Vegavahini Vijayaraghavan, Musiri Chambers

Vegavahini Vijayaraghavan - Vocal
Anusha Pradeep & Lakshmi - Vocal Support
V V Srinivasa Rao - Fiddle
Trichur C Narendran - Mridangam

Musiri Chambers
25 Jan 09. 4 pm


Photo Courtesy: Smt. Rajeswari Thyagarajan

vINApustakadhAriNIm - vEgavAhini - misra jhampa - MD
saRRE vilagi irum - pUrvikalyANi - rUpakam - GKB (RNS)
srI jAnakI manOhara - Isa manOhari - Adi - T
cEta srI bAlakrishNam - dvijAvanti - tisra Ekam - MD
rAma nI samAnamevaru - kharaharapriyA - rUpakam - T (RNS)
gajavadanA sammOdita vIra - tODi - Adi - KE (RS)
tani
valapudAsa - varALi - misra cApu
kuvalayAkshirO - gauLipantu - misra cApu
adi nI pai - yamunA kalyANi - Adi - DS
samayamidE rA rA nA sAmi - bEhAg - rUpakam - PSI
jAnAti rAma - slOkam in sahAnA, shanmukhapriyA, bEgaDa, suruTTi
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T

The evening of 25 Jan 09 was an evening to cherish for a life time. The concert of Smt. Vegavahini Vijayaraghavan that evening would be one i would never be able to forget. A concert of a life time that those who missed would loose permanently. Everytime I think of the concert, i get goosebumps and tears start rolling out of my eyes. The chaste and pure music from the most regarded legacy was something that would prevail in the minds of those who were present for a long time.

The audience were totally spell bound by the stunning music which would keep lurking for a lifetime. The opening piece, vINApustakadhAriNim, in the rAgam after which the singer should have been named, was so perfectly rendered with each precise gamakkam so preciously preserved and presented. The AlApanai of pUrikalyANi which followed was very moving. The kriti with neraval and svarams at 'bakthiyil kaRai kaNdavan pArththup pArththu uNdavan' were all totally out of the world. The next two numbers, both were rendered with their pristine beauty. The dvijAvanti piece, another master piece of the school was rendered so movingly.

The AlApanai of kharaharapriyA was truely one of its own elite kind. The kriti with neraval and svarams at 'paluka palukulaku tEnelOluku mATalADu' were all totally building up the expectations for a main that would lift the audience to the trans state. The majestic tODi with 'gajavadanA sammOdita vIra' were so occupying your mind that i really struggle to verbally express the feeling that came to me while listening. The svarams at 'vasutAta pura' were perfectly fitting.

To sing kharaharapriyA and tODi back-to-back for sub-main and main in itself is great. As if that was not enough came the next two pieces in varALi and gauLipantu. The two padams were rendered in true classical gait and they were as they should be from the family which holds the authority in them. The jAvaLis and the viruttam were all very very moving. I was only sad that the concert ended too soon.

At the end of the two-and-half hours, i only wanted to listen to more of the music from this great person. The accompanists were totally perfect and they played the right way to be able to embellish the effect of such great music. They were so perfectly matching and together to the vocal music that one finds it tough to put them out separately and discuss.

I am totally wordless to express the richness of this vocal recital and have been short of words to put it exactly in black and white. Any degree of superlatives would still not reach where the music reached.