Arpanam, a musical tribute to Lalgudi Jayaraman, was held at the Chowdiah Memorial Hall recently. The concert was a disciple’s humble tribute to her guru Lalgudi Jayaraman.

The programme began with an invocation by the students of the Gokulam School of Music who played Arunodayame, a varnam in Bhouli raga, composed by Lalgudi Jayaraman.

The flute recital was evocative with the notes and strains being simple yet deep.
This was followed by a jugalbandhi between Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi on the violin, Murad Ali on the sarangi, Praveen D Rao on the tabla and K Arun Prakash on the mridangam.

The various strains and the shift of tones and tempo set the mood for the evening. The excellent co-ordination between Murad Ali and Vijayalakshmi, which lasted for nearly 20 minutes, was commendable.

Embedded in layers, the Yaman and Kalyani ragas, were a musical ecstasy.
The change in notes and octaves added to the magical effect of the jugalbandhi which left the audience spellbound.

Up next was a performance by Praveen D Rao and Arun Prakash on the tabla and mridangam respectively.

This piece reflected the true spirit of music, adding a divine touch to the atmosphere.

 It also received a loud applause from the audience.

The concert also served as an occasion for the launch of an audio CD titled Nadha Natana — Lalgudi Thillanas, which consisted of some of the legendary musician’s compositions sung by Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi.

Following this, Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi rendered a Thillana in Bageshri raga and Adi tala and a Mishra Mand Thillana, a tribute made to Goddess Kamakshi, which extolled the beauty and divinity of the goddess.

This was one of the most enchanting pieces which evoked the emotions of the audience.

The spectators, who seemed to be lingering in a sea of music, were all praises for the artistes.

Vanitha Rao, a homemaker present at the concert said, “The combination of the violin and the sarangi was extremely unique and went beyond all emotions and words. Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi’s voice is like a diamond in the crown. It is magical in its own ways.”

The last piece was in Sindubhairavi raga in Adi tala, which was one of the best performances of the evening.