Treat for music aficionados

Vaggeyakara Sangeetotsavam saw eminent vocalists and instrumentalists enthral audience.

It was a three-day music event.

The three day music festival Vaggeyakara Sangeetotsavam jointly arranged by the G.V.R.Government College of Music and Dance, Vijayawada and A.P. Bhasha Samskritaka Sangham at the College pleased the large gathering of music lovers immensely.

The first day’s programme, inaugurated by Vidwan Popuri Gowrinadh had the scholar and musicologist T.S.Ramachandra Rao as the chief guest. This was followed by a neat vocal concert by N. Ch. Butchiacharyulu, lecturer in the music college who began his concert with a Hamsadhvani varnam composed by Manambuchavadi Venkatasubbaiah, a direct disciple of Thyagaraja. The well rendered varnam was followed by nearly ten compositions of different vaggeyakaras including the Trinity as well as Tiruvankatacharya, Ramanathapuram Srinivasa Iyengar, Krishnamacharyulu, Annamayya and Ramadas. The vocalist was competently aided by N. Nandakumar on violin, S. Kalyanaraman on mridangam and G. Stevenraju on the ghatam.

The second day’s programme was inaugurated by K. Anasuya and the chief guest was A. Sasibala. The highly pleasing violin trio concert that followed was led by V.Krishnaveni, a well known violinist and A-Top grade artiste of Akashvani. Krishnaveni was finely supported on the other violins by her daughter Uppuluri Satwika and nephew V. S. Mahidhar. Krishnaveni started the concert with Saveri varnam of Kothavasal Venkatarama Iyer. Both poorvangam and uttarangam of the varnam were played perfectly by the trio in two speeds. Dikshitar’s

Vatapi Ganapathim came next and fine kalpana swaras adorning it.

Ganamurthe in the third Melakarta raga Ganamurthi preceded by the Thyagaraja Pancharatna kirtana

Endaro Mahanubhavulu . A sweet version of Kafi flowed from Krishnaveni’s bow giving way to the composition

Neevalla Gunadoshamemi . Krishnaveni showed great maturity in playing the alapanas giving importance to aesthetics. The delicate nuances were marked with clarity. B. V. S. Prasad, an A-Top rade mridangam artiste and a staff member of Akashvani made his presence felt with his sensitive following and his solo version. T. Lakshmishanker supported well on the morsing. The trio closed the concert with a Tamil ragamalika and a Purandara das kirtana .

Corporator K. Mallikarjuna Yadav inaugurated the last day’s program and the chief guest was Krishnakumar, Station Director of Akashvani, Vijayawada. The brief function was followed by an efficient vocal concert by vidwan Manda Krishna Mohan, a senior lecturer in the music college and a singer with vast experience. He is also a noted composer of classical, devotional and light music. Krishna Mohan sports a sonorous and deep voice which he makes use of wisely while singing the lower notes. He started the concert with Balamurali’s varnam in Amrithavarshini

Abala Gopalam and followed it with Sri Ganeshatparam , a rare kirtana in a rare raga Veenavahini, Bhavayami Raghuramam the popular ragamalika and Mokshamugalada in Saramathi. Lallita Dasar’s beautiful composition in Hamsanandi Pavanaguru made popular by K. J. Jesudas, was superbly sung by Krishna Mohan. After rendering Enta Vedukondura in Saraswathi anohari, Krishna Mohan took up Neeve Nannu of Kunnakudi Krishnaiyer in Kambhoji and treated it with good alapana and swaras.

After this he sang several devotional songs out of which some highlights were Krishna Nee Begane Baro , Mahadeva of Thanjavur Krishnaiyer in Revathi, Pibare Rama Rasam a composition of Sadasiva Bramhendra and Balamurali’s Thillana in Brindavana Saranga.

The three-day music festival was neatly conducted by K.S. Govindarajan, principal of the music college, M. Krishna Mohan, M.Vijaya Kumar and N.Ch.B. Acharya.