Trivandrum Venkataraman, Saraswathi Vaggeyakkara Trust

Trivandrum R Venkataraman - Trichur C Narendran - Pudukkottai N Ramachandran

Saraswathi Vaggeyakkara Trust. NGS Mini Hall
11th September 2008. 6:30 pm

sarasIruhAsana priyE - nATTai - Adi - PDI (short sketch, S)
mAmava sadA varadE - nATTakuranji - rUpakam - ST (RNS)
mundu vEnugA - darbAr - Adi - T
bhajarE rE citta - kalyANi - misra cApu - MD (RNS)
rAma nIyaDa - kharaharapriyA - Adi - T (RTNS)
tani
rAgamAlika tAnam in aTANA, sAvEri, kAmbhOji, hamsAnandi, khamAs
marubAri - khamAs - Adi
sAramaina - bEhAg - rUpakam - ST (R)
visvEsvara - sindhubhairavi - rUpakam - ST (R)
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T

What an amazing concert it was!

The concert began with a punchy rendition of the nATTai kriti with elaborate rounds of svarams with korappu as well. The AlApanai of nATTAikuranji included a lot of weighty phrases and made it a heavy beginning. The kriti was rendered effortlessly with detailed neraval and svarams at the caraNam line. The darbAr kriti was stunningly rendered.

The AlApanai of kalyANi was very classical and made one expect bhajarE rE citta, which eventually followed. The neraval and svarams were done very beautifully. The main AlApanai of kharaharapriyA was awesome. The tAnam was brilliant. The kriti was rendered with elaborate neraval svarams.

The post tani session had an elaborate rAga-tAna-mAlikA followed by the khamAs jAvaLi. The bEhAg and sindhubhairavi AlApanais were both done leisurely and kindling the right senses.

In all, Sri Venkataraman's Veena recital was one of its kind. The effortless way in which he handles this intricate instrument has never failed to amaze me. All his renditions were too good to be true. One only wishes he gets due recognitions, before it would be too late.

Sri Narendran on the mridangam played second veena, on his mridangam. His playing gelled so well to the main artist's playing that one realised the existance of percussion instruments only during the korappu parts and during the tani. Sri Ramachandran was enjoying the party as well. His playing was also well absorbed into the total nAdam that was being filled into the hall. The tani was elaborate and rendered very well.

A concert of great quality and one that filled the rasikas mind, heart and soul.