Kruthi Vittal-Bhatt’s concert stood out for her rapport with the accompanists -OxBig News Network

As part of the monthly concert series, Nadasurabhi Cultural Association, Bengaluru, featured Kruthi Vittal Bhatt’s vocal concert with senior accompanists Charulatha Ramanujam (violin), K.U. Jayachandra Rao (mridangam) and B. Rajashekar (morsing). Kruthi handled the stage dynamics with poise andmaturity.

The concert commenced with Lalgudi Jayaraman’s navarasa Navaragamalika varnam ‘Angayarkanni anandam kondale’. Kruthi did full justice to the complex composition which has vivadi ragas such as Sucharitra and Rasikapriya, and rakti ragas like Husseni and Sahana.

This was followed by ‘Abhimanamennadu’ (Begada, Patnam Subramania Iyer). Kruthi managed to bring out the beauty of the raga in her brief alapana. The short kalpanaswara segment was neatly designed with crisp koraippus from both the vocalist and the violinist leading to an enjoyable exchange. 

The centrepiece of the concert ’Meenakshi me mudam dehi’ (Gamakakriya, Muthuswami Dikshitar) stood out for its grandeur. The alapana was carefully developed across registers with Kruthi moving through the mandara, madhyama and tara sthayis with ease. The voice modulations, especially in the upper octave, remained smooth. The madhyamakala sahityam was rendered with emotional clarity. The niraval at ‘Madhurapuri nilaye’ had the right mix of depth and subtlety, while the kalpanaswaras structured in methodical rhythmic patterns created a lively dialogue with the percussionists. The experienced accompanists  stole the show during the tani avartanam, which lasted a good 20 minutes. In the initial round, Jayachandra set up an artistic flourish, while Rajashekar responded with precision and flair. Subsequent rounds moved in brisk, single avartanam exchanges, culminating in a grand finale, which was received with a hearty applause.

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The Shanmukhapriya alapana was another highlight. Kruthi explored the raga’s expanse and sang ‘Marivere dikkevarayya rama’, another Patnam Subramania Iyer composition in Adi talam.  The anupallavi phrase ‘dora neevu gadhaa’ became a canvas for an intelligent swarakshara interpretation. Charulatha , in her reply, picked up subtle cues from the vocalist and embellished them in her own way. During the niraval at the line ‘Sannuthanga sri venkatesha,’ mridangam vidwan’s careful pauses contrasted with morsing’s vibrant interludes. This made for an interesting listening.

‘Hechcharikaga rara’ in Yadukula Kamboji, a Utsava Sampradaya kriti by Tyagaraja in Khanda chapu, was presented with a good understanding of the raga’s gentle nature.

Kruthi next presented ‘Entani vina vinthura’ in Urmika by Pallavi Sesha Iyer, a fast-paced composition with a chittaswara in a lively gait. Post-tani, the concert maintained its pace with well-chosen ragas. The Purandaradasar composition ‘Kayabekenna gopala’ in Brindavana Saranga was rendered neatly, followed by the abhang ‘Bolava Vitthala, pahawa Vitthala,’ by Sant Tukaram in raag Bhatiyar. The concert concluded with the popular Misra Sivaranjani raga thillana by Lalgudi Jayaraman, where the percussionists made full use of the rhythmic spaces.

The concert stood out for the synergy among the artistes. Such camaraderie adds to the richness of a concert experience.