Impressive vocal concert by Vid Saketharaman

A  vocal concert by Vid Saketharaman was arranged as a part of the celebrations on the 23^rd of May. He was accompanied by Mysore M Manjunath(Violin), H.L.Shivashankaraswamy(Mridanga) and S. Shreeshaila(Ghata).

An artiste who is regarded as an impressive singer, Saketharaman did impress the rasikas of Mysore with his remarkably good singing. Groomed by Lalgudi G Jayaraman, it is natural to acquire a perfect knowledge of music. His methodical expansion of the ragas, the clear birkas and rich manodharma resulted in an output that was  vibrant and vivacious.

‘Jalandhara Supeethaste’ ( Valachi-Rupaka-Muthaiah Bhagavathar)was a proof to this with a fine alapana and a neraval at “Bhavaroga nivarini Bhakthajana paripalini”. An alapa in the raga Kokilarava was followed by ‘Kodandaramamanisham Bhajami’ of Muthuswami Dixitar. The fast kalpana swaras matched the tempo of the composition. After another fast krithi ‘Sadamadindalachu’(gambhiravani-Adi-Tyagaraja)he started with an alapa of Kharaharapriya. Each note was handled delicately in succession, emphasising on the raga bhava.

It was indeed a musical treat. Manjunath’s kharaharapriya pleased the scholars as well as the laymen equally. Usage of the daatu prayogas to bring the essence of the raga was the hallmark of his playing. He captured the listeners with his magic fingers. ‘Pakkala nilabadi’ dazzled with an elaborate neraval at “Manasuna”. Both neraval and kalpana swaras  mirrored Saketharaman’s scholarship and creativity. The cascading final swara was a fitting finale. The taniavartana of Shivashankaraswamy and Shreeshaila was also filled with variety of beats.

Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha had organised a vocal concert by Dr. Vijayalakshmi Subramanyam of Chennai on the 27^th of May at the Vasudevacharya Bhavana. This concert too was very satisfying. Blessed with a clear and captivating voice, she succeeds in bringing the required mood of the raga. Good control on the laya and a proper diction adds to it. She is a sought after lecturer in many universities abroad.

Vijayalakshmi was accompanied by T.N.Tyagarajan(Violin), C.Chaluvaraju(Mridanga) and Dayanand Mohite(Ghata). The varna ‘Sarasuda’ gave a good start and tempo that was maintained through out. ‘jaya jaya jaya janakikantha’ of Purandara dasa in Nata had a frill of crisp kalpana swaras. An alapa of Abhogi was a classical treat. ‘Shri Lakshmivaraham Bhajeham’ of Muthuswami Dixitar was neatly  presented. This was followed by a quick old time favourite ‘Anupamagunambudhi’(Athana-Khanda chapu-Tyagaraja). A Sloka from Shree suktha ‘Lakshmi ksheerasamudraraja tanaya’ in todi lead to ‘Enu dhanyalo lakumi’ of Purandara dasa.

A neraval at “Sarva sthaladi vyaptanaada sarvadosharahithanaada” enhanced the meaning of the phrase. Raga Simhendramadhyama was taken up for a detailed treatment. The judicious use of birkas resulted in good exposition of the raga. Perfect tempo and fertile manodharma reined the alapa. Mysore Vasudevacharya’s ‘Ninne nammithinayya Sri Rama’ in Misra chapu tala was absorbing. The kalpana swaras after a neraval at “Pannagendrashayana” was filled with gamakas and a sudden burst of straight notes were impressive and enjoyable. 

The high light of the day was a raga tana pallavi in the raga Suryakanthi . This ‘not so common’ raga was handled confidently by Vijayalakshmi. Raga and tana were soulful renderings. The ragamalike included Ranjani,Natakuranji, Jyothiswarupini and Revathi. The tukdas like a bhajan of Kabir ‘Rama govind haribhajore bhayya’ and ‘Jagadoddharana’ were very soothing. She rounded off with a tillana of Balamuralikrishna in Brindavana saranga. The violinist  and the percussionists contributed immensely for the success of the concert.