Vijai Siva, Sri Nagar Colony Sath Sangam

N Vijai Siva - R K Shriram Kumar - N Manoj Siva

Srinagar Colony Sath Sangam, Saidapet Varasiddhi Vinayakar Temple.
Sri Ramanavami Concert series.

31st March 2006

slOkam followed by gam gaNapatE - hamsadvani - tisra Adi - HMB (NS)
mApAla velasikA - asAvEri - Adi - T
ninnu vinA - pUrvikalyANi - vilOma misra cApu - SS (RS)
Ora jUpu chOsEdi - kannaDa gauLa - Adi - T (RN)
cEta srI - dvijAvanti - tisra Ekam - MD
slOkam 'kumArA IsOha' followed by kArtikEya gAngEya - tODi - Adi - PS (RNS)
taniyAvardanam
sAradA bhujangam - ashTarAgamAlikA - Adi sankarar (tuned by RKS)
bArE pANDurangA - mAND - tukkArAm
slokam 'kalyANNOlAsa' in Ahiri, yamunakalyANi, maNirangu
mAmava paTTAbhirAmA - maNirangu - cApu - MD
tEvAram hymn - senchuruTTi
kandar anubUthi - rAgamAlikA - aruNagirinAtar
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTRam

The concert was very good and filled with classism from the word go. Starting late, because of the traffic at Saidapet, thanks to the elections, Sri Vijai Siva, was in no mood to dilute the music for the accomadating the delay. He was still his fullest and sang with a lot of bhavam.

The invocatory kriti with neraval at 'pankajAsanAdi vandita bhaktArti haraNamudita' with svaram at the pallavi line was a good start and was suitably followed by the asAvEri kriti.

pUrvikalyANi was elaborated well and the kriti in vilOma cApu was rendered in a rather hurried kAlapramANam than the usual viLamba kAla. the svaram were measured and good. The highlight of the concert was the kannaDAgauLa AlApanai. It was very well elaborated showing the beauty of the ragam and so did the neraval at 'dIna rakSaka shrta mAnava san-tAna gAnalOla tyAgarAjanuta'. The dvijAvanti kriti which followed was very moving and rendered with a lot of bhavam.

The main tODi AlApanai was rendered with a lot of classicm and showing essential parts of the ragam. The kriti was rendered with all the three caraNams and the way each line kept reminding one of renditions of old masters. The neraval and svarams at 'mAl maruga shaNmuga muruga guhA magapatiyum vidiyum tozhu' were very good, with neraval done in three kAlams.

The post tani part saw a nice rendition of sArada bhujangam and the rAgamAlikA slOkam leading to the maNirangu kriti. Other pieces were all good also.

Sri Shriram Kumar was good in all parts as usual. With every concert he is prooving his capablities of playing as one needs to play accompanying the main artist. He stood up to the main artist all thro' the concert.

Sri Manoj Siva was quite playing all the kriti on the mrudangam. He played with such anticipation and was very good even while accompanying the neraval and svarams. His tani was good also.

A Sundaresan, Hamsadvani & Lion Club - Shyama Sastri Day

Shyama Sastri Day

Hamsadvani & Lions Club

A Sundaresan - Vocal
Gayathri Venkataraghavan & Vasumathi Desikan - Vocal Support
V V Ravi - Fiddle
R Ramesh - Mrudangam


(pic from www.thehindu.com)

nA manavini vinu - saurAshTRam varNam - catusra jAti aTa tALam (R)
pAhimAm srI rAjarAjEsvari - nATTai - tisra Adi
dEvi nI pada sArasamulE - kAmbhOji - Adi (2)
karuNa jUDavammA - varALi - misra cApu
kAmAkshI parayugamu - yadhukula kAmbhOji - misra cApu (R)
Emani migula - tODi - Adi(2) (R)
mAyammA - nATTakuranji - Adi(2) (RS)
tani
brOva samayamidE - punnAgavarALi - Adi(2)
sankarI sankarI - kalyANi mangalam - kaNDa jAti aTa tALam

The concert was scheduled to begin at 6 pm. There was an eventless felicitation function from 6:30 pm and the concert actually started at 7:30 pm. Sri Sundaresan said he will sing till 9:15 or so. He also spoke about the essential aspects of the doyen's compositions for about 15 minutes. Such functions tell one not attend any of the concerts with felicitation ceremonies preceeding them time and again.

The concert started after all the wait with a brisk short sketch of saurAshTram. The varNAm was rendered superbly with the anubandam intact. It was very refreshing to hear a varNam with anubandam. The nATTai kriti which followed was good and the mention of svarajati compositions thro' the sAhitya 'svarajati kalpita saHNgItarasikE' was highlighted. This was followed by nice renditions of the kAmbhOji and varALi kritis.

The yadukula kAmbhOji AlApanai was good and showed all the essential sancarams of the ragam. The svarajati was rendered very well. The short tODi AlApanai was nice and the kriti which followed was also well rendered. The nATTakuranji AlApanai was good and the kriti ended with mEl kala svarams. The punnAgavarALi kriti and the kalyANi mangalam were very good as well.

All the alapanais were very short and one could visibly see Sri Sundaresan rushing thro' the pieces. One guesses that he did this to not miss anything he had planned to sing. He did a good job in choice of kritis. All of them were pieces, which one would have heard off, but never actually heard.

Smt Venkataraghavan and Smt Desikan could have been a bit more feebler considering they were giving Vocal Support. There voice was in some places overshadowing the voice of Sri Sundaresan. Partly the sound system and its in-charge needs to be blamed for not having set the microphones properly. Sri Sundaresan's Microphone was on atrociously low volume while Smt Venkataraghavan, who was off sruthi many a times, had a high volume on her microphone.

Sri Ravi on the violin was also off sruthi. His essays were rather normal and the bowing was shrieky at places.

Sri Ramesh on the mrudangam provided very good accompaniment and one could feel him playing the sangatis. The tani was very well structured and the two Avartana kOrvai at the end of the tani was just too good.

Manda Sudharani, Music Club IIT Madras

Manda Sudharani - Usha Rajagopalan - N Manoj Siva - N Guruprasad

Music Club IIT Madras. 16th March 2006

sarasija nAba - kAmbhOji - aTa tALam - Vadivelu
ninnu jUci - saurAshTRam - Adi - Patnam Subramanya Iyer (R)
mI valla guNadOsha - kApi - kaNDa cApu - T (RS)
nI pAdamulE - navarasa kannaDa - Adi - Ramanathapuram Srinivasa Iyengar
mInAkshI mE mudam dEhi - pUrvikalyANi - Adi - MD (RNS)
tani
sarasa sAma dAna - kApi nArAyaNi - Adi - T
R T P - mOhanam - catusra jAti maTya tALam (tisra naDai) sama eDuppu
'maruvakudaya mOhanAngA sannutAnga srI rangA'
nArI maNi - khamAs jAvaLi - Adi
tillAnA - chenchuruTTi - Adi - Mysore Seshanna/Maharaja Krishna Rajendra Wodeyar
patiki hArati rE - suruTTi - Adi - T

The concert began with a weightly rendition of the kAmbhOji varNam in two kAlams. The saurAshTRam AlApanai was very good and with a lot of nice sancarams showing rAga bhavam. The kriti was rendered well.

The kApi AlApanai was well sung to the limits of the ragam showing essential raga lakshanams. The kalpana svarams at the pallavi line in 4 kAlams with korappu to 'ga' was nice. The navarasa kannaDa kriti which followed was good with sparkling cittai svarams.

The pUrvikalyANi AlApanai was nice and kriti was rendered with aesthetic sangatis. The neraval and svarams at 'madurA puri nilayE maNi valayE' were very good and quite a few unfamiliar passages were rendered which were good.

The mOhanam AlApanai started in a very classical fashion. Though short, it was quite heavy and delivered the essence of the rAgam. The tanam was sung well. The pallavi was rendered well with the mandatory anulOma pratilOma and change in naDais and a short tani. One couldnt stop believing that the pallavi was drastically short.

The khamAs jAvaLi, the suruTTi utsava sampradAya kriti and the tillAna were good also.

The violinst was good and did her job well in solo parts and also while accompanying.

The mrudangist was very sensible in his accompanying style. His tani was good. The Ghatam artists was good also.

K Saraswathi Vidyarthi, Music Club IIT Madras

K Saraswathi Vidyarthi - Padma Shankar - K V Gopalakrishnan

Music Club IIT Madras

manasija kOTi lAvaNya - hindOLam varNam - Adi - Dr. Pinkapani
slokam "Ekadantam mahAkAyam" - hamsdvani
abhishtavarda - hamsadvani - Adi (S)
dEva dEva - mAyAmALAvagauLa - rUpakam - ST (NS)
mantra balam - hamsanAdam - Adi
aparAdamula - darbAr - kaNDa cApu - T (RS)
mAnamu lEdA - hamIrkalyANi - Adi - T (RS)
naraharim - jaya suddha mALAvi - tisra tripuTa - MD
vara rAga layA - chenchukAmbhOji - Adi - T
R T P - Anandabhairavi - divya sankIrNa tirupuTa (lagu tisra naDai, drutam catusra naDAi) sama eDuppu
'rAma rAma ragurAma jaya jaya rAmA raghuvIra raNadIRa'
rAgamAlikA svarams in vAsanti, dvijAvanti, maduvanti, suruTTi
tani
ninnu jUci - punnAgavarALi padam - tisra tripuTa - kshEtragna
mODi jEsevElarA - khamAs jAvaLi - Adi
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTRam - Adi - T
sriyatkAntAya and mangalam kOsalEndrAya - madhyamAvati

The concert started with a brisk rendition of the hindOLam varNam. The hamsadvani kriti which was preceded by a nice slOkam and two line AlApanai was good and so were the svarams. The neraval and svaram in the mAyAmALAvagauLa kriti were very well done.

The first AlApanai was a brisk and good darbAr. The kriti which followed and the svarams were very good. The hamIrkalyANi AlApanai was very leisurely and the kriti was rendered with a lot of bhavam, with nice svarams.

The AlApanai of Anandabhairavi for the pallavi was done with a lot of leisure. The tanam was good also. The pallavi was in a rather intricate tALam with 6 beats in the lagu in tisra naDai and two drutams in catusra nADai. The pallavi was sung beautifully showcasing all that is there in Anandabhairavi. Though short, all the rAga mAlika svarams were very good. The padam which followed was moving and left one wishing to hear more of it.

The artist has a good and flexible voice. Her manOdarmam is also very good and appreciable. It wasnt evident that she had throat problems till she announced. It was later that one realised why some pieces were cut short, the throat was not cooperating.

The violinst was good and supportive in all parts. She did a good job with all the AlApanais and svarams also.

The mrudangist was very good also. His playing for the kriti and the quick response during the pallavi were all good. The tani in a unfamiliar talam was good as well.

Over all a very good concert.

Seetha Rajan, Music Club IIT Madras

Seetha Rajan - V Sanjeev - P Satish Kumar

Music Club IIT Madras. 9th March 2006

sarasuDa ninnE - sAvEri varNam - Adi
manasu karugatEmO - hamsadvani - rUpakam - Patnam Subramania Iyer (S)
gnana sabhaiyil - sArangA - misra cApu - PS
enta ninnE - mukhArI - rUpakam - T (RNS)
ninnuvinA gamari - pUrvikalyANi - viloma misra cApu - SS (RS)
cEDe buddhi - aTANA - Adi - T (RS)
nIrajAkshi - hindOLam - rUpakam - MD
O rangashAyI - kAmbhOji - Adi - T (RNS)
tani
mora tOpu - sahAnA padam - tisra tripuTa - kshEtragna
Ada pAduvE - hamsAnandi - Adi - PD
bansi vAlE - mOhana kalyANi - Adi - ST
tillAnA - vasanta - Adi
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTRam - Adi - T

The concert started with a brisk rendition of the sAvEri varNam to be followed by the hamsadvani kriti with well structured svarams. The sArangA kriti was rendred with a lot of bhavam.

The first AlApanai of the evening was mukhAri which was done very well. The kriti was rendered with a lot of sAhitya suddham with neraval and svarams at 'kannulAra sEvinchi... '

The next was a long leisurely elaboration of pUrvikalyANi. The choice of the kriti was very apt to the AlApanai that was sung and the song was rendered with a lot of bhavam and not the regular caraNam one gets to hear, but one of the others. The svarams in both kAlam were good. The aTANA short sketch which followed and the kriti were good. The sparkling mEl kAla svarams at the pallavi line for the aTANA kriti were very good.

The hindOLAm kriti was rendered in a good kAlapramANam with a lot of bhavam. The main kAmbhOji AlApanai was good. The kriti was rendered with elaborate neraval and svarams at 'bhUlOka vaikuNTam idiyani'. The highlight of the concert was easily the sahAnA padam. The padam was blissfully rendered showing the raga bhavam very well. After the padam, everything else refused to fall into my ears. The concert was an affair of classism in the fullest. Her manOdarmam and sAhitya suddham are to be appreciated a lot.

The violinst was good. He was sensitive in his replies, though he must keep a watch on his prolonged AlApanais.

The mrudangist was very good and was very good in expecting what comes next. His supportive accompaniment to the main artist and the amazing tani were very good.

Suguna Purushottaman and Suguna Varadachari, Hamsadvani

Suguna Purushottaman and Suguna Varadachari - Vocal Duet
Charulatha Ramanujam - Violin
Mannarkoil Balaji - Mrudangam


(pic from www.thehindu.com)

1st March 2006

enta ninnE teluputurA - khamAs pada varNam - tisra Ekam (2) - Subbarama dikshitar
manasu nilpa - AbhOgi - Adi - T (S)
O jagadambA - Anandabhairavi - Adi (2) - SS (R S)
gaTTi gAnu - bEgaDa - tisra Adi - T
rAma nAmamE tuNai - rAma priyA - Adi (2) - Suguna Purushottaman (R N S)
srI visvanAtam - caturdasa rAgamAlikA - Adi - MD
endu dAginADO - tODi - misra cApu - T (R N S)
taniyAvartanam
caraNa kamalAlayatai - kAvadi cindu - kaNDa cApu
nI nama rUpamulaku - saurAshTRam - adi - T

The concert started with a very bright note in the weighty rendition of the pada varNam. Who at all sings varNams which are longer than most kritis with 4 caraNam and cittai svara sAhityams for each of them.It was a very refreshing start to the concert and made many a rasika sit up.

The AbhOgi kriti was rendered with nicely structured svarams. The short AlApanai of Anandhabhairavi by Smt Varadachari was very good and displayed the full rAga bhavam. The kriti was rendered in a rather leisurely manner in a much slower tempo than what one gets to hear in concerts. The svarams at 'kanna talli' were good. The bEgaDa kriti was just put in to give a change of moods, getting one ready for what was to come.

Smt Varadachari extensively elaborated rAmapriya in madhayama sthayI while Smt Purushottam did a equally good job with the tAra sthAyi and mEl kalam before leaving it to Smt Varadachari to finish up the AlApanai with the mandhara sthAyI explorations. The kriti in vilamba kAlam was good and showed all the essentialities of the rAgam. It was rendered very well with neraval and svarams at 'rAghavA ravi kula AdavA yena thudhi'.

srI visvanAtam was rendered in a slower-than-normal kalapramANam and exactly displaying the rAga transitions. It was very good.

The main AlApanai in tODi was well structured. Similar to the rAmapriyA, Smt Varadachari sang the AlApanai in the madhayama sthAyI while Smt Purushottaman took off from the tArasthAyI shadjam to wrap up. The rare kriti was rendered well with neraval and svarams at "sthambamu lOpala nuNDaga lEdA". The kAvaDi chindu was good also.

It was nice to see two established singers sharing stage and singing as a duo. There was good coordination and understanding and both of them complimented each other in their singing. Though they said, we havent planned or rehersed, but just spoke over once as to what to sing, the concert was so good and was better coordinated that most other duo concerts.

The violinst was very good. She did a good job in all parts. Her accompanying was good and so was her solo parts.

The mrudangist was good in lending good laya support. He was sensible in playing according to the kriti. The tani was good also.

Overall, a different kind of experience, of course on the positive side.