Kalpakam Swaminathan, Anna Nagar Music Circle.

Kalpakam Swaminathan - Veena
S R Padmavathi - Veena Support
M S Varadan - Mrudangam

Anna Nagar Music Circle. 30th July 2006. 5 pm
Chinmaya Vidyalaya School.

varNam in kannaDa - Adi
mahAgaNapatim - nATTai - rUpakam - MD (RS)
sarasvatyA bhagavatyA - chAyAgauLa - misra cApu - MD
yOcanA - darbAr - Adi - T
srI nArada - kAnaDA - rUpakam - T (RS)
mInAkshI - gamakakriyA - Adi - MD (RNS)
tani Avarththanam
rAmachandra prabhu - sindhubhairavi - ST

It was yet another lovely concert from the veteran vainika. The varNam was well presented. The nATTai AlApanai was done beautifully and the svarams were measured. The chAyAgauLa kriti was a rare treat and was played with a lot of bhavam.

The darbar kriti was played elegantly without some of the popular gimmicks. The kAnaDa AlApanai was well done as well. The svarams were very good.

The main gamakakriyA AlApanai was done beautifully and the tAnam was nice as well. The kriti was played with neraval at 'madurApuri nilayE maNivalayE' with beautiful svarams ending in a nice kOrvai.

Smt Swaminathan played another amazing concert, proving time and again that age is not a factor for music. Smt Padmavathi provided good support in playing the kritis. Sri Varadan did a good job in accompanying and during the tani.

A Concert that made my drive from triplicane to anna nagar, not a trip to repent for.

bharath

T M Krishna, Chettinad Fine Arts

T M Krishna - Nagai Muralidharan - Karaikkudi Mani - V Suresh

Chettinad Fine Arts, Chettinad Vidhyashram School

24th July 2006. 6:30 pm

sAmi daya jUta - kEdAragauLa varNam - Adi
srI mAtrubUtam - kannaDa - misra cApu - MD (S)
sabApathikku - AbhOgi - rUpakam - GKB
eththanai kOdi inbam - danyAsi - Adi - bAratiyAr (R)
sarasa sAma dAna - kApi nArAyaNi - Adi - T
evari mAta - kAmbhOji - Adi - T (R N?S?)
tani?

As entered the hall's balcony to find some space to sit and found some familiar faces too, Sri T M Krishna was singing "somasakham natasukasanakam", the anupallavi of the kannaDa kriti. What followed were some brisk TMK-style-long-flowing swaras which was well received.

The danyAsi AlApanai had a few nice phrases and was monotonous in some parts as well. The kriti was kinda repetitive.

The kAmbhOji AlApanai was nothing different from the former one, in terms of the format. It was again good in parts and monotonous otherwise, which quite a few cheap brigas thrown in hither and thither. I left the hall while he started the kriti.

It was another of those concerts which would make a typical mylpore mama and mami give a huge applause.

Personally i would say it was a rather unfortunate day that all the artists on stage were on their off season.

Trivandrum Venkataraman, Sravanam

Trivandrum Venkataraman - Veena
Umayalpuram Mali - Mrudangam

Sravanam, TTD Premesis. 3rd July 2006, 6 pm

sarasuDa ninnE - sAvEri - Adi
sarasIruhAsanapriyE - nATTai - Adi (S)
sObillu - jaganmOhini - rUpakam
janani ninnu vinA - rItigauLa - misra cApu (RS)
EtAvunarA - kalyANi - Adi(2) (RTS)
tani Avarththanam
srI vEnkaTagirIsham - suruTTi - Adi (R)
kR.SNa nI bEganE - yamunakalyANi - cApu (R)
jagadhOdhAraNa - kApi - Adi
tillAnA - danasrI - Adi
sAramaina - bEhAg - cApu (R)
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTRam - Adi

While performers grow old with every passing day, the music they bring out in their performances go young with every passing day. The music gets more polished and matured and it becomes more soothing to the ears as the person who performs gets older. This concert was yet another example to this.

The nATTai svarams invited me and the long korappu svaram he played was just too good. rItigauLa AlApanai was just the way it should be. From the first phrase, he just glided thro' the phrases and the AlApanai needless to say was awesome. He wrapped a quick set of svarams.

The kalyANi AlApanai was done well and the tAnam was good also. There were some real nice sangatis which made the kriti enjoyable. The svarams were good also.

The post tani part featured a beautiful suruTTi AlApanai. The yamunakalyANi AlApanai was done beautifully as well. All the kritis were rendered real good. The bEhAg AlApanai was lovely as well.

Sri Venkataraman played a superb concert. Sri Mali on the mrudangam did a good job with accompanying the veena and also, played a good tani.