Pantula Rama at Music Club, IIT Madras

Pantula Rama - M N S Murthy - Melakavery Balaji

vAtApi gaNapatim - hamsadvani - Adi - MD (RS)
nAdalOluDai - kalyANavasantam - rUpakam - T (R)
rAja rAja rAjithE - nirOshthA - tisra Adi - HMB (S)
marivere dikkevaraiyya rAmA - shanmukhapriyA - Adi (RNS)
palukavEmi nA deivamA - pUrNacandrikA - Adi - T
mOhana rAmA - mOhanam - Adi - T (RS)
taniyAvaratanam
nAnoru viLaiyATTu bommaiyyA - navarasa kannaDa - Adi - PS
tillAnA - dhanasrI - Adi - ST
nI nAma rUpamulaku

The concert started with a brisk hamsadvani AlApanai with swarams. The kalyANavasantam AlApanai was well executed, without the pathos mood, and so was the kriti. The nirOshtA kriti and its swarams were just hurried through.

The shanmukhapriyA AlApanai was rather interesting in the beginning but went on to become more and more of time-tested sancarams. The kriti was well rendered with neraval at 'sannutAnga srI venkatEsa nIvu nannu brOvakayunduta nyAyamA' and svarams.

The rare pUrNacandrikA kriti led to the mOhanam AlApanai which was normal only. There was still a more of mOhanam left out. The kriti and the svarams were good.

Smt. Rama had sung svarams in dvi kAlam and during the mEl kAlam, the clarity of the svarams were missing in umpteen places. In some parts of the concert, this practice to sing ultrafast svarams was very gimmicky and left more to be desired.

Sri Murthy on the violin was good in his AlApanais and trying to keep to the main artist in other parts of the concert. His mOhanam AlApanai was the mark of the concert.

Sri Balaji was good in accompanying all thro' the concert and his tani was good also.