Ilaiyaraaja takes centrestage

The smooth amalgamation of Ilaiyaraaja’s music and Krithika Subrahmanian’s script was witnessed by the audience in Kamani auditorium on Thursday when Natya Tarangini organised a timeless tradition of music and melodies. Titled Swappnam, the grand operatic musical paced its journey into the hypnotic realms of the mind, a trance which left the beholders refreshed. The scale and grandeur of Swappnam was a unique first-time experience for the audiences in the national Capital.

Swappnam is a classical Bharatanatyam Dance Theatre Production, conceived and scripted by Krithika Subrahmanian who has handpicked competent classical dancers exuberating dynamism and charisma from all over India in order to perform in Swappnam along with various vocalists such as T V Gopalakrishnan, Sudha Raghunathan, Sharreth, Rajashree Pathak, Abhishek Raghuram, Bharat 

Sundar, Vasudha Ravi and Poornima Sathish who have given their voices to Isaignanis’ (Ilaiyaraaja is referred to as Isaignani which means musical genius) meticulously arranged notes in flourishing voice symphonies, ballads, soulful padams and powerful operatic overtures. It is Isaignani Ilaiyaraaja’s first ever full- length musical composition for a Classical dance production.

Instrumentalists of great virtuosity such as A K Palanivel, Embar Kannan, Rajhesh Vaidya, Palghat Sreeram and Kaarthik Raja have added layers of melody in the outstanding orchestration to match Isaignani’s vision.

Ilaiyaraaja, the music maestro said, “Swappnam — the title is so vast. It encompasses all emotions —that of children, the aged, romance, the aspirations, everything. Thiruvembavai, Thevaram, Shiva Leela conceived like the Raas Leela, Shivoham, Eppovaruvaro, all the pieces are very close to my heart.”

Trained in the pure lineage of the Tanjavur Pandanallur Bani of Bharatanatyam under the tutelage of Padmashri Dr Sudharani Raghupathi since the age of seven, Krithika has performed extensively since the age of 15 at prominent venues and festivals as a solo artist as well as in a group. A senior discipline of her Guru, she has performed lead roles in many of her guru’s productions and in her own choreography.

A renowned architect, dancer and designer, Krithika Subrahmanian, is also a reputed entrepreneur heading a group of successful companies. Her lifelong interest with all things spiritual has given her projects in dance, an enduring aesthetic and has made her work deeply meditative.

As a classical dancer of impeccable lineage, she has focused on creating the successful Na Maargam Dance Company which stands for the highest standards in performance quality.