Shades of expression

Chaitanya Brothers, Varanasi Venkateswara Sarma, Bukkapatnam Krishnamachari, tried their best to bring out nuances of Annamayya sankirtanas.

March 26, 2015 09:15 pm | Updated April 02, 2015 12:49 pm IST

Chaitanya Brothers B. Krishnamachari and M. Satyanarayana Sarma  Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

Chaitanya Brothers B. Krishnamachari and M. Satyanarayana Sarma Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

Exponents of Annamacharya sankirthanas, Varanasi Venkateswara Sarma and Bukkapatnam Krishnamachari popularly known as Chaitanya Brothers presented an impressive concert on the occasion of Annamayya Vardhanthi at Kalabharati, Visakhapatnam.

Annamayya’s compositions are replete with diverse shades of expression on several counts. His single-minded devotion to Lord Venkateswara is such that even though he occasionally took up another deity for composition of sankirthanas, they invariably concluded in praise of Lord Venkateswara.

Though the predominant undercurrent seems to be sringara , the way he lent lyrical expression to varied emotions remains unique.

Each of the compositions carries its own charm, both lyrically and musically.

The range of the thematic canvas in his compositions is so vast that it is hard to take up even representative number for a concert of one-and-half hour duration. Yet the Chaitanya Brothers attempted to to present varied hues. Being disciples of Nedunuri Krishnamurthy, the duo tried to bring out the nuances of the compositions that had endeared the kirtanas to common folk over the years.

As the session preceded their departure for another concert, they hurried through the chosen compositions.

This was evident in the way they gave straight renditions without much of raga essays or improvisations.

The knowledgeable commentary by Perala Balamurali Krishna made up for this in good measure, adding up to the overall emotive claim of the session.

The concert began with Vandeham Jagat Vallabham in raga Hamsadwani. Sakala Santhikaramu in Bahudari, Viswarupamidivo in Mukhari, Edichoochina in Sivaranjani, Bhakthi Koladi Vaade in Malyamarutham, Avadharu Raghupathi in Khamaz, Ramabhadrudu in Anandabhairavi and others formed their choice for this performance.

Mavuduri Satyanarayana Sarma on violin, Mandapaka Ravi on mridangam and A. Anand on tabla lent good support.

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