Young vocalist Smruthi Bhaskar gave a vocal concert with C.V. Shruthi on violin, A. Radhesh on mridanga and senior artiste V.S. Ramesh on morching, on Day-5 of Bhagini Sangeethotsava at BSS Vidyodaya in Krishnamurthypuram in city on Apr. 27.

Smruthi is a promising vocalist from Bengaluru. She is a graded vocalist at Akashvani Bengaluru and has received numerous awards from prestigious organisations. Her performance in such esteemed events indicate her growing presence in the Karnatak music scene. What was remarkable in the concert was Smruthi’s ability to sustain her energy level consistently from the beginning to the end of the 3-hour concert.

Smruthi  had chosen some rare compositions for the evening. She commenced the concert with the Kambhoji varna Pankajakshi by Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer, which was rendered with gait. This was followed by Mysore Vasudevacharya’s ‘Neranammiti neevE gati’ in Chakravaka, a rare composition less heard in concerts, which also saw a neraval at ‘nannu brOchiTaku neekenta bhAramu.’ The next was a composition of Lalitha Krishnamurthy on Lord Surya, which was again a rarely heard number. This composition, popularised by Nithyasree Mahadevan, was indeed a heart melting rendition with Smruthi’s clear diction.

Sri Tyagaraja’s ‘BanTu reeti kolu’ was brisk, with also a quick neraval at ‘RAmanAmamane.’ Saint poet Bhadrachala Ramadasa has contributed a number of beautiful devotional compositions to the world of music. ‘EDanunnADo BhadrAdrivAsu’ is one such composition. This rendition like many other compositions of the saint poet, filled the atmosphere with devotion.

Varali was the sub-main piece of the concert. Smruthi’s adherence to shruti is commendable. The alapana was essayed in a leisurely manner leading onto the divine kriti ‘MAmava meenAkshi’ by Dikshitar set to Mishra Chapu. Swaras were gloriously built at ‘ShyAmE shankari’ both by the vocalist and the violinist. ‘NeedAsuDanE gadA RAma’ yet another rare number of Sri  Tyagaraja, paved the way to the center piece of the concert — An RTP in Kannada on Lord Rama. It was a pallavi composed by the vocalist herself exclusively for the event and what made it more special was the fact that it was composed in Kannada. The pallavi was in two ragas — Kapi and Brindavana Saranga. So the vocalist presented every part, the alapana, the tanam and the pallavi rendition, neraval and kalpanaswaras, in both the ragas, which was not only adventurous but impressive. ‘SeetARAmara pAdapaduma kanDenu | jagadEkaveera Hanumanta sahita’ set to Khanda Atta Tala was colourfully presented with ragamalika swaras in Charukeshi and Nasikabhushani. The way Smruthi commandingly switched from one raga to another and also wove kalpana swaras to different sections of the pallavi unfalteringly was admirable.

After a grand taniyavartanam by Radhesh and Ramesh, Smruthi concluded the concert with a devaranama ‘BhAvarE BhApurE BHaLirE Hanumanta’ by Sri Purandara Dasaru on Hanuman in Mand and a Lalgudi tillana  in Bindumalini.

There was a persistent disturbance of the microphone, right from the beginning to the end of the concert, which was disappointing both to the artistes and to the listeners. The authorities must do something about this issue of the auditorium, which is otherwise a well-planned, huge, spacious and comfortable hall.

Day-6

The Day-6 of Bhagini Sangeethotsava on Apr. 28, brought a vocal concert from young Prithvi Bhaskar from Mysuru. She was accompanied by her father H.N. Bhaskar on violin, Sumesh Narayanan from Chennai on mridanga and Shamith Gowda on ghata.

Prithvi is blessed to be born in a family totally committed to music. Her grandfather and her father are prominent violinists who are established disciples of the great violin maestro MSG (M.S. Gopalakrishnan). Being under the tutelage of her grandparents, Prithvi’s talent for singing and violin playing are the result of illustrious streams of heritage.

Prithvi’s selection of compositions for the concert showcased her versatility and command over various ragas. Engaging in concerts that honour revered deities and collaborating with accomplished accompanists reflect her dedication to the tradition and her commitment to music.

The concert opened with the Nalinakanti Varna ‘NeevE gatiyani’ set to Adi tala composed by Lalgudi Jayaraman. ‘Vallabha nAyakasya BhaktO bhajAmi’ in Begade was a rare treat. It is unfortunate that artistes do not sing/ play this more often in recent concerts. A rare composition in a rare raga Shivakambhoji ‘Satatamu ninne SharaNambine’ by Mysore B.K. Padmanabha Rao was a welcome surprise.

Varali was taken for detailed rendition. Prithvi should work on her voice, especially on the lower notes. Sri Tyagaraja’s ‘ETi janmamidihA O RAma’ with a neraval at ‘SATile nee mAra’ and swaras was a good presentation. Two Tyagaraja renditions — ‘Heccharika gA rArA hE RAmachandra’ in Yadukula Kambhoji and the popular ‘Enta muddo enta sogasu’ in Bindumalini, wherein Bhaskar proceeded to knit swaras for the pallavi which was probably unintended by the vocalist, brought smiles on the face of the audience. The vocalist followed queue and proceeded with a couple of more kalpana swaras, before going to the main part of the concert.

Thodi, which took almost an hour of the concert, was the highlight of the evening. Prithvi explored the enchanting ranges of the raga in the alapana. In Sri TyAgaraja’s kriti ‘Kaddanu vAriki kaddu,’ the kalapramana was well maintained in all the three segments without resorting to accelerating the speed in the charana or taniyavartana. The  expansive neraval and kalpana swaras brought out the vocalist’s calibre.

H.N. Bhaskar prided in his daughter’s performance, complementing her vocal lines with sensitivity. Sumesh and Shamith provided encouraging and robust support to Prithvi.

After Taniyavartanam, three attractive bits were presented — ‘AlOkayE sakhi Ananda tAndava Sundara BAlakrishnam’ by Sri Narayana Teertha in Charukeshi, the well-known ‘Pibare RAmarasam’ by Sadashiva Brahmendra in which sahitya could have been taken more care of and a javali in suruti. It was surprising and also a little disappointing that no Kannada compositions were included in the concert.

The concert was a good blend of technical precision and emotive depth. Prithvi’s dedication to both vocal and violin, combined with her rich musical heritage and her accomplishments, mark her as a promising artiste on the classical music landscape.

—Dr. Padmavathi Narasimhan