If you had thought Carnatic music was too tough to crack or had felt intimidated by its raga structure, here is a good opportunity to enjoy its charm. Well-known Carnatic vocalist Charulatha Mani combines with Team Madhurima, an instrumental orchestral group from Kerala, to present Ragamalika — An Exploration of Ragas, on Saturday, January 30.
The musical evening at the Singapore Polytechnic Auditorium, presented by Mudra Cultural Society, will feature an exposition of selected popular ragas with examples from Carnatic and film music.
Charulatha Mani is a leading Carnatic music vocalist gifted with a rich, melodious voice. She holds a Master’s degree in Music from the University of Madras. Charulatha has also several film superhits in many South Indian languages to her credit.
Isai Payanam, in which Charulatha presents ragas to show off their melodic feel and innate beauty with examples from classical and film genres, was a hit Tamil television programme.
Team Madhurima, based in Thiruvananthapuram, is a popular instrumental orchestral group and has presented several concerts all over Kerala. Led by mridangam player Vypeen Satheesh, former assistant professor at the Sri Swathi Thirunal College of Music, Thiruvananathapuram, the group comprises Kaipattoor Radhakrishnan on the violin, Kottayam Unnikrishnan on the ghatam, Mahesh Mani on the tabla, Raj Pallithara on the keyboard and Dipeesh S R on rhythm pad.
Says Charulatha: “In this concert I shall seek to find beauty and joy in an eclectic selection of ragas, going over their appealing elements, making them come alive with examples from the Classical and film worlds, thereby capturing their timeless freshness.”
This exposition of raagas is the sixth major programme from Mudra which has previously brought to Singapore Kathakali, Koodiyattam, Mohiniattam and Melappadam that have been widely appreciated by art lovers.
Programme details: Ragamalika, Saturday, Jan 30, at Singapore Polytechnic Auditorium. Please contact 9450 8097 or 9339 7522 for tickets priced at $20.
