Well-known musicians in fine form and houseful audiences made the ITC SRA Sangeet Sammelan a successful event, says Aruna Chandaraju

Given the reputation of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy (SRA) as a patron and promoter of the best in Indian classical music, it was natural that their music concerts would feature leading artistes. As ITC SRA Executive Director Ravi Mathur had promised, the institute had lined up well-known musicians for the Bangalore audience. So, their Sangeet Sammelan featured vocalist Samarth Nagarkar, sitarist Ustad Shahid Parvez and Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar on the opening day.

The second day began with a speech by ITC Royal Gardenia General Manager Anand Rao followed by a felicitation to violin maestro Lalgudi G Jayaraman. The veteran musician, who is in frail health, had his disciple-son violinist G J R Krishnan read out his speech thanking the SRA for this honour.

The first concert of the day featured Hindustani-music vocalist Pandit Arun Bhaduri accompanied ably by Samar Saha on the tabla and Rupashree Bhattacharya on the harmonium. Bhaduri started off with raag Multani, a komal and weighty melodic scale with wide scope for elaboration and thus perfect as a main piece. He impressed with his robust and mellifluous voice in this beautifully rendered piece before moving on to a lively bandish in Hindol Bahar and concluding with a thumri.

Carnatic music’s renowned vocal exponent, Bombay Jayashri known for her wonderfully melodious and meditative music came on next. She began with Deva Deva Kalayamithe in Mayamalavagoula raga, and followed it up with the highlight of her performance –– an exquisite ragam-thanam-pallavi in Shanmukhapriya raga. The end-piece was a sparkling thillana –– predictably, one composed by her guru Lalgudi –– in Madhuvanti raga. A competent match to her vocals was provided by violinist Embar Kannan and J Vaidyana - than on the mridangam.

There is always something so magical about Hariprasad Chaurasia’s flute play. The maestro’s hypnotic bansuri casts a spell on anyone who listens to it and this audience was no exception. His flute lingered lovingly and with complete mastery over the colours and contours of Raags Maruvihag and Hamswadhwani. The only dampener was that each concert of this day began nearly one-and-half hours behind schedule. However, rasikas who endured the delays felt rewarded by the great music.