Todi Sitaramayya of the 19th century is said to have sung the stately raga for eight days! With the accomplished R. Hemalatha on the violin, Sangeetha Sivakumar did full justice to the Sarvaswara gamaka varika rakti raga. Her alapana was wholesome, the voice traversing the three octaves with ease.
Tyagaraja’s majestic ‘Endhu dhaaginaado’ in a leisurely Misra Chapu was the chosen kriti. It was Musiri’s favourite. Perhaps, he liked it for its pleasing and extensive chittaiswara, sans Panchama, starting with ga-ri-ni. She sang the first charanam of the kriti, ‘Alanaadukanakakashipu’ and in the niraval and swaraprasthara, succeeded in weaving a web of charm, with her melody and stylistic nuances.
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The thani offered by K. Arun Prakash and B.S. Purushotham (ganjira) was noticeably distinct. Arun Prakash commenced with a slow-pace tisra nadai, demonstrating his solid foundation and expertise in laya. He continued in the same vein for some time before switching to chathusram. Purushotham offered an equally brilliant response.
Sangeetha’s Bilahari alapana too was vivid and the kriti was Swathi Tirunal’s ‘Smarasada Manasa.’ Swaras at ‘Garuda Thurangam’ were charming. The feather touch beats of the percussion duo made it even more attractive.
Sangeetha commenced her concert with Tyagaraja’s ‘Rama Nee Samanamevaru’ (Rupakam). Dikshitar’s Narayanagowla kriti, ‘Sri Ramam Ravikulapathi’ and Tyagaraja’s Jayamanohari piece ‘Yajnadulu’ were neat renderings. She wound up her engaging concert with Kalki’s ‘Poonguyil koovum’ (Kapi) and Andal Tiruppavai ‘Vangakkadal kadaintha.’
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