Full of promise

Devarakonda Karthika Anagha performed with an air of confidence.

Young talent Kartika Anagha.

It's a joy to see young artists endowed with a flair for music perform with an air of conviction and confidence. Devarakonda Karthika Anagha was all this and much more.

Her concert at Saptaparni showed great promise of her potential to make it big one day. Bestowed with a sonorous voice, Karthika rendered choicest kritis like Dikshitar's Parandhama … in Dharmavathi (Rupaka talam ), with the right amount of gamakam, Patnam's Garuda gamana … in Nagaswaravali and Bilahari Dorakuna intuvanti seva .., the alapana for which was fairly lengthy but meandered its way into oblivion towards conclusion.

While it should be said to the young musician's credit, that despite rigid adherence to the classicism of the

raga and

tala , she did not allow herself to be veered away from the emotive element that is so vital to breathe life into a

kriti .

All ingredients that had to go into a concert were there including a structured

manodharma where swara patterns got reeled out in quick succession as if by rote, instead of a steady flow through cycles in keeping with the raga's innate beauty. Skyrocketing swarakalpana in a moulded form is not the hallmark of creativity though it sounds impressive to a lay listener. A steady rise in sync with the ragabhava will enhance one's presentation.

A few creases in the alapana for Bilahari could be ironed out as maturity sets in.

O. Rajasekhar on the violin and Burra Sriram on the mridangam accompanied the artiste.

The concert was a part of ‘Swaramandakini' a monthly musical feature under the aegis of Sujanaranjani and Saptaparni.