Sree Sanmukhananda Sangeetha sabha Festival, Delhi, 05th day concerts

On the concluding session of the Shanmukhananda Sangeetha Sabha at Andhra Bhawan, Sh. Kanna Kumar, from the Delhi University was featured in the first part of the day. He commenced the concert with a varnam in Simhavahini which is rarely heard. Then again a rare raga – Veeravansantham – a janya of Varunapriya (24th Mela) in which there is only one song of Tyagaraja- Yemani Pogadudura which well attempted. Thereafter Syama Sastry’s kriti in Gauli Panthu (Tharunamidamma)and Nannuvidachi in Ritigaulai were good. The main piece of the evening was Poorvikalyani with Tyagaraja’s Paripurna kama. Sh Padhmanabhan gave an excellent support to the artist and his Tani avartanam uplifted the atmosphere. The concluding pieces in Manirangu with Annamacharya kriti and Brahmam okate was very well rendered. Sh Chakrapani gave good violin support.
Second half of the evening was by Maharajapuram Sh. S. Ramachandran with Sh. MA Sundareswaran on violin and Thruvarur Vaidyanathan on the mridangam. He started with mayamalagaulai and then Sri Mahaganapathe in raga Natta- a compostition of Sivasakthi. The chittaswaram and the swara prastharas were of high order and very excellently rendered. The artist was in a relaxed and to the best of his mood. The concert was literally a scintillating and spirited concert right from the word go. Then again a ganapanchaka raga Arabhi with Swathi Tirunals’ Kriti Narasimha Mamava in K. Chapu. One could experience all the aspects of raga lakshana in the raga deliniation with prominent proyogas of janta swara and dattu varisa phrases. It gave an auspicious feeling with the raga and kriti aptly fitting into it. The Vivadi mela raga Sucharitra (67th Mela) with the composition of Koteeswara Iyer was exemplary. Then the 14 raga piece on lord Muruga was very exquisitely managed and rendered.

Rest of the evening was listeners choice on Raghavendra swami, the famous Vilayada idu nerama and other light songs very frequently heard from the late Sh,. Santanam (artists’ father). The violin accompanists Sh. MA Sundareshwaran too evoked nostalgia of Sh. MS. Anantharaman, doyan in the violin field. The depth fingering of Tiruvarur Sh. Vaidyanathan brought sparkle in the ambiance.