Smart choice of ragas and kritis, careful distribution of time, keeping the raga treatises and swarakalpana under control and avoiding over indulgence — all these contribute to the success of a concert. With his vocal cords in fine form, Gurucharan opened the performance with the ghana raga Adi tala varnam, ‘Chalamela jesevura’ by Vinjamoori Varadaraja Iyengar. The raga’s splendour could …
Krishna offered a sumptuous fare keeping intact all the necessary classical elements in his kutcheri. A fleeting touch of Darbar led to Tyagaraja’s ‘Yochana kamala’ with a catchy chittaswaram and a precise swara sequence. Subbaraya Sastri’s Yadukula Kamboji oeuvre ‘Ninnu sevinchina’ came as a smooth interlude with its classically structured chittaswaram and sahityam. Krishna’s raga essay was quite expressive with …
Legacy has its advantages, but it also means constantly living up to expectations. Ashvin’s accent on the emotive quotient could be felt in his niraval at ‘Yat gopi vadanendu’, and the raga’s vibrancy were highlighted in the subsequent swarakalpana passages. Elaborate raga essay Ashvin’s exhaustive exposition of Kedaragowla, presented later in the concert, needs special mention. Ashvin selected ‘Tulasi bilva’ …
