Search - Sudha Ragunathan :: Shakti: Sacred Song From Southern India

Finally! A Western Release for Sudha!

Devi Bhakta | Boston, MA USA | 11/15/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the problems with Indian music releases in the West is that -- probably because the music is generally unfamiliar to most listeners here -- record companies rely upon big names to move units.



Thus we have the undoubtedly great Ravi Shankar (now in his 80's, with much of his trademark speed and precision dispersed) still being held up as India's hottest classical musician; and for the younger crowd his daughter Anoushka, again primarily because she has a recognized name. Fair enough; they're both fine musicians and their CDs are good.



But there is much more exciting stuff happening in the world of Indian classical music nowadays -- and one of the most exciting is the work of Sudha Ragunathan.



Two notes about Sudha and her art:



(1) Though a generation younger than Shankar, she still does not really represent the "latest" crop of Indian artists. While Sudha remains youthful and vibrant in both voice and appearance, she is actually in her mid-40s, having recorded since the late '70s -- originally as an understudy and disciple of the late, renowned female vocalist Madras Lalitangi Vasanthakumari ("MLV"). In recent years, however, her voice has ripened and matured remarkably, taking on rich new dimensions -- and it only seems to be improving with time.



(2) The musical system Sudha performs within is not the more familiar North Indian Hindustani tradition of the Ravi Shankars and Ali Akbar Khans, etc.; but the generally lesser-known Carnatic classical tradition of South India.



To Western ears, both Hindustani and Carnatic music may sound -- at first listen -- simply "Indian." But in fact, the traditions are quite different in many ways, as repeated listens will gradually reveal. Very broadly, the styles reflect different historical realities: South India did not suffer under the medieval Muslim invasions like the North did. The subsequent cultural mix is thus absent: Hindustani music displays many Arabic and Persian stylistic influences; whereas Carnatic music is a somewhat "purer" reflection of the older, indigenous Hindu traditions. The other main difference is that Hindustani music is (again, broadly speaking) more improvisational, meaning the artist is primarily responsible for elaborating upon the bare bones of a raga; whereas Carnatic music (more like Western classical music) has a tradition of great composers, whom each generation of artists reinterprets anew.



Some connoisseurs, in India and elsewhere, thus conclude that Hindustani is the more elevated tradition of the two, its huge reliance on improvisation pulling greater performances out of its greatest artists. But, of course, this is not really true in any objective sense. As the Western classical tradition shows, the supposed constrictions of composed music don't stop the greatest artists from pouring their personality and signature into the music and creating truly great and original performances. Moreover, Carnatic composition is inherently more flexible in nature than Western composition, and offers the artist an even greater range of interpretational options.



In addition, Carnatic music encompasses a technique called RTP, or Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi, a method by which artists can choose a certain section of a composition, and expound upon it through a kind of systematic improvisation -- sometimes carrying the audience away on tangents of a half-hour, an hour, or more. The RTP is generally the piece-de-resistance in any Carnatic Music concert.



On this collection, a sterling set list of popular favorites (most clocking in at a not-overwhelming five or six minutes long, and selected, Sudha says in the CD booklet, to appeal to Western ears unfamiliar with the music) is followed by a spectacular 29-minute improvisational exposition on Visalakshim Vishveshim -- a hymn of praise to an auspicious form of the Hindu Divine Mother (i.e. Shakti, or Energy/Power, whence this strong collection takes its apt title).



This fine song selection, combined with Sudha's powerful and spiritually intense delivery (virtually all Carnatic songs are devotional pieces on Hindu religious themes) -- her extraordinary voice gliding effortlessly through several octaves, with mind-blowing trills and ornamentation along the way -- makes this a fine introduction to a gorgeous, millennia-old musical tradition, of which most people outside India aren't even aware.



In addition to these thoughtful decisions on artistic content, I'd add that the design of this CD is very beautiful -- a top-quality, hardcover book-style CD case (similar to top-shelf Western classical CD packaging), a lengthy booklet (in both French and English) with extensive notes and many photos of Sudha and her ensemble of musicians recording. It's nice to see an important and lovely release like this given the presentation it deserves. And happily, in these days of easy online commerce, if you like Sudha's work and want to hear more, it's a fairly simple matter to find non-Western releases in Indian mail-order CD shops across the Web. Shopping note: If you like Sudha, you'll probably like Bombay Jayashree, Nithyasree Mahadevan and Sowmya as well. Happy exploring!"

Wow!

Giordano Bruno | Wherever I am, I am. | 08/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The previous review by Devi Bhakta is ample and technical enough to have persuaded me to buy this disk. I'm thankful I did. As you'll see if you look at my other reviews, I listen most often to Baroque and Renaissance European music, with "side dishes" of jazz, contemporary classical, and folk/rock. That I love this performance of Carnatic vocal music should be a testimony in itself. In fact, I like it well enough to have loaded it in my i-pod for a looong flight. Like many things from India, this music is simultaneously soothing and exhilarating, improvisational yet deeply structured."

The best female Carnatic vocalist

Loco Sonador | California | 05/19/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was lucky enough to see Sudha at the Sawai Gandharva Music Festival in Pune India a couple of years ago. She was a stunning performer live. My favorite vocalist of the entire festival. And her CD's are great as well. Highly recommended!"