SICA Hosts Carnatic Vocal Recital by N. Rama Murthy
Rama Murthy vocal support from two disciples, Vishnu Chandrashekar and Sutheer, who not only showed great promise but also won accolades from the audience.
Hyderabad: In the midst of the commotion that subtly replaced the piety of the Dasara celebrations, South Indian Cultural Association (SICA) hosted a brilliantly orthodox Carnatic vocal recital by N. Rama Murthy. Tucked away in the lanes of Basheerbagh in a half-filled auditorium, the event was held in the memory of the musicologist Dr Vinjamuri Vardharaja Iyengar.
The concert started with a Navaragavarnam in the Ragas Golla, Varali, Aaraei and Sriragamand Nata — which constitute the Pancharatna Ragas. It was a kriti of Vinjamuri. This was followed by Vallabha Nayakasya, a Kriti of Muthuswami Dikshitar in Begada.
Rama Murthy chose the Tyagaraja Kriti ‘Okapari Joodaga’. The ease with which the pace and style of rendition moved from a strong Begada to a pacy Kalavathi were clearly indicative of the mastery of the artist. He then went on to delineate the intricacies of Bhairavi.
The deep baritone moving from the lower octaves of Bhairavi to its higher levels also exhibited his voice control and the refusal to be needlessly experimental with Bhairavi. He hardly missed a note of the syntax of the raga. The rendition of ‘Tanayuni Brova’ was not only top-notch but also appealing to every nuance that the orthodox audience was expecting.
A soulful Hemavathi followed again, a Kriti of Vinjamuri. ‘Jagelara Nannu Brochutaku’ kept the audience in awe. From a grammatically structured introduction and a soulful navigation Rama Murthy went off to the main Raga of the evening, Shankarabharanam.
Dikshitar’s Akshaya Linga Vibho’ revealed the nuances of a Raga exposed within its grammar in an orthodox manner, engagingly and brilliantly. The artist left no doubt of his brilliance and reiterated that even in the contemporary world of experimental Carnatic music. The melody of orthodoxy is all engaging and ever appealing.
Komanduri Venkata Krishna flew in to be the violinist and enriched the rich timbre of Rama Murthy’s voice with his artistic interpretations of the Ragas that were mesmerizing. The percussionists of the evening, D.S.R. Murthy (mridangam) and B. Janardhan (ghatam) ensured the evening’s top rhythmic quality.
Rama Murthy vocal support from two disciples, Vishnu Chandrashekar and Sutheer, who not only showed great promise but also won accolades from the audience.