Bhubaneswar, Nov. 17: A parade of classical singers and percussionists captivated the audience at a three-day music festival that concluded in Rabindra Mandap on Sunday.

An amalgamation of percussion instruments resonated in the auditorium on the closing day of the festival. With Satchidananda Dash on the mardala, Madhu Barman on tabla and Gopal Barman on sreekhole, the instrumentalists ushered in melodious renditions one after the other.

Alternating between solo and group recitals, the performance was quite energising. The co-ordination among the players was remarkable and even when they were playing in a group; the variation in the rhythms was perceptible.

The audience was also treated to Hindustani classical music by eminent vocalist Ashwini Bhide Deshpande of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. Employing her bandish compositions, words tied together in a particular raga, the singer’s powerful voice reverberated among the audience. Her compositions involved a lot of ragas, each having a different mood or rasa.

Deshpande, who had come from Mumbai, was quite elated after performing in the city.

“The state has a rich cultural heritage so it was a matter of utmost pleasure to perform here. I look forward to coming here again,” said Deshpande. “Music festivals exposes the youngsters to classical music so they should be frequently organised,” said the singer.

The festival also witnessed a duet performance by Odissi music vocalists Mitali Chinara and Sangita Panda. The bhajans and the Krishna Leela were very well received by the audience.

The traditional attires of the singers accentuated their stage presence.

Noted violinist Vidooshi Ramavarapu Madhuri Devi from Visakhapatnam also presented mellifluous recitals on her instrument. Accompanied on the mridangam by B.V.S. Prasad, and ghatam by R. Ravindra Tejasvi, the performance ably exposed the nuances of Carnatic music.

On the other hand, Kailash Patra’s handling of the violin was marked with flair. His renditions of Hindustani music on the violin skilfully demarcated it from the way it is implemented in western music.

Vocalist Vidyadhar Prasad Mishra’s performance on Hindustani music involved a lot of intricate ragas and invoked variant shades of classical music.

A large number of music lovers attended the festival. “I really liked the performance of the percussionists. It was incredible to see the way they synchronised with each other,” said 37-year old Anuja Routray, a homemaker.