The voice of Hyderabad Brothers is Seshachari. Therefore, the absence of Raghavachari, as he was indisposed, didn’t create any impact, except that there was another mike by Seshachari’s side without the singer.
Though one cannot dispute their vidwat, loudness and a callous approach to presentation have often marred their concerts. But age seemed to have mellowed Seshachari, who displayed a softer style this time. His poignant Thodi and a well-handled Nagaswaravali were cases in point. He even cut down on the theatrics.
The strongly drawn contours of Nagaswaravali and the various stages of the Thodi alapana, touching and emphasising the finer aspects of the raga, spoke of his profound knowledge.
‘Garuda Gamana Samayamide’ in Nagaswaravali (Patnam Subramania Iyer) carried an explosion of kalapanaswaras.
In Thodi, Seshachari had chosen Thyagaraja’s ‘Enduku Dayaradura’. The niraval ‘Tharaka Charita Thyagaraja Vinutha’ alternated between aggressive and submissive postures. The swaras were strung admirably.
Not all ragas are charming. When a rare and somewhat arid raga such as Kokilapriya is chosen for Ragam Tanam Pallavi, it could be seen as an impulsiveness.
Seshachari tried his best to make the raga look attractive, but in vain. The pallavi, ‘Nannu Brova Rada’ set in Triputa, was treated with the customary honours. ‘Nijamarmamulanu’ in Umabharanam, ‘Chinna Nade Na’ in Kalanidhi (this was a listener’s choice), ‘Elardayane Kamini’ in Bhairavi by Chinnaiah and a heavily prosaic number in Nilambari were also on Seshachari’s list.
S. Varadarajan (violin) adorned the ragas and swaras aesthetically. He cleverly garnished the best parts of the vocalist’s offerings with his own musical wisdom. Trivandrum V. Balaji and H. Sivaramakrishnan on (mridagam) and (ghatam) respectively lent adequate support.
