A melange of programmes for Navaratri
P. SURYA RAO
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The five-day Dasera Sangeeta Mahotsvam saw a variety of programmes.
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VOCAL DUO Vijayawada Sisters Saraswathi and Krishnaveni.
The classical music lovers gathered at Sri Sivaramakrishna Kshetram, where `Swarajhari' Sabha had arranged a five-day Dasara Sangeeta Mahotsavam. A part of this was a scintillating vocal duet concert by Vijayawada Sisters Saraswathi and Krishnaveni, popular vocalists and disciples of late N. Ch. Krishnamacharyulu. Saraswathi and Krishnaveni began their concert with Sahana Varnam followed by `Vatapi' in Hamsadhvani. The kalpana swaras rendered with meticulous planning ended in a thrilling climax. . After this, the sisters sang `Darini Telusukonti' in Suddha Saveri and `Sri Tripura Sundarim', a composition of Ganapathi Sachidananda Swami in Latangi.
The duo showed admirable fluency in rendering ragas, niraval and kalpana swaras and their voices blended melodiously.
One of the major items was the keertana `Bantureeti' in Hamsanadam. The sisters chose the right kalaparamanam particularly while rendering swaras in Hamsanadam, without succumbing to the temptation of racing just because their voices permitted it. Veteran violinist Ampolu Muralikrishna gave a fine performance, both while accompanying them and raga versions. There was also a thrilling `tani' by N. S. Kalyanaraman on mridangam and M. Haribabu on ghatam.
Veteran's touch
Another highlight during the festival was the thrilling violin solo concert by veteran Annavarapu Ramaswamy, who was well supported on the second violin by G. Satish Babu, his disciple. Apt to the occasion, Annavarapu mostly played Devi stuthi keertanas. His concert showed his vast experience and deep knowledge. Some of the Devi sthuthi compositions he played were `Mayateeta Swaroopini' in Mayamalavagowla, `Sarasamukhi' (Gowdamalhar), `Marivere' (Ananda Bhairavi) and `Pahimam Sri Rajarajeswari' (Janaranjani). The veteran's touch was evident in every item played by Ramaswamy. He got excellent support from M. Lakshminarayana Raju on the mridangam and K. Saigiridhar on the Tabla.
East meets west
The group singing led by noted vocalist Modumudi Sudhakar was another good fare. Sudhakar and his troupe members Anjana Sudhakar, Sishtla Bharathi, Sravanti and M.Sruti Ranjani rendered keertanas composed by Thyagaraja and Muthuswamy Dikshitar in Western music style. `Sakthisahitha Ganapathim' in Sankarabharanam (Dikshitar), `Sara Sara Samaraikaveera' of Thyagaraja in Kuntalavarali, `Varaleela gana lola', a Thyagaraja Divyanama keertana in Sankarabharanam and Patnam's `Raghuvamsa' in Kadanakutuhalam were some of the songs that were sung. The programme also included other items like `Amma Anandadayini', Dr. Balamurali's varnam in Gambhiranata, `Garudagamana' in Nagaswaravali and the raga Thaya thillana of Balamurali. Instrumentmal support was provided by P. Nageswara Rao (violin), K. Saigiridhar (mridangam), Vasu (rhythm pads) and Sridhar (Key board).The anti-climax to the otherwise well planned five-day festival came in the shape of a devotional music concert by Sujaya, who sang a few Annamayya keertanas and other devotional songs. Her concert was a substitution for the originally scheduled devotional songs concert by a group from Vizianagaram. Sujaya often went out of tune and her better renditions were `Okaparikokapari' in Kharaharapriya, `Kalaharahamela' in Suddha Saveri and the Tarangam `Nanda Nandana' in Mohana. Sujaya was supported P. Nageswara Rao on the violin and K. Saigiridhar on the mridangam.
Perini dance
The Durga Malleswara Swamy Devasthanam's festival cultural fare drew immense crowds. There were many programmes but most of them lacked quality. It seemed as though recommendations and other considerations played a major role in the planning of the programmes.
However, a few programmes showed some quality and among them, one was the Perini dance. The Perini dance is an ancient and vigorous dance that projected valour. This form was revived by renowned Natyacharya Nataraja Ramakrishna.
Most of the Perini dancers take the term `Perini' as their surname, sticking to the age-old custom. Perini Srinivas, Priyanka, Jayaprada and Bhavani presented the Perini dance. The group performed `Sivastuti' and `Lingashtakam' with good rhythmic precision and symmetrical movements..
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