On the second day of the two-day event “Swar Sangam”, organised by the Gurukulam Foundation at the auditorium of the Delhi Tamil Sangam, renowned violinists Parur M.A. Sundareshwaran and Parur M.A. Krishnaswamy were featured in a violin duet concert.
Sundareshwaran and Krishnaswamy started their concert by rendering the Navaragamalika varnam in a delightful manner. Mysore Vasudevachar’s “Pranamamyaham Shree” in Gowla that the brothers took up subsequently with Kalpanaswaras kept their rendering lively. Tyagaraja’s “Chinna nade na” in Kalanidhi underwent fine treatment in the hands of the siblings.
The brothers took up Muthuswami Dikshidar’s “Seshachalanayakam” in Varali, Tyagaraja’s “Chaala kallaladu” (Arabhi) and “O Ragasayee” (Khambhoji) for detailed renditions. The siblings delineated these ragas in turns in a delightful manner. They also took up a phrase in the Varali song for neraval. This and the kalpanaswaras for all the three songs were equally delightful.
Thiruvarur Bhakthavathsalam, the veteran mridangam artiste, who has decades of experience in this field, including lending mridangam support to legendary musicians of yesteryears, provided spirited and riveting percussion support alongside Suresh Vaidyanathan on the ghatam. Suresh, also an experienced artiste, combined his skills elegantly with that of the veteran. The percussion duo’s accompaniment, including their enthralling tani avartanam (in adi tala) was a rewarding experience. However, the high amplification provided to the percussion instruments could have been reduced for a better listening pleasure.
In another concert organised recently by the India International Centre and the Ramakrishnapuram South Indian Society at the former’s premises, the Chennai-based youngster Bhavya Hari put her best foot forward and gave an impressive vocal recital on the first day of the two-day Purandaradasa Tyagaraja Music Festival. This was Bhavya’s maiden concert in the Capital.
Except for the opening varnam (a neatly presented one which was indicative of the musical talents of the vocalist even at that initial stage) and the concluding pieces in the miscellaneous session, Bhavya structured her vocal concert based on the compositions of Purandara Dasa and Tyagaraja. Endowed with a good voice and traversing quite comfortably in lower as well as higher octaves, Bhavya’s recital was tilted towards the latter composer. Though she interwove her creative talent in both the compositions of Purandara Dasa, namely “Innu daya Bharathe” in Kalyana Vasantham and “Yare Rangana” in Hindolam, the scintillating raga alpana that preceded the former song stood out than the Kalpanaswaras that she suffixed for the latter song. While rendering these songs, she brought out the emotive contents of the lyrics to the fore.
As regards Tyagaraja’s compositions, Bhavya not only selected them intelligently but also sang aesthetically to the delight of the music lovers. Of them, she took up “Shambho Mahadeva” in Pantuvarali, “Adamodi galade” in Charukesi and “O Rangasayee” in Khambhoji for detailed presentations.
Delhi-based G. Raghavendra Prasaath on the violin and B. Manohar on the mridangam provided graceful support to Bhavya.