Lilting Traditional Strings from a Beloved Father-Son Duo
HOUSTON: Vidwan Sri Vittal Ramamurthy’s association with Houston is 40 years long, as he himself noted, having presented his first concert here in 1995 (with Vidushi Bombay Jayashree), and having visited here almost every year in those 40 years (with the exception of 2 years). The US musical family of Vittal Sir (as he is fondly known in the Houston music community) has grown immensely in these years and so has his own family! This 2025 concert in Houston was presented by him, not only as a stellar musician of the brilliant Lalgudi bani, but also as a proud father alongside his immensely talented star son, Srihari Vittal.
The unique father-son concert presented on Sep 7, 2025 at the divine Sri Sharadamba Temple’s Shankara Hall is part of a US fall concert tour coordinated by Layyasaaram Institute of Indian Arts and SaMaa Arts, titled “Sampradaaya – Strings of Tradition” along with accomplished maestros Vidwan Sri Thanjavur Murugabhoopathi (mridangam) and Vidwan Sri S V Ramani (ghatam).
True to its name and theme, the concert began traditionally with an impeccable rendition of the famous ata tala varnam, Viriboni in Bhairavi ragam. This was followed by a melodious and invocatory Sarasiruhasanapriye in Nattai which also gave us a first glimpse of Srihari’s prowess on the violin as he matched his father’s virtuosity in the shower of kalpanaswarams. Next came Sri Thyagaraja’s popular Marugelara O Raghava in Jayantasri ragam. It is amazing how a composition rendered purely on the violin can be presented so uniquely compared to a vocal rendition, and although Jayantasri has a fairly rigid structure with limited scope for variation, Vittal Sir’s violin brought out its charm beautifully, matching the bhaava of Sri Thyagaraja Swami’s cry of devotion to Lord Rama.
Next in line was the beautiful Marivere Dikkevaru in Lathangi by Sri Patnam Subramanya Iyer. The piece began with a lovely alapana in this pure classical raga of different shades by Srihari, that elicited spontaneous appreciation from his father. And through the melody and rhythm of the composition and swarams, the rendition held the audience in rapt attention, swaying to the lilting strings of the violin duo along with the accented strokes of the amazing percussionists as all four of them vied with each other to drench us in a musical shower.
Then came the supremely sublime Janani Ninnuvina in Reetigowla, Sri Subbaraya Shastri’s heartfelt ode to the Divine Mother. The magnificently mellifluous composition combined with the delicate and deep nature of raga Reetigowla, and the flowing magic that Vittal Sir can create with his instrument, bringing forth music that is deep, subtle, resonant and uplifting at the same time, touched a chord in every listener’s heart.
This was followed by a special offering to the temple’s deity, Sringeri Sharadamba, through a composition that praised Her – “Sangeetha Samrajya Sancharini, Sringara Sringeripuravasini” in Mohanakalyani.
The main piece of the evening was Sri Thyagaraja’s monumental Chakkani Raja Margamu in Kharaharapriya, where he glorifies the beautiful ‘royal’ path of Bhagavata Dharma and Bhakti – which is chanting the divine name of Rama, listening to His stories and enjoying His form – and asks why one would ever struggle and get lost in the by-lanes of other difficult paths when there was this royal, smooth and joyful road to salvation! Vittal Sir’s profound and moving Kharaharapriya alapana brought forth Sri Thyagaraja’s heartfelt compassion seeing all the people lost in the mire and confusion of the world, when there was the ready royal Rama Nama road to happiness. The numerous sangathis of Kharaharapriya that the composition is famous for, were beautifully presented, again wonderfully uniquely in violin compared to vocal renditions. The neraval, swarams and koraippu were of course splendid and made even more enjoyable through Vittal Sir’s own enjoyment of the music being created on stage. Srihari superbly matched and complemented his father’s proficiency, creativity, and passion in the music.
Vidwan Murugabhoopathi’s skillful and strong mridangam sang along with the sangathis and swarams while Vidwan Ramani’s expert ghatam enhanced the presentation through exceptional melodic rhythms that are exclusive to this exquisite instrument. A thani avartanam with both mridangam and ghatam is especially joyful to listen to, and when performed by such experienced artistes as these two vidwans, the interplay between the two instruments (including a segment of single-handed subtle strokes by Vidwan Murugabhoopathi) with the gradual buildup to the korvai crescendo took the listeners on a truly joyful ride.
The latter part of the concert included a couple of lovely and popular compositions that are particularly enjoyable as instrumental renditions – a soulful Manasa Sancharare and a poignant Enna Thavam Seidhanai Yashoda preceded by a brief Kapi ragam by Srihari that pulled at the heart strings.
Right before the finale, Vidushi Kruthi Bhat came on stage to lead an offering of the song, Garuda Gamana Tava Charanakamalamiha, composed by Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham’s Sri Bharathi Tirtha Mahaswamiji, to commemorate his 75th Varadhanti Mahotsava.
The audience as well as the musicians, who were both enjoying the music immensely, then reluctantly came to the conclusion of the concert, which was also a treat to the ears with the sweet Behag Tillana, a shining star in the long lineup of dazzling tillanas by Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman.
The father-son duo with their accomplished accompanists will continue their concert tour of the US through the fall, in various cities around the country. See the full schedule here and make sure to catch them in a city near you: https://carnaticamerica.com/series/vittal-ramamurthy-srihari-vittal-tour-fall-2025/