Visakha Music Academy, Vishakapatnam, featured a recital of Carnatic music played on five violins in tandem. The violinists, all from Chennai, were Parur M.S. Anantha Raman (son and disciple of Sundaram Iyer), a performing artiste of 71 years standing, his sons Sundareswaran, Krishna Swamy besides their cousin Anantha Krishnan and his granddaughter Anantha Lakshmi. Besides being established, all of them are widely travelled performers of Carnatic music. Mridangam artiste of high renown, M.L.N. Raju from Vijayawada, and excellent ghatam player M. Hari Babu accompanied.
The concert was organised to commemorate the birth centenary of late Gundu Sarojini, a loving, loveable, philanthropic and a noted philharmonic. The programme was sponsored by her kith and kin from Mumbai, Chennai and the US.
The repertoire that was jointly executed on the evening was Bilhari varnam in the two tempos, Gowla keerthana pranamamyaham with ragam and swaram, Bhairavi Swarajathi Kamakshi adorned with eruditely structured ragam and similar rendering of Raghunayaka (Hamsadhwani) and Anudinamu (Begada).
The warming up process was a long duration for all the violinists to get attuned to the content and context of the concert with each other individually and collectively.
Stretched elaboration of Seshachala Nayaka (Varali), elaboration of Anantha Raman's own composition in Brindavana Saranga followed by ragam thanam and pallavi ( O Rangasayee ) in Kambhojee mainly in the concluding session went eruditely exquisite.
Accentuation of vocal fervour delighted listeners at Kalabharatahi, where the concert was rendered.
M.L.N. Raju on mridangam seemed to be the sensible cynosure of laya personified. Hari Babu on ghatam made a good effort keeping up the fervour.
