Bharateeya Kala Samithi of Alakapuri celebrated the 250th Thyagaraja Jayanthi clubbing it with its own 16th annual festival.
On the inaugural evening, the Samithi honored noted musicologist Komanduri Seshadri with the title ‘Sangeetha Bharati’. This was followed by a grand violin concert by his son Ananthasouri Rajan and grandson K Jayaram. The team was accompanied by K Srinivas on mridangam and T P Balasaubramanyam on ghatam.
The concert started with Saveri varnam, Adi talam and followed it with Thyagaraja’s Sobhillu Saptaswara in Jaganmohini, Roopaka talam. Later they played Telisi Rama Chintanatho in Poornachandrika. Main item was a popular number of Thyagaraja Nagumomu Ganaleni in Abheri, a brilliant composition that was presented with same vocal spirit on violins. The swaras were presented in ragamalika format. Accompanists gave good support and their tani avartanam’ was a matching tribute to the number.
Vocal duet
The next day, the festival featured Aruna and Padma in a vocal duet. She was accompanied by N C Ananthakrishna on violin, K Srinivas on mridngam and B Janardan on ghatam. The sisters started with saveri varnam and followed it with Thyagaraja kriti Ninne Bhajana in Nata with brisk kalpanaswaras. The main piece was Sundari Nee Divya Roopamu in Kalyani, with elaborate ragaalapana and impressive kalpanaswaras that tested their manodharma.
Veena concert
Veena virtuoso Emani Lalitha Krishna figured later with Patri Satishkumar on mridangam and Haribabu on ghatam. Her concert began with Natakuranji varnam. This was followed by Vatapi Ganapatim in Hamsadwani of Dikshitar played with kalpanaswaras. She then played Tyagaraja’s Rara Maaintidaaka in Asaveri and followed it with Maaravairi Ramani in rare Nasikabhushini, she treated as sub-main number. The delineation of the raga and kalpanaswaras in the end gave consummate picture.
Lalitha’s main item was Mokshamugalada of Thyagaraja in Saramathi. She concluded her show with Balamurali’s tillana in Hindolam.
Mandolin magic
There was mandolin duet too between U P Raju and Nagamani with mridangam support by Kalluri Srinivas and morsing by P Srinivasa Gopalan. Gambhiranata varnam, Vatapi in Hamsadhwani and a rare number in the raga Karnaranjani that laid path for main number of the concert Vasuevayani in Kalyani of Thyagaraja. They treated it to the heart’s content. They ended the show with a Sai Bhajan.
Fusion music
There was fusion music show featuring vocalist Kalyanvasant and flautist Poornima, daughter of Emani Lalitha’s daughter. The programme concluded with Bho Sambho Siva Sambho in Revati with matching percussion support. In the later part of the fest there was a vocal recital by Kalluri Srinivas, supported by T V Hemanth Kumar on violin, P Srinivas Gopalan on mridangam and Shyamkumar on kanjira. He started with Thodi varnam and then went for a rare raga Veenavadini for Sri Ganesa of Dikshitar ended with brisk swaras. Srimannarayana in Bhoopalam of Annamacharya was well gone through with devotional appeal. He pesented neraval too. Devadi Deva of Mysore Vasudevachar in Sunada Vinodini was another delight. He concluded the concert with Khamas tillana.
