Buried beneath the dust of centuries, the works of Tallapakkam Annamacharya would have been lost to generations of scholars, musicians and rasikas, but for the chance discovery of a hidden chamber within the Tirumala temple precincts. Within, was a treasure trove of copper-plate inscriptions. Running into the thousands, these amounted to only a fraction of the composer’s prodigious literary output; but they sufficed to throw light on the remarkable creativity of an individual who lived in perpetual Vishnu consciousness. Regarded as ‘toli telugu vaggeyakara’ (the first Telugu composer) and as an incarnation of the sword of Lord Vishnu (Nandaka), Annamacharya composed on a vast variety of themes .
His works are the inheritance of not just the people of the Telugu heartland, but are cherished by all music lovers. And yet, when rendered by artistes whose interpretations are fragrant with native flavour their impact on the listener is magnified several fold. It was this element that held listeners captive at the Annamaiyya keertanalu recital by the Chaitanya brothers — Varanasi Venkateshwara Sarma and Bukkapatnam Krishnamacharyulu —under the auspices of Lalitha Kala Vedika at the Andhra Mahila Sabha auditorium.
Rhythmic permutations
The stage was set for a brisk start with ‘Vandeham Jagath Vallabham’ (Hamsadhwani). However, it was ‘Vade Venkatadri’ (Vasantha) which really set the ball rolling, with its dynamics combining the raga’s invigorating air with catchy rhythmic permutations. Among the sankirthanas were those tuned by the vocalists’ guru, vidwan Nedunuri Krishnamurthy.
‘Sakala Shantikaramu’ (Bahudari) radiated serenity through melodic highlights. ‘Anurenu Paripoornamaina Roopamu’ (Shanmukhapriya) strongly grounded in solid pidis, carried conviction. With disarming simplicity, ‘Telisithe Mokshamu, Teliyakunna Bandhamu’ (If you know, (you attain) salvation. If you don’t (you get) attachment) summed up the philosophy of saranagati in a nutshell. The lilt of ‘Ithadokkade Sarveshwarudu’ (Mohanam) and ‘Talapulonane’ (Arabhi) and the folksy gait of ‘Ramachandrudithadu’ charmed.
The artistes packed a powerful punch in ‘Phaala Netra Anala’ celebrating the attributes of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha (Bhimpalas), the kriti being a hub of dramatic sangatis, accentuated by the surge of a vigorous khanda nadai. In effective contrast, ‘Emani Pogaduthume’ (Bhimpalas) soothed.
The vocalists’ self-forgetful immersion in the sahitya, steering clear of pada chedam and their renditions steeped in the inner meaning of the compositions, added an appreciable dimension to their presentation.
Accompanists — Chakrapani (violin), Yedu Kondalu (mridangam) and S. Anand (tabla) — lent flavour to the kritis through their melodic and percussive interludes.