Visakha Music and Dance Academy conducted its annual seven-day festival of music, dance and drama on an impressive note, featuring a string of concerts - both vocal and instrumental - besides a dance recital and a play. The academy also presented its coveted ‘Nada Vidya Bharati’ award to maestro Pt Viswa Mohan Bhatt, the developer of the Mohana veena. After this, the maestro gave a taste of his artistry raga Jog in tandem with his son Saleel Bhatt. As the event preceded Independence Day, he played Vandemataram, Vaishnava janatho and Raghupati Raghava Rajaram . Ramkumar Mishra lent support on tabla.
N. Vijaya Siva, in his masterly performance, treated rasikas to memorable raga essays with rich shades of its salient phrases. On this occasion, he chose raga Todi for delineation Dachukovalena of Thyagaraja. The exposition was reflective of his in-depth grasp of its core and attendant charms in its progress to a culmination in a layered manner that kept the audience in thrall. His swara suits and fluent nereval further beautified its presentation. He opened the concert with Janaki Ramana in raga Sudha Seemanthini and went on to regale the audience through chosen krithis with raga expositions for raga Panthuvarali and Kambhoji , his presentation of a rarely heard Vachamagocharame of Thyagaraja in raga Kaikavasi evoked warm response.
Pramod Gokhle provided vocal support supported by Charumathi Raghuraman (violin), NC Bharadwaj (mridangam) and S Krishna (ghatam).
Another notable concert in the series was that of Aishwarya Vidya Raghunadh. Well rooted in Carnatic classical idiom of music, this vocalist rendered the chosen ragas with fluid ease. Known for her effervescent presentation, she displayed her vidwat and manodharma with impeccable adherence to tradition. Endowed with a pliable voice that can traverse in three octaves with ease, she explored raga Kambhoji for Evarimata vinnavo of Thyagaraja as the mainstay of the concert. Her accent on the key notes of the raga that define its typical structural beauty and quintessential shades of appeal enraptured the ear for music. Grahabalamemi of Thyagaraja in raga Revagupti and Brahmmakadigina Padamu of Annamayya in raga Mukhari were other notables in the concert.
K.V. Krishna on violin and B Ganapahyraman on mridangam lent competent support. Vocal concert of Dwaram Lakshmi and mandolin concert of U Rajesh delighted music lovers.
Dusi Dharmarao and Perala Balamurali Kishna compeered the event well.
