It was a showcase of styles and technique. In this second part of the report on Bharat Sangeet Utsav, here are some more highlights of the festival.
Sashwathi Prabhu’s recital, traversing many genres of music, from classical and ghazals to semi-classical, commenced with a ‘Vatapi Ganapathim’ (Hamsadhwani).
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After rendering one of singer Hariharan’s popular ghazals, her delineation of Kharaharapriya for the kriti, ‘Pakkalanilapadi’ brought out the raga’s essence. The neraval and swaras were unhurried.
This was followed by a fast-paced Sindhu Bhairavi. Shyam Benjamin (keys), Raghavasimhan (violin) and Sai Ragahvan (percussion) played with precision.
‘Sonorous’ is the term for Shashank’s flute recital. In the company of Anil Srinivasan (piano), Jayachandra Rao (mridangam) and Purushothaman (kanjira), his ‘Manavyala’ in Nalinakanti had a magical appeal. His RTP in Kaapi struck a wonderful balance between soothing melody and vigour.
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Then came ‘Krishna nee begane baro’ and ‘Theeradha vilayattuppillai’ intact with their intrinsic beauty. The concluding tillana in Dhanasree provided an extension of his ingenuity.
Brisk exposition
There was not a dull moment in Gayathri Venkatraghavan’s concert. ‘Saraseeruhasanapriye amba’ and the following ‘Kanden kali theerthen’ (Kalyani) with swaras paved the way for an unhurried exposition of Ritigowla for the kriti, ‘Dwaithamu sukhama’.
While her Khambodi alapana stood out out for its range and expression, she seemed to struggle traversing the octaves in the rendition of the kriti, ‘Kailasame Kailasanathane’. She made it up in ‘Enna thavam seidanai’.
Charumathy Raghuraman’s (violin) raga essays and swara repartees were graceful. Prasad (mridangam) and Purushothaman (kanjira) displayed exemplary control.
The vocal concert of Priya sisters, Haripriya and Shanmukhapriya showed their planning the imagination.
After a brisk opening with ‘Manasuloni’ in Hindolam with swaras, their alapana of Saveri for the kriti, ‘Muruga Muzhumadhi’ with swaras could have been rendered more aesthetically.
In their raga portrait for the kriti, ‘Sasi vadana’’, Shanmukhapriya appeared uncomfortable in the upper reaches. The concluding bhajan invoking Govinda was invested with enough bhava.
M.A.Krishnaswami (violin) was at his best in raga elaborations and swara repartees. Sai Giridhar (mridangam) and Arun Kumar (kanjira) played their roles admirably.
Prince Rama Varma’s recital on the concluding day was indeed a showcase of his vidwat and tutelage under the late M. Balamuralikrishna.
It came through in his delivery of ‘’Sarvalokadayanidhe’ (Huseini), ‘Garudagamana Rama’ (Suryakanti) and ‘Omkarakarini’ in Lavangi raga. He was accompanied by Vinu (violin) and Harikumar (mridangam).
Sandeep Narayanan’s abundant creative energy on the final day of Bharat Sangeet Utsav provided a wholesome fare.
Inspiring delivery
Endowed with a quicksilver voice, his opening ‘Sarasooda’ varnam in two speeds was an inspiring delivery and so was ‘Balasubramanyam padame thunai’ in Vishnupriya. His Kanada raga elaboration for the kriti, ‘Sarini ke galada’ and Khambodi for the kriti, ‘Evarimata’ came with imaginative phrases. The madhyamasthayi was developed with confidence and the mood was effectively sustained by the violinist Sampath. His manodharma helped him convey the nuances of the ragas.
K.V. Prasad (mridangam) and Guruprasad (kanjira) showed their way with rhythm. The amazing patterns in their thani lent an edge to the concert.