Amrutha Venkatesh kept the momentum alive through out her concert

Amrutha Venkatesh.
| Photo Credit: RAGHUNATHAN SR

Amrutha Venkatesh kept the interest of the audience alive from her opening Saveri varnam ‘Sarasooda’ to the concluding Madhuvanti thillana by Lalgudi Jayaraman. She was skilfully followed by Rajeev Mukundan on the violin and ace percussionists Patri Sathish Kumar on the mridangam and S. Karthick on the ghatam. Amrutha presented an appealing blend of popular and less-heard compositions of legendary vaggeyakaras.

Following the varnam, Amruta prefaced the Swati Tirunal composition ‘Narasimha mamava’ in Arabhi with Andal’s Tiruppavai hymn ‘Ongi ulagalantha’ in a virutham format. Her swara segment finale with rishabam-oriented swaras was impressively structured.

In a way, the concert’s highlight could be attributed to her raga delineation of Kumudakriya. The imaginative forays in her alapana carried the unique tenor of the raga, a derivative of Pantuvarali eschewing panchamam, through long and short phrases. Muthuswami Dikshitar’s ‘Ardhanareeswaram’ followed at a leisurely pace. The swara exchange at ‘Agamadi sannutam’ added more significance to her offering.

After this sedate rendition, Amrutha opted for a lively kriti ‘Niravadhi sukhada’ (Tyagaraja) in Ravichandrika with a sprightly chittaswara. She added extra flourishes too.

The stately Bhairavi was chosen for the main course. Short phrases at the start paved the way for the lingering and weighty ones as she progressed with the alapana. Amrutha delved deep into finer nuances to paint a powerful image of Bhairavi. The less-heard Mysore Vasudevachar kriti ‘Balam gopalam akhilaloka palam’ was sung with grandeur. ‘Balendu bhushanadi vinutam’ in the anupallavi was chosen for niraval. The swara segment moved smoothly and the conclusion was centered on the Panchamam.

Violinist Rajeev Mukundan responded to Amrutha’s posers meticulously and, at the same time, added his creativity to lend extra charm to the raga essays and swara sallies.

Percussionists Patri Sathishkumar and Karthick were immaculate. They signed off almost every kriti with their signature beats. Their tani avartanam was elaborate and added additional lustre to the concert.