga). The vaara kriti ‘Budhamasrayami’ was a topical choice, with Nattakurinji’s elegance shining through his rendition.

It was the regal charm of Darbar next up. The vakra phrases that characterise the raga and give it a striking identity were in prominent presence in the short alapana. Tyagaraja’s ‘Endundi vedalithivo’ in Misra Chapu and the swara passages at the pallavi opening provided the full spectrum of the raga.

Abhishek’s Varali ahead of ‘Aazhimazhai kanna’ was not only leisurely but also followed a less-charted course, and Bhaskar’s response retained the essence. The niraval at ‘Vaazha ulaginil peidhidaay’ eloquently conveyed Andal’s appeal to the rain god, beseeching blessings for universal prosperity. It did lead to a shower of kalpanaswaras backed by the pulsating rhythm of Sankaran. Abhishek, a laya exponent himself, relished the match-up every bit. Bhaskar and Sharma then recreated the experience in tandem.

Tyagaraja’s ‘Inthakan anandam emi’ (Bilahari-Rupakam) was contextual and a perfect follow-up, its meaning being “What else is greater bliss than this?” It continued through the song rendition, and the niraval at ‘Nee japamula vela’ was an inspired one.

Melancholic melody took over as Abhishek elaborated Mukhari, the main raga of the recital, in a natural flow. Surprisingly, he began the kriti ‘Muripemu’ by Tyagaraja without a violin prelude. The niraval was at the charanam line ‘Eeduleni malayamaruthamu che goodina kaveri’, which culminated in an extraordinary swara section with all the accompanists in their element.

The tani was an interplay between Sankaran and Chandrasekara as they wove intricate rhythmic patterns in their avartanams, leading into the kuraippu before capping off with an energetic theermanam. The recital ended with Papanasam Sivan’s ‘Karpagame’ in Madhyamavati.