Kalpakam Swaminathan, Music Club IIT Madras

Smt Kalpakam Swaminathan - Veena
Smt S R Padmavathi - Veena Support
Thanjavur Sri R Kumar - Mrudangam

Music Club IIT Madras 2nd Feb 2006

nEranammiti - kAnaDA varNam - aTa tALam - ramanathapuram srinivAsa iyengAr
vAtApi gaNapatim - hamsadvani - Adi - MD (S)
srI mAtAh - bEgaDa - Adi - MD (R)
duDugukala - gauLA - Adi - T
nIvE gAni - bilahari - cApu - T (RS)
EkAmranAtEsvarENa - caturangiNi - Adi - MD (RS)
srI sarasvatI - mAnji - Adi - MD
bruhannAyikE - AndALi - Adi - MD
gOvindarAjam upAsmahE - mukhAri - cApu - MD (R)
inkevarunnAru - sahAnA - Adi - aNNAsvAmi sAstri (R)
sEshAcala nAyakam - varALi - rUpakam - MD (R tAnam)
srI subramanyAya - kAmbhOji - rUpakam - MD (R)
gaNesa kumAra pAhimAm - chenchuruTTi - catusra Ekam - MD (R)
tani
simhAsanastitE - rAgamAlikA (saurAshTRam, vasanta, suruTTi, madhyamAvati) - rUpakam - MD

The concert started with a leisurely rendition of the aTa tALa varNam and the hamsadvani kriti had brisk svarams. The bEgaDa AlApanai was measured and portrayed all the essential sancarams of the ragam. The usage of the apradhi madhyamam was distinctly shown during the AlApanai. The kriti was rendered very well.

The pancaratnam which followed was good also. Playing both the svaram and sAhityam of all the caranams, Smt. Swaminathan displayed that instrumental music doesnot completely depend on just notes but can also show the lyrics. The bilahari AlApanai which followed was good and displayed the beauty of the ragam in full. The kriti chosen, it couldn't get rarer. The kriti was very good and the svarams which followed in both kIzh kAlam and mEl kAlam were very good. Rarity yet again was the caturangiNi AlApanai. The 66th asampUrNa mELam was well elaborated and the kriti was rendered with a lot of bhavam and svarams were good also.

If one all along thought, mAnji is playing bhairavi with mistakes, next came the proof of the contrary. From the word go, there was no influence of bhairavi at all. The kriti was rendered with a lot of weight and bhavam in it. The AndALi kriti which followed was a fast number played to have a change to mood and get the audience ready for what was suppose to come.

The next was a very good AlApanai of mukhAri and the kriti, another rare piece, was rendered very well. The sahAnA AlApanai was tooo good exactly showing how the gAndhAram should be a shade lower. The kriti with sparkling cittai svara sAhityam was well rendered. The next was a leisurely elaboration of varALi with all that was needed and more. The tAnam was even more better. The kriti was rendered in vilamba kAlam. The kAlapramANam was amazing and was too pleasing to the ears much more than the fast version of the kriti which is more popular.

Well that was not all, kAmbhOji was next in line. From the first sancaram there was a lot of bhavam and the short yet sweet AlApanai was aptly followed by the slow rendition of the kriti which was followed by change of naDai at the pallavi line and playing the pallavi line in second and third kAlams. Next in line was a very good elaboration of chenchuruTTi in madhyama sruthi with yet another rare kriti of dIkshitar.

The tani which followed was nice short crisp and well structured. The mangalam kriti was good also. Sri Kumar on mrudangam provided very good support and played according to each sangati and yet again prooved why he is the most sort after mrudangist for veena concerts. Though advancing age is having an impact, the music delivered by the octagenerian is not diluted at all, not even to one drop. The Sruthi Sudhdham even with the absence of any sruthi box, the exact gamakkas without any damage portraying the raga bhavam perfectly were all things which make one adore the artist. It was very great experience to hear musicians of this calibre live and enjoy it to the fullest.