JOIN USYuva gaana festival
Ananya conducted “Yuva Gaana”, a young musicians’ festival, last week. Incidentally, all the three were male vocalists and are not new to Bengaluru music lovers. Aditya Prakash, who gave the inaugural concert, is the son of Viji Prakash, a senior Bharathanatya dancer. He is a disciple of Palai Ramachandran and is now being guided by P S Narayana Swamy. “Vatapi Ganapathim Bhaje”, the familiar invocatory piece, gave him a fine start that was followed by a Pancharathna Kruthi (dudukugala).
The popular devaranama “Rama Nama Payasake” was sung exemplifying the lyrical grandeur of the composition. After a fast “Nijamarmamulanu” of Tyagaraja, the main item of the evening was selected. “Bhajare Re citta” received a detailed airing with alapana, nerval (Devim sakti Beejodbhava) and swara, enriching its melodic cadences. Adithya Prakash’s career is worth looking forward to. Anuthama Murali on violin and Raghunatha Rajaram on mridanga gave sustained support throughout the concert.
Lalgudi style
Violinists Lalgudi G J R Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi, gave a duet prformance for the Nadajyothi Suvarna Sangeetha Sambhrama on Sunday. They belong to a great lineage of musicians and are carrying the legacy successfully.
The violin duet by the brother and the sister can be marked for its flair and fidelity. The initial compositions including a varna gave them an ebullient start. After a long time, the audience heard “Ea Vasudhani”, rendered with vintage flavour. “Sogasu Juda Tharama”–was convincingly delineated. Though Simhendramadhyama registered well, it was Shankarabharana which received a more detailed airing, presented with aesthetic finesse. It was tuneful with a Lalgudi touch all the way. Arjun Kumar and Ranganath Chakravarthi, the percussion duo, accompanied with aplomb.
Proof of progress
The opening keerthane “Siddivinayakam” itself showed that Pavan Rangachar was capable of a perceptive recital, in the “Yuva Gaana” festival on Saturday. Pavan is a student of T V Gopalakrishnan and Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and is now continuing his training with R N Tyagarajan. He was well supported on violin and mridanga by Achutha Rao and A Renuka Prasad respectively. “Brochevare” was a good selection and he also presented few ‘Vivadi raga’ compositions. The Kannada devaranama “Sulabha Poojeya Maadi” delighted the audience with both its raga and lyrics. The choice of “Kamalaptakula” was well received by the audience too. In this composition, Saint Tyagaraja says – “Oh! Lotus eyed Rama! I have come seeking your grace. Please show me mercy and assure me freedom from fear”. “Kannare Kande Na Achuthana” – is another well known Dasara Pada. An evocative raga Reetigowla was embellished with a flurry of alluring “sangathies”. The “Dwaitamu Sukhama” – easily measured upto a standard, not easily reached by a young artiste. A “Upa Pakka Vadya” would have added little more pep to the overall impact of the young musicians concerts and unfortunately, the festival had a poor audience response and was hardly encouraging. Connoisseurs must encourage the young artistes, in the interest of classical music.