When Indudhar Nirodi sang “Gurucharan sharankar manuja”, instantly the rich lyrics of Bhatkande transported the mind to an introspective reverie, where only wisdom dawned with indomitable supremacy. Swarasankula Sangeetha Sabha had arranged the concert in Mysore in memory of the great teacher, Pandit Rama Rao Naik.
Raag Sohini, with its characteristic articulations in its taara saptak, perfectly matched the sentimental fervour the poet had chosen for his expressions, which the singer now fully materialised.
The virile voice unfolded scholarship and authority, and the developments evolved imaginatively, embodying the choicest delicacies of the Agra Gharana the veteran stood for.
In Khemdhwani, he placed two compositions “Kaisa sajana” and “Tum bin”. Methodical raag-visthaar evinced due considerations to proportion and balance with respect to relevant swaras, both in their individual and collective capacities. A musical whole thus evolved, deriving from polished embellishments from thaans and sargams. The thaans of milder amplitude in the introductory phases gradually gained immense magnitudes in proportion with the vistaar, freely traversing the sapthaks.
An incessant flow displayed the latitude of the singer's riyaz and sadhana, evident in “Sab singar ki” in the chotakhyal, to which he added strains of vidhuth thaans for a lasting emotional impact. If one studies his methodology in either “Jare jare” (Shankarakaran) or “Jane do mohe” (Kaphi), one will find proof of remarkable versatility and extempore. Contours the articulations assumed while expanding the raag or the spontaneously devised patterns that shaped vigorous thaans did not repeat at any phase of the badhat.
Veerabhadrayya Hiremath (harmonium) faithfully attuned himself to a vocal style, enriching the experience, and Bhimashankar Bidanur's pleasing tekas and discriminate layakaris took every care not to dilute the gravity of the veteran's vision.
Other highlights: “Bamna ek saguna vichar” (Thilakkamod-Ustad Faiz Khan) and “Bhavani dayani” (Bhairavi).
Jayashri Varadarajan sang at Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha in Mysore, accompanied by Rangashri Varadarajan (violin), G.S. Ramanujam (mridanga) and V.S. Ramesh (morsing).
A commitment to endear the listeners to the devotional content ingrained in the lyrics enlivened Patnam's “Sarasuda” (Varna-Saveri), Jayachamaraja Wodeyar's “Shri mahaganapathim” (Athana) and Vasudevacharya's “Ra ra rajivalochana” (Mohana). The audience could enjoy a perceptible difference in her full potential when she elaborated the charana, “Paramatmudu” (“Jnanamosagarada”-Purvikalyani-Thyagaraja). The intricacies involved rendered the swarakalpana interesting.
“Shri krishnam bhaja” (Thodi-Dikshithar) suffered to some extent with vocal constraints, and occasional deviations from shruthi in the higher octaves.
The violinist's imagination and extempore remained consistent throughout, and the percussionists' creative configurations in their thani avarthana deserved appreciation.
