With perfect tonal control Dr. Vijayagopal's flute concert was a neat and tidy presentation.
After setting up a bright opening with Tyagaraja's ‘Giriraja Sudha' in Bangala with plain notes and good pace Vijayagopal continued with a short and medium-paced ‘Sri Saraswathi' of Muthuswamy Dikshitar in Arabhi.
The medical practitioner-flautist played the raga alapana and the kriti distinctly using the thuthakras appropriately, in the Nalinakanti raga, and the GNB composition ‘Nee Padame Gati.' V.V. Srinivasa Rao followed the intelligent swara phrases Vijayagopal employed meticulously and supported with kalpanaswaras just right for such a composition.
Majestic Darbar
‘Ramabhirama' in Darbar followed majestically in misra chapu in apt tempo for the instrument. The main raga for the evening was Nasikabhushani.
The raga exposition was brilliant except for a few weak mandara sthayi phrases. Dikshitar's ‘Sri Rama Saraswathi' was a lustrous presentation.
B. Ganapathiraman on the mridangam supported with a consistent kalapramanam followed by an energetic tani avartanam.
Brisk finger techniques complemented the fast-paced Atana kriti, ‘Anupama Gunambudhi,' in Khanda Chapu.
In the Mohana raga kriti, ‘Rara Rajeevalochana,' Vijayagopal adopted more brigas in the lower octave and gave the kriti a touch of bright ornamentation. On the contrary, V.V. Srinivasa Rao chose to give it a traditional look with no added make-up.
The swaras built on chatursra-tisra and back to chatursra pattern were innovative and Ganapathiraman met the challenges in his own style.
For the tukkada sessions, Vijayagopal chose ‘Govardhana Giridhara', Narayana Tirtha's tarangam in Darbari Kanada, using another flute for the lower octaves.
Subramania Bharati's ‘Chinnanjiru Kiliye' in ragamalika concluded the concert.
