From Samachar.com Concert Date: Tuesday, December 28, 1999 Sabha: Hamsadhwani Veena: Srikanth Chary Mridangam: A.J.Sharma Ghatam: Udipi Sridhar
Under Hamsadwani's auspices, Srikanth Chari gave a brilliant Veena recital to the above accompaniments. This recital was totally free of any cosmetic approach is a heartening feature. Secondly he was not 'fretly' but quite friendly at the frets with a beautiful fingering technique. Thirdly he kept the microphone - the villain of Carnatic Music (contact mike) attached to his veena at the optimum level. This intelligent technique made the 'musical accent' of the veena more audible which in turn doubled the 'musicfulness' of the entire recital.
He played with considerable vidwat, and with involvement. He began the recital with his guru Lalgudi Jayaraman's Sama raga varnam which the composer has 'structured' with all the architechtonic elements. Chari played the varnam with every anatomic beauty of it very much intact. This kind of smart beginning of the recital only presaged the kind of music that was to emanate from Srikanth Chari's veena.
St. Thyagaraja's Sobillu in Jagan Mohini was the next song which he rendered in a brisk pace in contrast to the slow-tempoed Dikshitar's composition Balasubramanyanu Bhajeham in Surati ragam. These two were a sumptuous feast to the listening ears.
His sense of raga choice came to the fore by the delightful alapana of Poorvi Kalyani that went ideally with the evening hour. It was followed by Syama Sastri's Ninuvinagamari in a balanced tempo.
An elaborate Bhairavi alapana he did. It was presented in all its depth with beautiful embellishments here and there but not to the unsavory extent of repetitions. It was a wholesome Bhairavi played to a haunting effect.
This Vainika was the fourth or the fifth musician to repeat Dikshitar's composition "Balagopala" in the above ragam. Yet the grandeur of it was as beautifically enjoyable as repeatedly doing Ramayana parayanam.
It was on the whole a sedate recital Srikanth Chari provided for Hamsadwani rasikas with a pure musical approach to raga conception, keertana, niraval and swara rendition. They were too just to proportions. He is equally steady in rhythm. The veena tonality was bold yet musicful.