Through the tiny wind instrument, Vijayagopal created the scent of rain, the fragrance of flowers and the rippling of water in the pond. Listening to his imaginative raga elucidation and inspired rendering of kritis for Rasika Fine Arts , one would hardly connect him to the medical profession. Dr. B. Vijayagopal is a post- graduate in orthodontics. The detailed Abheri was a delight because of the ease with which he played the raga.
On the violin, Mysore Srikanth offered an inventive response. The majesty of ‘Nagumomu,’ the Thyagaraja kriti, came out in full vigour. The kalpanaswaras and the concluding swara korvai showed the artist’s firm foundation in laya.
The spirited thani by R. Sankaranarayanan and Trichy Srikrishna (ghatam) was a well-conceived depiction of rhythmic patterns. The left-handed mridangam vidwan Sankaranarayanan’s accompanying technique was energetic.
Although Abheri was the piece de resistance , Vijayagopal’s Kalyani alapana was also an inspired rendering.
Swati Thirunal’s ‘Pankaja Lochana’ in misra chapu was marked by detailed and relaxed sancharas around rishabha and gandhara in the swaraprastara at ‘Brindavananantha.’ After a detailed alapana in Keeravani, he rendered Patnam Subramania Iyer’s ‘Varamolasagi’ (rupakam) with poise. However, for reasons best known to him, he chose not to offer kalpanaswaras.
Vijayagopal commenced his late evening concert with the Hamsadhwani varnam ‘Jalajaksha’. His offered Papanasam Sivan’s ‘Gajavadana’ after a sketch of Sriranjani. In the swaraprasthara, the closing korvai stood out.
Andal’s Thiruppavai, ‘Malae Manivanna’ in Kuntalavarali was evocative of bhakti. ‘Aarumo Aaval’ of Kannan Iyengar in Mandu, reminded one of MLV’s concerts. The Khamas thillana was an ideal culmination to an aesthetic journey.
