Vignesh Ishwar was at his imaginative best at his concert for Maarga

Vignesh Ishwar’s offering at Maarga was one of the most memorable experiences of the December 2025 Music Season.

Vignesh’s voice glides effortlessly at the lofty D shruti, enriched by a sensitive and mature Carnatic aesthetic and an expansive repertoire. The concert was elevated by the accompaniment — mridangam maestro Umayalpuram Sivaraman, Sayee Rakshith on the violin and B.S. Purushottam on the kanjira.

In the 250th birth anniversary year of Muthuswami Dikshitar, most musicians have featured his compositions prominently in their concerts. Vignesh opened his recital with ‘Sri nathadi gurugoho’ in Mayamalavagowla, embellishing it with an imaginative and well-crafted niraval. Sayee’s returns were marked by sensitivity and restraint. The veteran mridangist’s playing stood out for its tonal quality — its naada echoing through the new Ramakrishna Mission TAG Auditorium in T Nagar.

‘Sogasuga mridanga talamu’ in Sriranjani followed in a brisk tempo, the mridangam accompaniment creating a sense of spaciousness despite the pace. At one point, the veteran asked Vignesh to sing ‘Marubalka’ — he delivered it with striking beauty.

Vignesh’s niraval, particularly in the madhya sthayi, revealed his musical intellect. The swarakalpana that followed was equally impressive, with Sayee Rakshith’s violin weaving meaningful and well-structured patterns even at breakneck speed, matching the vocalist phrase for phrase with remarkable assurance.

Clearly moved by Sivaraman’s musicianship, Vignesh paused to remark, “At 90, he is playing the way he did 50 years ago.” Sivaraman, in turn, responded with grace, observing, “It takes a musician of Vignesh’s calibre to sing like this.”

Vignesh rendition of ‘Vadanyeshwara’ in Devagandhari was followed by the Kamboji alapana, with both Vignesh and Sayee at their imaginative best.

‘Sri subrahmanyaya namaste’ emerged as a fitting centrepiece marked by weighty phrases that perfectly matched the gravitas of the raga. The niraval at the familiar line ‘Vasavaadi sakala deva’ was developed with a steady structural sense.

Sivaraman’s dynamic choice of sollus, closely mirroring the musical flow, and his engaging interactions with the violin during the climactic swara passages — often extending beyond the vocalist’s korvai, as is his wont — heightened the concert’s appeal. The tani avartanam commenced with a brief opening round that focussed on gradually building tempo.

Sivaraman continually shaped and expanded the rhythmic architecture, his signature three-gati korvai marking the point at which the tani ascended to an altogether different plane. The shorter exchanges between Sivaraman and Purushottam leading up to the finale were especially engaging.

The post-tani session included ‘Sapasya Kousalya’ and ‘Parulanna Mata’. Both pieces were rendered with distinction.

This was a concert that seamlessly wove vidwat, imagination, and shared musical empathy.