The twin cities is reverberating to compositions of Thyagaraja at every possible auditorium, big or small. Each organisation is vying with the other, or so it seems, to celebrate Thyagaraja Aradhana in memory of the great composer who was among the trinity of Carnatic music.
A grand spectacle at the Vignana Samithi saw the who's who of music congregateon the very first day (Thyaga Panchami) as the fraternity passionately participated in ghosti gaanam (group rendition) as has been the age-old custom.
The next day, a pleasant recital by Hyderabad Brothers for nearly two hours treated the audience. The duo made it a point to offer the best of Thyagaraja, unlike a formal kutcheri . Their brand of music lays stress on the lyrical purity, quality and impact along with sruti sync. These being their biggest strength, , the brothers presented the audience the choicest kritis sung with deep emotions spiced with improvisation and alapana. There is a cadence that emanates from the very first song, which permeates the entire atmosphere and stays on till the end.
All-time favourites never cease to appeal. The delectable offer was both appetising and sumptuous. If it was Bala kanakamaya ' in Atana where the swarakalpana for devadi deva, mahanubhava was like a brief spell of musical shower.
A melodic alapana by Seshachary with a faithful and sonorous reproduction by Dwaram Satyanarayana's deft bowing on the violin opened to the Kapi Narayani — Sarasa samadhana a chartbuster of the 60s.
Commendable rendition
In the last round of kalpana swara, D. Raghavachary, showed excellent virtuosity in reeling out the swara cluster in the sweetest of tones with a command over each syllable. DSR Murthy and muktaimpu (rounding off) seemed to go hand in hand as the concluding effect of the mridangam was just perfect! The creative output in the form of swarakalpana was always crisp and neatly executed.
D. Seshachary gave us an outline of the Panthuvarali while Raghavachary took it up in a sweeping stance, extensively touching upon the finer nuances of the raga before he commenced, Raghuvara nannu maravaka slightly a fast track kriti with well-laid out sangathis . Neraval was by and large brief throughout the recital. The beautiful Vasantha Bhairavi flowed free and full with Nee daya rada Rama and Seshachary's expressive voice brought out the pathos and plea inherent ( Kaaadane varevaru ) in the composition. This as well as the kriti in Ahiri — Challare Ramachandruni paina poolu — was suffused with loving kindness and devotion of a dedicated soul towards God. Marugela raa O Raghava in Jayantisri, again a popular piece, was a lyric-oriented rendition devoid of improvisation.
A compelling alapana in the royal Bilahari paved the way for Dorakuna ituvanti seva which was tailor-made for the occasion. Seshachary's handling of the sangathis was electrifying with Raghavachary giving it the required impetus. A thundering tani by Murthy with the ghatam (Nemani Somayajulu) repartee and konnakkal by the vocalist was exciting. The audience provided the right encouragement for these ace performers.
