Trivandrum Venkatraman, Music Club IIT Madras

Thiruvananthapuram Sri. R. Venkataraman - vINai
Vellore Sri. G. Ramabhadaran - mrUdangam

23rd Sept 04 Music Club IIT Madras

varNam - nATTai - paramEsvara bhAgavatar
vAtApi gaNapatim - hamsadvani - muthusvAmi dIkshitar
tanavAri tanamu - bEgaDa - tyAgarAjar
mAmava mInAkshI - varALi - muthusvAmi dIkshitar
indha kaNTE - kannaDa - ramanAthapuram (pUchi) srinivAsa iyengAr
rAma rAma guNa sIma - simmEndra madyamam - svAti tirunAL
tanyAvardanam
rAga(tAna)mAlika in aTANA, danyAsi, sAmA, Ananda bhairavi, bEhAg
sAramaina - bEhAg - svAti tirunAL
jagadOdhAraNa - kApi - purandara dAsar
kr.SNa nI bEganE bArO - yamunakalyANi
mangalam - saurAshtram

The concert started with a refreshing nATTai varNam, with kalpanai svarams. Then came a short hamsadvani AlApanai and vAtApi gaNapatim was rendered with svarams at the pallavi line. The first elaborate piece was a good bEgaDa AlApanai, the tyAgarAja kriti tanavAri tanamu was well played with svarams.

varALi AlApanai started on a slightly tentative note but developed into its full form as it progressed. mAmava mInAkshi had neraval at "shyAmE sankari tigvijaya pradAbini" with svarams. The rare kannaDa kriti was definitely a good change of mood for the main simendramadhyamam. The AlApanai and tAnam were good and the kriti had neraval at
"munimAnasa tamA mrugamada sulalAma" and svarams. This was followed by a beautiful taniyAvardanam.

Soon after the tani, Sri. Venkataraman started off with a tAnam in aTANA and then into danyAsi. This was followed by sAmA in which he could not quite maitain the tempo of a tAnam and, instead, sketched an AlApanai; this was followed by Anandabhairavi and bEhAg rAga and culminated in the jAvali in bEhAg. A short kApi AlApanai and jagadOdharaNa was followed by kr.SNa nI bEganO bArO in madhyama sruthi.

Sri VenkatarAman's penchant for adventurous brigAs on the veena, his overall grip over all the aspects of manOdharma sangitam carried the day for him notwithstanding some slips while playing and a recalcitrant vINa that refused to stay with the sruti! Adding to his discomfiture was the unbelievable sight of Sri Ramabhadran's mridangam also staying a trifle above the sruti, presumably due to the air-conditioning in a sparsely populated auditorium!