B. Vijayagopal’s recital was about lyrical raga exploration and nuanced accompaniment

Mudhra’s five-day Venuganam festival, held from September 2 to 6 as part of the Janmashtami celebrations, returned for its third edition with a thoughtfully curated tribute to the flute. The festival’s second day featured flautist B. Vijayagopal with B. Ananthakrishnan on the violin, Vijay Natesan on the mridangam and Tiruchi Krishnaswamy on the ghatam.

Vijayagopal opened with a compact sketch of Kamalamanohari. Though brief, the alapana was sufficiently evocative to establish the raga’s contours before moving to Muthuswami Dikshitar’s ‘Kanchadalayatakshi’. The flute and the violin found a natural conversational space, with Ananthakrishnan responding sensitively to Vijayagopal’s phrases, while the mridangam and ghatam provided a firm, unobtrusive rhythmic foundation. A well-placed set of kalpanaswaras neatly tied the piece together.

This was followed by Tyagaraja’s ‘Baganayya’ in Chandrajyothi, presented with a smooth tonal flow. Behag came up next, with Vijayagopal offering a pleasing alapana marked by neat brigas and a seamless movement across the octaves. Ananthakrishnan closely mirrored the flute’s melodic contours, bringing out the raga’s character with sensitivity. Swati Tirunal’s ‘Smara janaka’, set to Misra Chapu tala was his next choice. The kriti ensued in a neat round of kalpanaswaras, set to two kalams. The mridangam and ghatam worked in close coordination, providing lively support.

A change of pace came with Patnam Subramania Iyer’s ‘Garuda gamana’ in Nagaswaravali. Played in madhyama kala, the rendition added another shade to the concert’s carefully chosen repertoire, reflecting the variety of composers and compositions that marked the evening.

Staying true to the bhava-rich character of raga Abheri, an expressive alapana paved the way for Mysore Vasudevachar’s ‘Bhajare re manasa’. The rendition sustained its emotional depth throughout, capturing the calm devotion embedded in the composition. A niraval at ‘Ravana mardhanam’ was followed by a precise round of kalpanaswaras, with the mridangam and ghatam responding with utmost sensitivity. The ensuing tani avartanam was built around skilful on-and off-beat sollus, with the two percussionists complementing each other and maintaining a balance throughout.

A shift in mood came with Kalki Krishnamurthi’s ‘Malai pozhudhinile’, a ragamalika featuring Chenchurutti, Behag, Sindhubhairavi, Mohanam and Mayamalavagowla. The recital ended on a buoyant note with Patnam Subramania Iyer’s Khamas thillana.