JOIN USAs the City is constantly expanding, so is the cultural needs of its citizens. It has also become very difficult for art lovers to travel around the City to attend cultural programmes and the need for new Sangeetha Sabhas in the suburban areas has arose.
One such organisation is the R T Nagar Cultural Association, which, from last 24 years, has been catering to the cultural needs of people residing in-and-around Rabindranath Tagore Nagar and surrounding areas. Apart from monthly music concerts, the association also holds music festivals every year. Last week, the 24th Music Festival was held with both vocal and instrumental music concerts – Namasankeerthanam and dance programmes, which was held in association with the Vinayaka Temple.
On Sunday, well-known violinists Lalgudi G J R Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi gave the final concert of the festival. Being the son and daughter of legendary violinist Lalgudi Jayaraman, they are successfully continuing the family tradition.
The opening Charukeshi varna of Lalgudi Jayaraman was itself an indication of the great music that was to follow. After the familiar, “Anuragamu” the Anandabhairavi krithi of Shyama Sastry, was another weighty piece. Vijayalakshmi chose Saveri, which glowed with delectable cadences. There was perfect understanding and precision in the expression of the krithi “Ramakatha Sudha”.
In fact, though they presented a Pallavi, it was “Madhyamavathi” which was wholesome and delineated in detail. Rishabhapriya is not a rare raga, but also a raga not heard frequently. When the connoisseurs were expecting a detailed ragalapana the duo moved to Ragamalika in a hurry. Kannada Devaranamas – Smarane Onde Saalade and Rama Mantrava Japiso – were also pleasing and well-received.
In total, the violin duet was true to tradition and a touch of “Lalgudi Baani” was there throughout. Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma gave impressive mridanga support along with Tumkur Shashi Shankar on ghata.
Krishna Jayanthi
Cultural programmes being held in connection with the Sri Krishna Jayanthi Mahotsava will continue till Thursday at the Sri Venugopala Krishnaswamy Temple, Malleswaram.Two of the concerts I attended here this week, had several things in common. In both the concerts, there were male vocalists- young and promising. The first concert on Tuesday was by Kartheek Narayan, a disciple of Rajkumar Bharathi and a recipient of few prizes, including from The Music Academy. All of 21 years, this engineering graduate, gave a pleasant rendition of “Sri Mathru Butam" with the 'Bhava' coming off in soft hues. Few compositions he presented, made old-timers recall the golden times of music.
For instance, both “Eavasudani” and “Sarasijanabha Sodari” were rendered with vintage flavour. His good voice highlighted the raga Saveri. The pallavi (Thaye Thripura Sundari) in the raga Kalyani and Adi Thala was delightful as it had the economy of expression with no repetitive movements. Two young instrumentalists – Apoorva Krishna and Akshay Anand gave good support on violin and mridanga respectively. No doubt, these youngsters are bound to make a mark in Carnatic music.
Vocal to be improved
Aditya Narayan, 17, the other vocalist, is a student of senior musician Suguna Varadachari. Narayan is a 12th standard student who has won few prizes in music competitions. He presented a number of good compositions with practiced ease. In the concert held on Thursday, highlight of the programme was the delineation of that grand composition “Sree Krishnam Bhaja Maanasa”.
Though he sang with assurance, the nerval and swara could have been improved to make the performance more impactful. While he sang ‘Akhilandeshwari’ in good “vilamba kaala,” the ‘Paralokabhaya’ was in “Drutha Kaala”. He continued singing even during the current failure, which showed his confidence and courage.
With some more stage experience and higher training Aditya Narayan can climb the ladder of success. K J Dileep on violin and Akshay Anand on mridanga, suited the needs of the occasion.