Chingleput Ranganathan, Nada Inbam

Chingleput Ranganathan - Vittal Ramamurthy - Shertalai Ananthakrishnan - KV Gopalakrishnan

Nada Inbam
30 Dec 08. 6:15 pm

ninnukOri - mOhanam - Adi - RSI
duDukugala - gauLa - Adi - T
vAtApi gaNapatim - hamsadvani - Adi - MD (S)
niravati sukhadA - ravichandrikA - Adi - T (RS)
rAma nI vAdu - kalyANi - tisra Adi - T (RNS)
bhAvayE parama gurum - hamsAnandi - Adi - Meesu Krishna Iyer (R)
chakkani rAja mArgamu - kharaharapriyA - Adi - T (RST)
karuvil uruvAgi - senjuruTTi - kaNDa naDai Adi - Thiruppugazh
tillAnA - Ananda bhairavi - tisra Ekam

It was a great concert. The AlApanais of ravichandrikA and kalyANi were totally out of the world. The svarams were all measured. They involved some intricate kaNakku. There were long bouts of scintillating sarvalaghu svarams as well. The main kharaharapriyA was nice as well. Sri Karthik Subramanian, disciple of Sri Ranganathan, provided vocal support and shared some of the neraval, svarams as well. The accompanists were very good and played appropriately.

Nandita Ravi, Nada Inbam

Nandita Ravi - Ranjani Ramakrishnan Arun - Ganapathi Raman

Nada Inbam
30 Dec 08. 4 pm

chalamEla - darbAr - Adi
gajAnanayutam - chakravAkam - Adi - MD (sketch, S)
anudinamunu - bEgaDa - rUpakam - PSI (RNS)
vinarAdanA manavi - dEvagAndhAri - Adi - T
pancha bAna - pUrvikalyANi - Adi - ST (RS)
cEta srI - dvijAvanti - rUpakam - MD
nekkurugI - AbhOgi - Adi - PS
ninnE nammi nAnu - tODi - misra cApu - SS (RNST)
nAri maNi - khamAs - rUpakam - DS
nIla varNa pAhimAm - suruTTi - Adi - ST

It was a good concert. The kalpitam and manOdarmam parts were both very well executed and it made an enjoyable concert on the whole. The accompanists were very good as well.

Trivandrum Venkataraman, Nada Inbam

Trivandrum Venkataraman - Guruvayur Dorai - Thirupunitura Radhakrishnan

Nada Inbam
27 Dec 08. 6:15 pm

karuNimpa idi - sahAnA - Adi (short sketch) [varNam]
rA rA mA inTidAka - asAvEri - Adi - T (RS)
karuNA samudrA - dEvagAndhAri - Adi - T
srI bAla subramaNyA - bilahari - misra cApu - MD (RNS)
marivErE - Anandabhairavi - misra cApu - SS (RS)
durmArgajarA - ranjani - rUpakam - T (R)
kaligiyunTE - kIravANi - ADi - T (RTNS)
tani
gAngEya vasana - hamIrkalyANi - Adi - ST (R)
taruNi nyAn - dvijAvati - misra cApu - ST (R)
visvEsvara darisan - sindhubhairavi - rUpakam - ST (R)
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T

It was a superb concert. All the renditions were stunning. The kritis, neraval and svarams and AlApanais were all very very impressive. It was all soaked in deep classicism and rendered rather effortlessly. The AlApanais of asAvEri and Anandabhairavi were especially very moving. Those of bilahari and ranjani and kIravANi were very quite elaborate. The tAnam was very good. The accompanists were very supportive. The tani was quite elaborate and made very interesting to listen as well.

K Bharat Sundar, Nada Inbam

K Bharat Sundar - Ambika Prasad - Ramasubramanian

Nada Inbam
27 Dec 08. 4 pm

inta calamu - bEgaDa - Adi - VK (S)
jAnakI ramaNa - suddha sImantini - Adi - T
ninnE nEra namminAnu rA - kAmavardini - rUpakam - T (RNS)
janani ninnuvinA - rItigauLa - misra cApu - Subbaraya Sastri (R)
bOgIndra sAyinam - kuntala varALi - kaNDa cApu - ST
kaddana vAriki - tODi - Adi - T (RNST)
irakkam varAmal - bEhAg - rUpakam - GKB (short sketch)
maN pugazh kOsalai - rAgamAlikA - kaNDa cApu
bhAjat muraLi murArE - patdIp - Adi - ST

It was a very good concert. The vocalist did very well and all the pieces were very well rendered. It was very classical as well. The violinst was very good. The mridangist was rather off beat.

Vittal Ramamurthy & Padma Shankar - Fiddle Duet, Krishna Gana Sabha

Vittal Ramamurthy & Padma Shankar - Neyveli Narayanan - Udupi Sridhar

Krishna Gana Sabha
27 Dec 08. 2 pm

marivErE - latAngi - kaNDa cApu - PSI (RS)
akhilANDEsvarIm - dvijAvanti - Adi - MD (RS)
amba vANi nannu - kIravANi - Adi - HMB (N)
mahita praviddha - kAmbhOji - tisra tripuTa - T (RST)
mAnasa sanchararE - sAmA - Adi - Sadasiva Brahmendrar
kAkkai siraginilE - rAgamAlikA - Adi -Bharathiyar
jagaddOdhAraNa - kApi - Adi - PD
tillAnA - sindhubhairavi - Adi - LGJ

It was a good concert. Thanks to all the one-way restrictions and the flyover work in T Nagar, i reached late. Smt. Padma played latAngi AlApanai. Sri Ramamurthy elaborated dvijAvanti, while they shared kAmbhOji. The svarams and neraval were all shared. It was a good concert. They both played with a lot of understanding and there was a good unison. All kritis were well rendered and the accompanists were good as well.

Amritha Murali, Music Academy

Amritha Murali - Ranjani Ramakrishnan Arun - Tanjore K Praveen Kumar

Music Academy
27 Dec 08. 12 Noon

valaci vacchii - navarAgamalikA - Adi - PSI [varNam]
nIlAyadAkshi - paras - tisra tripuTa - SS (S)
raghupatE rAmA - sahAnA - rUpakam - T (RS)
saundararAjam AshrayE - brindAvana sArangA - tisra Ekam - MD
vara nArada - vijayashrI - Adi - T
sankarAchAryam - sankarAbharaNam - Adi (2 kaLai) - Subbarama Dikshitar(RNST)
thandai thAyum nI - viruttham in bEhAg, kApi and mAnji
varugalAmo - mAnji - rUpakam - GKB

It was a very impressive concert. The youngster did a very good job with the pieces and handled them very elegantly. There was a deep classical touch to all that was rendered. The accompanists were very good as well.

Charumathi Ramachandran, Music Academy

Charumathi Ramachandran, Subhashree Ramachandran - M R Gopinath - M L N Raju - Anirudh Athreya

Music Academy
27 Dec 08. 9:15 am

nI daya rAdA nIrajAkshI - AndhOLikA - Adi (S) [varNam]
pArvati patim - hamsadvani - Adi - MD
murugA tirumAl marugA - harikAmbhOji - rUpakam - PS (short sketch)
sivam vrushabhArUDam - mOhana kalyANi - kaNDa cApu - HMB (RNS)
anna pUrNE - sAmA - Adi - MD
mAyammA yaninE - Ahiri - Adi - SS (short sketch)
mitrI bhAgyamE - kharaharapriyA - Adi - T (RNS)
tani
mANikkam kaTTi - pAsuram in bEhAg
orutthi maganAi - bEhAg - Adi - Andal Thiruppavai
RTP - aTANA - kaNDa aTa tALam kaNDa naDai (2 akshara eDuppu, 7 akshara aridi)
mOhana rAmA lAvaNya rAmA rAma rAma guNA sImA dasaratha nandana dAsarathi rAmA
rAgamAlika svarams in mOhanam, pUrNa shadjam, simmEndramadhyamam, asAvEri, tODi
krishNa nI bEganE - yamunA kalyANi
Omana tingaL - nIlAmbari
visvEsvara darisan - sindhubhairavi

It was a good concert. However, one felt all the alapanais were rather short and could have been a bit more elaborate, considering the amount of time that was left. One could evidently see the amount of vidwat and capabilities of the main artist, however, thanks to her bad throat she was restrained in the upper registers. The mOhanakalyANi piece was good and was given enough weightage. The main kharaharapriya kriti was rendered in one kaLai and the AlApanai was short. Her daughter sang the AlApanai in the higher octave. The neraval svarams were good. The tani was short. There was about an hour and 10 minutes left when She started the Pallavi. One was expecting a very elaborate pallavi. However, the AlApanai and tAnam were very short and the pallavi wasnt elaborated much either. There were just a couple of rounds of svarams in aTANA before she started rendering rAga mAlikA svarams, just one round in each rAgam. Along with the ultra short tani, the pallavi was over in less than half an hour and there were a whooping 35 minutes left for tukkadas. The concert ended much before the scheduled end time. Probably an non-co-operative throat led to the early ending of the concert and short versions of pieces. However, whatever was sung was good. All the svara patterns were very nice. The accompanists were very good and played very supportively.

Rama Ravi, Carnatica

Rama Ravi, Nandita Ravi - R Hemalatha - Melakaveri Balaji

Carnatica, Tattvaloka Auditorium
26 Dec 08. 5 pm

sarasija nAbha - nATTai - Adi - Parameswara Bhagavathar
nI bhajana gAna - nAyaki - Adi - T
sItamma mAyamma - vasantA - rUpakam - T (S)
saraguNa pAlimpA - kEdAragauLa - Adi - RSI (RS)
tEDi tiriyAdE nenjE - pUrikalyANi - rUpakam - Muthu Thandavar (RNS)
ambA nIlAmbari - nIlambari - Adi - Ponnaiah Pillai
rAmA nIyaDa - kharaharapriyA - Adi - T (RNST)
paripOvalarA - bilahari - rUpakam
sAramaina - bEhAg - rUpakam - ST

It was a very good concert. The AlApanais of kEdAragauLa, pUrikalyANi and kharaharapriyA were all good. The neraval and svaram parts were very good also. They kriti renditions were perfect and with each sangati falling in place, it was a treat to hear the full concert. The accompanists were very good also

R Vedavalli, Nada Inbam

R Vedavalli, V Sumithra - RK Shriram Kumar - Kallidaikurichi Sivakumar - Madipakkam Murali

Nada Inbam
25 Dec 08. 6:15 pm

rAmA nI vAdu - kalyANi - tisra Adi - T (NS)
shaDAnanE - khamAs - Adi - MD
aparAdamulanniyu - latAngi - Adi - PSI (NS)
giripai nelakona - sahAnA - Adi - T (R)
nenarunchinAnu - mALavi - Adi - T
mitri bhAgyamE - kharaharapriyA - Adi - T (RNST)
UrilEn kANi ilEn - pAsuram in kEdAragauLa, nIlAmbari, shanmukhpriyA, sAvEri, bEhAg
orutthi maganAi - bEhAg - Adi - Andal Thiruppavai
tillanA - pUrNa chandrikA - Adi - RSI
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T
svasti prajApya

It was an excellent concert. The veteran's handling of kritis and rAgams, and the neraval svarams were all a simply superb. Raga delineations were very crisp and yet soaked in deep classicism. The intelligent and elegant handling of sAhityam and apt choice of lines of neraval was just too good. The svara passages were good. Each piece was rendered with a definitive stamp on it. The deep classical touch that was prevalent made it a concert that would be unforgettable. The accompanists were very supportive and did a good job.Smt. V Sumitra sang some neraval and svarams passages as well.

Prasanna Venkataraman, Nada Inbam

Prasanna Venkataraman - Charumathi Raghuraman - Trivandrum Balaji - KV Gopalakrishnan

Nada Inbam
25 Dec 08. 4 pm

sAmi ninnE - srI rAgam - Adi - Karur Devudu
bhavanuta - mOhanam - Adi - T (S)
ninnu sEvincina - yadukula kAmbhOji - misra cApu - Subbaraya Sastri (R)
ikaparam enum iru ulagil - simmEndra madhyamam - Adi - PS (RNS)
bAlasubramaNyam - suruTTi - Adi - MD
durusuga krupajUci - sAvEri - Adi - SS (RNST)
kaDaikkaN pArvai - khamAs - Adi - PS

Very good concert. The vocalist did a great job both in kriti renditions and in manOdarma parts. There was bhAvam intact everywhere. The accompanists were very competent and did a wonderful job in both accompanying and during their solo versions.

Ramakrishnan Murthy, Vani Mahal

Ramakrishnan Murthy - Niranjan - NC Bharadwaj

Vani Mahal
25 Dec 08. 1 pm

svAminAta - nATTai - Adi - MD (sketch, S)
shankari nIvE - bEgaDa - rUpakam - Subbaraya Sastri (R)
bOgIndra sAyinam - kuntaLa varALi - kaNDa cApu - ST
srI kAntimatim - hEmavati - Adi - MD (RNST)
prANa sakuDiTu - senjuruTTi - Adi - DS

Good concert. The vocalist is very talented and did well. He has a lot of potential. The violinst could have been better. Mridangist was good.

T K Govinda Rao, Nada Inbam

T K Govinda Rao - R K Shriram Kumar - K Arun Prakash

Nada Inbam
24 Dec 08. 6:15 pm

ninnu kOri - mOhanam - Adi - RSI (varNam)
Ananda naTamADuvAr - pUrikalyANi - rUpakam - NS (RS)
giri rAja sutA - bangALa - Adi - T (S)
O jagadambA - Ananda bhairavi - Adi - SS
enta vEDu kondu rAghavA - sarasvati manOhari - Adi - T (NS)
karuttil ennALum koLLuvAi - kAmavardini - Adi (RS)
tani
nIrajAkshI kAmAkshI - hindOLam - rUpakam - MD
mOkshamu galadA - sAramati - Adi - T (S)
durmArgacarA - ranjani - rUpakam - T (S)
saraguNa pAlimpA - kEdAragauLa - Adi - RSI (R)
engu nAn selvEn ayyA - dvijAvanti - kaNDa cApu (S)
bAlagOpAla pAlayAsumAm - bhairavi - Adi - MD (RNS)
tani
bArO krishNayyA - rAgamAlikA - Adi
arum ponne maNiyE - viruttam in senjuruTTi, nAdanAmakriyA, sindhu bhairavi
manju nihar - kAvaDi chindu
tillAnA - hamsAnandi - Adi
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T

It was an excellent concert. A Marathon 3 hours and 15 minutes affair of absolutely creative yet vintage classical music. From the varNam that was rendered in 4 different speeds, each piece was absolutely moving. The neraval and svarams in sarasvati manOhari, the first main pantuvarALi, the second bhairavi, the kEdAragauLA in between, all of it was marvellous. Each song was flowing and all of us were totally moved. The accompanists were very good and played according to what was being sung. Perfect match of everything made it an unforgettable concert.

Kochi Viswanathan, The Indian Fine Arts Society

Kochi Viswanathan - SP Anantha padmanabha - Uzhavur PK Babu

IFAS, German Hall
23 Dec 08. 3:15 pm

mUlAdhAra kshEtrastitam - kannaDa - kaNDa cApu (shortsketch) [varNam]
vAgIsvari vANi - sarasvati - Adi - HMB (S)
dEva dEvam - hindOLam - kaNDa cApu - PSI (RS)
mAra vairi ramaNa - nAsikA bhUshaNi - rUpakam - T (R)
sentil ANDavan - kharaharapriyA - rUpakam - PS (RNST)
rAma mantra japisO - rAgamAlikA - Adi - PD

The vocalist could do better if he could tighten his sruti and layam. Choice of kritis and rAgams is commendable. The accompanists were good.

Akshay Padmanabhan, The Indian Fine Arts Society

Akshay Padmanabhan - Bangalore Deepa K Murthy - Madurai B Sundar

IFAS, German Hall
23 Dec 08. 2 pm

sangIta gnAnamu - danyAsi - T (S)
sAmI idE nalla samayam - kEdAragauLa - rUpakam - KI (RS)
vAnanai - kIravANi - misra cApu - Thevaram (Raga sketch)
santatamu ninnE - valaji - Adi (RNST)
gAnam pozhivAn kaNNan - rAgamAlikA

The vocalist has a good voice and i was impressed with his choice of kritis, and the way he elaborated kEdAragauLa and valaji. Kriti renditions were ok. The violinst was ok as well. The mridangist was good in parts.

Rama Ravi, Nada Inbam

Rama Ravi - Vittal Ramamurthy - Vellore Ramabadran

Nada Inbam
23 Dec 08. 6:15 pm

karuNimpa idi - sahAnA - Adi
jAnakI ramaNA - suddha sImantini - Adi - T
manasu karugadEmO - hamsadvani - Adi - PSI (S)
ninnu sEvincina - yadukula kAmbhOji - misra cApu - Subbaraya Sastri (RS)
kOrinavara - rAmapriyA - rUpakam - PSI (N)
cintayamAkanda - bhairavi - rUpakam - MD (RS)
paritApamu ganiyADina - manOhari - rUpakam - T (S)
maRavAdiru manamE - kEdAram - Adi
rAma kathA sudhA - madhyamAvati - Adi - T (RNS)
tani
nImATalE mAyanurA - pUrikalyANi - Adi
nyAyamu gAdurA - rItigauLa - misra cApu
ninnu jUci - punnAgavarALi - tisra tripuTa - K
hari smaraNE mADO - yamunA kalyANi - Adi - PD
aru marundu - mOhanam - tisra Adi - Thevaram
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T

It was one concert to remember for years to come. From the start, everything fell in place. The renditions were priceless and each piece was rendered effortlessly. The svarams and neraval in each piece were done to the right measure and the handling of each rAgam, be it the kriti or the rAga essays or the neraval or svarams, it was all perfect. It was an absolutely classical affair from the beginning to the end. The accompanists played their part very sensibly and did a good in accompanying the right way for the kind of music the main artist was delivering. A totally fulfilling concert.

Suguna Varadachari, Nada Inbam

Suguna Varadachari - Ranjani Ramakrishnan Arun - Mannarkoil J Balaji

Nada Inbam
22 Dec 08. 6:15 pm

gnAnAnanda mayam dEvam - slOkam in hamsadvani
jalajAksha - hamsadvani - Adi (varNam)
vAgarthaviva - slOkam in bauLi
srI pArvati paramEsvarau - bauLi - Adi - MD
manasu nilpa - AbhOgi - Adi - T (Short sketch, S)
kIchu kIchenRu - bhairavi - misra cApu - Andal Thiruppavai
lambOdara sOdara - kalyANi - sankIrNa cApu - HMB (RNS)
amba nIlAmbari - nIlAmbari - Adi - Ponnaiah Pillai
gaurI manOhara - gauri manOhari - Adi - PS
nannu brOcutaku - tODi - Adi - Subbaraya Sastri (RNST)
vADinEn vADi manttAl varundinEn - pAsuram in yamunA kalyANi
rAma krishNa gOvinda - yamunA kalyANi - Adi - BR
tillAnA - bEhAg - tisra tripuTa - Srimushnam Raja Rao
mana nilai ariyEnaDi - bhAgE srI - Adi - Neela Ramamurthi
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T
srIyatkAntAya - suruTTi

It was a brilliant concert. Each piece rendered with all the necessary gait. All the AlApanais were very crisp and all the phrases were very moving. Some of the vintage phrases were very enjoyable. The neraval svarams that were rendered were all very punchy also. The renditions of nIlAmbari, tODi, bauLi kritis stood out. The accompanists were good and played with good sense to add to the overall pleasing effect of the concert.

Mysore D Balakrishna, Music Academy

Mysore D Balakrishna - Umayalpuram Mali - A S Shankar

Music Academy
20 Dec 08. 9:15 am

vanajAkshi ninnE - rItigauLa - aTa tALam
taramu gAdurA - dharmavati - Adi - Veenai Seshanna (RS)
srI bAlasubramaNyA - bilahari - misra cApu - MD (RS)
sankari samkuru - sAvEri - tisra Adi - SS (RNS)
nAdOpAsana - bEgaDa - Adi - T (RS)
srI ramA sarasvati - nAsAmaNi - Adi - MD
RTP - bhairavi - catusra jhampa kaNDa naDai (1 akshara eDuppu, 6 akshara aridi)
mInAkshI mA madura mInAkshI mAtangI maragatAngI
rAgamAlikA tAnam in nATTai, rItigauLa, nArAyaNa gauLA
tani Avarththanam
amba nIlAmbari - nIlAmbari - Adi - Ponnaiah Pillai (short sketch)
mAtADa bAratEnO - khamAs - misra cApu - Narahari dAsa (short sketch)
tillAnA - senjuruTTi - Adi - Veenai Seshanna

It was a great concert. Sri Balakrishna gave a good concert and all kritis were rendered rather effortlessly. The kriti renditions were very precise. The AlApanais were very moving. The tAnam in bhairavi was very traditional and even the rAgamAlikA parts were very moving. The svarams were good as well. The accompanists played well also.

Toronto Brothers, Chamber Concert

Toronto Brothers - Padma Shankar - R Ramkumar - Manian

Chamber concert
19 dec 08. 6:30 pm

vanajAkshi ninnE - kalyANi - aTa
srI mahA gaNapathi - gauLa - misra cApu - MD (S)
praNatAtihara prabhO - mELa rAgamAlikA (1 to 12) - Adi - MVS
anupama guNAmbudi - aTANA - kaNDa cApu - T
sandEhamunu - rAmapriyA - Adi - T (RNS)
kAncanamantE - cArukEsi - Adi - Veenai Krishnamachariar
srI rAjagOpAla - sAvEri - Adi - MD (RNST)
cidambaram pOi nI vArum - sAmA - Adi - GKB
prANa sakuDitu - senjuruTTi - catusra Ekam - DS
amrutAhu nI hODa - bhImpLAs - Adi - Namdev (abhang)
AkaTi vElana - subhALi - Adi - A
tillAnA - kApi - Adi
kAdi mOdi - kuntaLavarALi (thiruppugazh)
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T

It was a great evening. i loved meeting all the people and the food as well.

P Rahul Narayan, Karthik Fine Arts

P Rahul Narayan - V V Suresh - V Srinivasan

Karthik Fine Arts. BVB Mini Hall.
19 Dec 08. 12:15 pm

ambOruha pAdamE - ranjani - Adi
srI vAtApi gaNapatiyai - sahAnA - Adi - PS (R)
srI kAntimatim - hEmavati - Adi - MD (RS)
praNatAtihara - mELa rAgamAlikA (49 to 60) - Adi - MVS
tuLasi jagatjanani - sAvEri - rUpakam - T (RNST)
srI chakra rAja - rAgamAlikA - Adi
tillAnA - khamAs

Good concert. The main sAvEri and sahAnA were better than the hEmavati. mELarAgamAlikA was rendered well also. Violinst was ok. Mridangist was good.

Rama Ravi, Music Academy

Rama Ravi - Dr. Hemalatha - Thanjavur Kumar - K S Rangachari

Music Academy
19 Dec 08. 9:15 pm

ninnE kOri - kAnaDA - Adi
tOlinE jEsina - suddha bangALa - Adi - T
sivakAma sundari - jaganmOhini - rUpakam - GKB (S)
maragata maNi varNa - varALi - Adi - T (RNS)
anudinamunu - bEgaDa - rUpakam - PSI (N)
kAru bAru - mukhAri - Adi - T (RS)
srI ranganAtam - pUrNacandrikA - Adi - MD
vEnkaTa saila vihArA - hamIrkalyANi - Adi - Subbaraya Sastri (short sketch, S)
akshaya linga vibhO - sankarAbaraNam - misra cApu - MD (RNS)
tani
smarasundarAnguni - paras - Adi - DS
mOsamAyE - Ahiri - misra cApu - K
apa durukulO - khamAs - Adi
dasarata sutA - jaunpuri - rUpakam
kAdAl kuzai ADa - suddha danyAsi - kaNDa cApu - Thiruvempavai

Great concert. Each AlApanai was totally moving. The kritis were rendered with a lot of bhavam. The neraval svarams were all good. The intelligent and beautiful usage of both the madhyamams during the hamIrkalyANi deserves a special mention. Also, the svarams in mukhAri were outstanding. The main shankarAbaraNam was awesome. Each piece was outstanding and over all it felt great. The accompanists were good and played in tandem with the main artist.

Ritha Rajan, Nada Inbam

Ritha Rajan - Amritha Murali - B Ganapathiraman

Nada Inbam
18 Dec 08. 6:15 pm

jAnakI ramaNA - suddha sImantini - Adi - T (S)
iti samayamurA - dEvamanOhari - Adi - T
nIvErA kuladanamu - bEgaDa - misra cApu - T (R)
palukuTacE - phalamanjari - misra cApu - PSI (RS)
vEnkaTa saila vihArA - hamIr kalyANi - Adi - Subbaraya Sastri (R)
brOva samayamidE - gauri manOhari - Adi - GPV
srI subramaNyAya namastE - kAmbhOji - tisra Ekam(2) - MD (RNS)
tani
mOsamAyE - Ahiri - misra cApu - K (padam)
ilAguna guNAvaccuna - darbAr - misra cApu - Pattabhiramaiah (jAvaLi)
pErAyiram paravi vAnOr Etthum pemmAnE - viruttam in Ananada bhairavi, varALi, dEvagAndhAri, bhairavi
kAdalAgi kasindu kaNNIr malgi - bhairavi - tisra tripuTa - Gnana sammandar (tEvAram)
kUrvEl pazitta vizhiyAlE - madyamAvati - tisra Adi - Thiruppugazh
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T

It was another concert of pristine music. There were no unwanted frills or additions to the music. It was pure classicism from the beginning and each piece was rendered with a lot of gait. The AlApanais were very vintage and had a lot of enjoyable phrases. Each gamakkam with precision and each song with the grandeur, the concert was totally very fulfilling. The rendition of the kAmbhOji kriti stood out and the unhurried rendition without shifting to mEl kAlam for the caraNam was indeed very soothing to hear. The complete grandeur of the kriti was totally showcased. The accompanists were very good and added a lot to the concert.

Sathur Sisters, Nada Inbam

Sathur Sisters - Dr. Hemalatha - Nellai Balaji - Trivandrum Rajagopal

Nada Inbam, Raga Sudha
17 Dec 08. 6:15 pm

chalamEla - darbAr - Adi - VK (varNam)
sEvE nityam - kEdAram - Adi (S)
kAmAkshi - bhairavi - misra cApu - SS (R)
nI daya rAdA - vasanta bhairavi - rUpakam - T (S)
intakannAnada mEmi - bilahari - rUpakam - T (RS)
srI kamalAmbhikE avAva - ghaNTA - Adi - MD
bhOgIndra sAyinam - kuntaLavaraLi - kaNDA cApu - ST
parama pAvana rAmA - pUrikalyANi - Adi - RSI (RNST)

The sisters gave a very good concert. I went late. Smt. Bhuvana's bilahari AlApanai and Smt. Lalita's pUrikalyANi were both done very well. The kritis were also rendered with a lot of weight. The navAvarNam rendition was quite stunning in deed.

The violinist was good over all. Her replies and following were good. The percussion dept was a little upbeat. Though good, i couldnt not stay through the full concert.

Alamelu Mani, Nada Inbam

Alamelu Mani - V V S Murari - Vellore Ramabadran

Nada Inbam
16 Dec 08. 6:15 pm

sAmi daya jUDa - kEdAragauLA - Adi (varNam)
praNamAmyaham - gauLa - Adi - MV (S)
sItamma mAyamma - vasantA - rUpakam - T (RS)
nI dayacE - yadukula kAmbhOji - Adi - T (R)
paripAlaya sarasIruha lOcanA - kAmavardini - misra cApu - ST (RNS)
mAyammA - Ahiri - Adi - SS
cEta srI - dvijAvanti - rUpakam - MD (R)
cEDE buddi mAnurA - aTANA - Adi - T (S)
mOhana rAmA - mOhanam - Adi - T (RNS)
tani
yAla padarE - bEgaDa - tisra tripuTa - K (padam)
ElarADAyanE kAmini - bhairavi - Adi - Chinnaiah (jAvaLi)
mILA aDimai - madyamAvati - Adi - Sundarar (tEvAram)
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T

It was concert of total bliss. It took everybody to a trans state. From the word go, each piece was so effortlessly rendered and the audience were totally spell bound. The precision in gamakkams and each vintage phrase that came from Smt. Alamelu Mani was scintillating to say the least. One is short of superlatives and is still high on the music one got to hear this evening. i would run short of words describing each piece and would prefer saying "one had to listen and be present physically, to be able to understand the music"

It was a lesson on what we have been missing consistently over years and what music should be.

The accompanists were always there to add to the concert effect and they perfectly added on the main artist.

Vidya Kalyanaraman, Vani Mahal

Vidya Kalyanaraman - M Rajiv - Rajna Swaminathan

Vani Mahal
16 Dec 08. 2:15 pm

I entered as she was singing amma rAvammA and followed it up with good round of neraval and svarams. nATTakuranji was elaborated well, ekkAlatilum followed and was good. A quick bOgIndra sAyinam, led to the main 'ninnE nammi nAnu'. The AlApanai was elaborate and neraval, svarams were good also. The concert ended with a short viruttam and eppO varuvArO. She has good grip over kalpitam and manOdarmam. Accompanists were very good as well.

Baby Sriram, Kalarasna

Baby Sriram - Charulatha Ramanujam - Trivandrum Balaji

Kalarasna, Rani Seethai Hall
14 Dec 08. 4 pm

karuNimpa idi - sahAnA - Adi (S)
tulasi daLa - mAyAmALavagauLa - rUpakam - T (RNS)
karpaga manOharA - malayamArutam - kaNDa cApu - PS (RS)
mAdhavan maruganE - cArukuntaLam - misra cApu - Baby Sriram (RS)
chinnanADe nA - kalAnidhi - Adi - T
talli ninnu neranammi - kalyANi - vilOma misra cApu - SS (RNS)
tani
kAlan varumunnE - viruttam in kAmbhOji, hindOLam
nambi keTTavara evarayyA - hindOLam - Adi - PS
kAdAl kELaDi - mukhAri - Adi - Baby Sriram
tillAnA - nATTakuranji - Adi - Baby Sriram

The concert was excellent. The kriti renditions were very good. The manOdarmam was completely new and very impressive. she did a great job. the accompanists were both very impressive and lived up to the main artist.

Mohan Santanam, MFAC

Mohan Santanam - Arunachala Karthik - Mudhra Baskar

MFAC. 14 Dec 08. 1:30 pm

dEvar munivar - shaNmukhapriyA - Adi - LGJ (varNam)
srI kamalAmbhIkAyAh - sahAnA - tisra tripuTa - MD (short sketch)
bAla krishNan pAdamalar - danyAsi - rUpakam - PS (RNS)
sangIta parAngata - pUrNachandrikA - Adi - KI
nA jIvAdhAra - bilahari - Adi - T (RST)
ellOrum sukhamAi - madhyamAvati - Adi - SVD

It was a good concert. The kritis were rendered very well. The manOdarmam was quite impressive too. Accompanists were good also.

T K Govinda Rao, Musiri Chambers

T K Govinda Rao - S Varadarajan - N Manoj Siva

Musiri Chambers
14 Dec 08. 10 AM

varNam - mOhanam
sambhO mahAdEva - bauLi (S)
teratIyaga rAdA - gauLipantu - Adi - T (S)
sItApatE nA manasunA - khamAs - Adi - T (NS)
chEsinadella marachitivO - tODi - Adi - T (RNS)
tani
ADa hOdEyalli makkaLu - rAgamAlikA - rUpakam - PD
tillAnA - bEhAg - Adi
arum ponnE maNiyE - senjuruTTi, nAdanAmakriyA, sindhu bhairavi
vaNkAra mARbil - sindhubhairavi - kaNDa cApu - Thiruppugazh
manju nihar - kAvaDi cindu
srI vENugOpAla - kuranji - kANDa Ekam - MD
tillAnA - sindhubhairavi - tisra Adi
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T

Listening to Sri Govinda Rao has always been a amazing experience for me. To listen to him again at Musiri Chambers on a lazy December Sunday Morning was only nostalgic. It was the same venue and the same man on the occasion of my first every concert listening/blogging experience 5 years ago. It was only re-living that experience.

I dint want to miss the opportunity and went to a concert, though i knew i would be late. As i entered, the svaram in bauLi were flowing. The gauLipantu was rendered well.

The khamAs kriti was rendered well with two rounds of neraval and svarams, once during the kriti and once after the kriti was over. However, the approach to both the bouts of neraval and svarams were totally different from each other and each in its own way were amazing. The main todi was a classy affair. It was just too good.

Sri Govinda Rao extended his love for khamAs with the dEvarnAma which began in khamAs and then went on into other rAgams. With the tillAnA, if one expected to wind up, he wasnt yet happy to finish.

The elaborate viruttam and a couple of pieces in madhyama sruthi were rendered and after that he was pleased to finish off with another tillAnA.

The accompanists were both at home in following the main artist. They were faithful in embellishing the music and also showing their prowess in a fitting way during their solo versions.

It was a wonderful morning concert and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

D Vardhani, Chennai Fine Arts

D Vardhani - Ambika Prasad - T R Sundaresan

Chennai Fine Arts, KN Shanmukha Sundaram Hall, Gokhale Sastri Institute.
13 Dec 08. 5 pm

ganapatE suguNanidhE - janaranjani - rUpakam - HMB (R)
RTP - chAyA ranjani - vilOma tisra rUpakam (pancha naDai: beat of lagu in misram, little finger in kaNDam, ring finger in sankIrNam, beat of drutam in catusram, wave in tisram)
ranjani rAganutE srI lalitE mAm pAhi chAyA. eDuppu at the samam of ring finger, 5 akshara aridi.
rAgamAlika svarams in ranjani, srI, lalitA.
tani Avarthanam

The RTP concert had a nice beginning with janaranjani AlApanai. I was expected a RTP in janaranjani, however it got more interesting. The rAgam taken up for the pallavi was chAya ranjani, a janya of simmEndra madhyamam. The tALam was more interesting.

However, Smt Vardhani did an excellent job in elaborating the rAgam, singing a tAnam and also rendering the pallavi effortlessly doing the trikAlam and also singing rAga mAlikA svarams to appropriate places where the rAgam names comes in the pallavi.

It was very delightful to watch the rendition. The accompanists were very good and gave a fitting accompaniment to the concert.

Bharat Sundar, Vani Mahal

Bharat Sundar - Bombay Anand - Umayalpuram Kodandaraman

Vani Mahal. 13 Dec 08. 2:15 pm

I reached late as hew as finishing up his pUrvikalyANi AlApanai. 'padmAvati ramaNa' was rendered well with neraval. 'brOcEvArevaru rA' was zipped thro' in a hurry. The main was 'srI krishNam bhaja' in tODi. The rAgam and kriti were good. There was no neraval, svarams were good. A couple of tukkadas led to the curtains. The vocalist seems to be good, one to watch out for. The violinst was very good also. The mridangist could have been better

T M Krishna, Vani Mahal

T M Krishna - R K Sriramkumar - Vellore Ramabadhran - BS Purushotam

Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha, Vani Mahal
10 Dec 2008. 6:30 pm

alavulukuriyka - shankarAbharanam - Adi - A (S)
(tuned by Sri Nedunuri Krishnamurthy)
rAmachandrena - mAnji - rUpakam - MD
sarasa sAma dAna - kApinArayani - Adi - T (NS)
bhuvinidAsuDanE - srIranjani - Adi - T (RNS)
gatayA gatayA mAdhavam - kalyANi - misra cApu - NT (N)
(tuned by Sri Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer)
nannu brOcuTaku - tODi - Adi - Subbaraya Sastri (RNS)
thani Avarthanam
sApashyAt kausalyA - jaunpuri - Adi - Tirupazhanam Panchapakesa Sastri (S)
thanthai thAiyum nI - viruttam in bilahari, bhairavi, kalyANi, sindhu bhairavi, kharaharapriyA - ThayumAnavar
navasidhi peRRAlum - kharaharapriyA - misra cApu - PS
tillAna - kAnaDA - rUpakam
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T
mangaLAm kOsalEndrAya - suruTTi

It was a nice concert. The kritis were all rendered in a leisurely fashion. The AlApanais of srIranjani and tODi were both very elaborate and done in an effortless fashion. The neraval and svarams sung for all kritis were measured and done in a manner fitting to the mood of the kriti. The accompanists did a great job in adding to the concert effect.

Prasanna Venkataraman, Karthik Fine Arts

Prasanna Venkataraman - B Ananthakrishnan - Thiruvidaimarudhur Sankaran - Ernakulam Ramakrishnan

Karthik Fine Arts, NGS Mini hall.
9 Dec 08. 10 am

viribhONi ninnEkOri - bhairavi - aTa - PA
anudinamunu - bEgaDa - rUpakam - PSI (NS)
brOvasamayamidE - gauri manOhari - Adi - GPV (RS)
taNigai vaLar - tODi - kaNDa cApu - PS
EkAmranAtam - gamakakriyA - Adi - MD (RNS)
Emani vEgintulE - husEni - Adi - T
mOhana rAmA - mOhanam - Adi - T (RST)
kaDaikkaN pArvai - khamAs - Adi - PS
tillAnA - darbAri kAnaDA - misra cApu - Tanjavur Kalyanaraman

It was a good concert. The kritis were all well rendered. The manOdarmam parts were also beautifully executed by the vocalist. The gaurimanOhari and mOhanam were good. The gamakakriyA was very elaborate and done in a very emotive fashion. The violinst was good. The percussionists could have been better.

Jeyaraj & Jaysri, Nalinakanthi

Jeyaraj Krishnan & Jaysri Jeyaraj - Trichur C Narendran - E M Subramanian

Nalinakanthi, Dr. MGR Janaki College
8 December 2008. 6:30 pm

taruNi ninnE - kAmbhOji - Adi (R)
Ekadantam bhajEham - bilahari - misra cApu - MD (RS)
dEva dEva kalayAmitE - mAyAmALavagauLa - rUpakam - ST (NS)
mAnasa guruguha - Ananda bhairavi - rUpakam - MD (R)
manavyAla - naLinakAnti - Adi - T (RS)
annapUrNE visAlAkshi - sAmA - Adi - MD
mInAkshI mE mudam dEhi - pUrvikalyANi - Adi - MD (RTS)
rAgamAlikA tAnam in shankarAbaraNam, Arabhi, valaji, chandrakauns
tani
gOvardana giridhAra - darbAri kAnaDA - Adi - NT
tillAnA - danA srI - Adi - ST
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T
suruTTi short sketch

A very nice concert. The AlApanais of bilahari and naLinakAnti by Sri Jeyaraj were very innovative and had quite a few refreshing phrases and those of Anandabhairavi and pUrvikalyANi by Smt. Jaysri were all very traditional and had some vintage phrases. The kritis were all rendered very well. The neraval and svarams were all done in a nice fashion. The duo shared a great rapport and played complimenting each other. The accompanists played with a lot of anticipation, embellishing the compositions and the tani was good.

N Vijay Siva, Nalinakanthi

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

Nalinakanthi, MGR Janaki College
7 Dec 08. 6:15 pm

evvari bOdana - AbhOgi - Adi - PSI
entarA nI tanakEnta - harikAmbhOji - Adi - T
nI sari sATi vElpulevarammA - kalyANi - tisra Ekam - Ponnaiah Pillai (RS)
inimElAyinum undan - darbAr - misra cApu - Ramaswani Sivan (R)
'gandarvAmara citta cAraNa vatu' - slOkam in tODi
rAvE himagiri kumAri - tODi - Adi - SS
vAsI tIravE kAsu nalguvIr - khamAs - Adi - Gnana Sammandar Tevaram (N)
jayatu gOkula vAsA - kIravANi - Adi - PD (RNS)
tani
rAma rAma krishNA - gauLipantu - Adi - T
yArO vandennai Asai kATTi maraindAn - aTANA - Adi - Suddhananda Bharathi (short sketch)
pErAyiram - viruttam in senjuruTTi
ArA amudE arasE - rAgamAlikA - Adi - Thayumanavar
nAm japan kyon chOD diyA - bEhAg - Adi (short sketch)
nirAmaya purAdana - danyAsi - Adi - Thiruppugazh
srI kamalAbikE - srI rAgam - kaNDa Ekam - MD
kalyANIm - slOkam on Goddess KamalAmbA - srI rAgam
svasti prajApya - srI rAgam

It was an awesome concert. I am short of superlatives to express. The kIravANi is one which one can never forget for a life time. the tODi svarajati was just tooo good. indeed a very special and thoroughly heart-filling emotionally satisfying concert.

T N Krishnan, Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan

TN Krishnan & Sriram Krishnan - Mannargudi Eswaran - Vaikom Gopalakrishnan

Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan
5th October 2008, 7:15 pm

sarasijanAbhA - kAmbhOji - aTa tALam (R)
brOvabAramA - bahudAri - Adi - T(S)
endarO mahAnubhAvulu - srI rAgam - Adi - T(R)
RTP kalyANi - Adi (2 kaLai) sama eDuppu
rAgamAlikA tAnam in kApi, kEdAragauLa, kAnaDA, sindhubhairavi
khamAs javali
celinEnETlu sahiyinchunE - paras javali
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T

The concert was an amazing one. For a concert following a meeting, it started right on time and all the pieces were rendered very well. The AlApanais of kAmbhOji and srI rAgam were awesome. The kalyANi was good and the tAnam was much more elaborate than the kriti. The svarams were all beautiful. The accompanists were good as well.

Seshampatti Sivalingam, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Seshampatti T Sivalingam - Nadasvaram
K Selvam - Second Nadasvaram
M Subramanian & S Gajendran - Thavil

Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan
5th December 2008. 5:15 pm

gajAnanayutam - chakravAkam - Adi - MD (RS)
gaNanAyakam - rudrapriyA - Adi - MD
marugElarA - jayanta srI - Adi - T (R)
pakkala nilabadi - kharaharapriyA - misra cApu - T (RS)
oruthi maganAi - bEhAg - Andal Thiruppavai (R)
sArasamulADEDenduku - kApi jAvaLi (R)
tillAnA - rEvati - Adi
kaRRinilE varum gItam
madyamAvati short sketch

It was nice concert. All the AlApanais were done in a very scholarly fashion. All the kritis were beautifully rendered. The svarams were all amazing too.

However, as the time allotted for the concert was just about an hour, there was an inherent hurry in the concert. Sri Sivalingam kept looking at the organizers after each piece once the main kharaharapriyA. One could have enjoyed a lot more had they given more time to this concert, probably started it about 30-45 minutes before. It is a pity that nAdasvaram concerts have been reduced to such a state.

K Vandana, Sarvani Sangeetha Sabha

K Vandana - K V Krishna - K Ramesh

Sarvani Sangeetha Sabha, MA Mini Hall
1st Dec 2008. 6:15 pm

karuNimpa idi - sahAnA - Adi
dEva dEva - mAyAmALavagauLA - rUpakam - ST (RNS)
mrdu bhAshaNa nata vibhIshaNa - maurva danyAsi - Adi - T
dhAriNi tElusukONTi -suddha sAvEri - Adi - T (short sketch)
parama pAvana rAmA - pUrikalyANi - Adi - RSI (RNST)
ninnEnaDa nEla - kannaDa - Adi - T (short sketch, S)
RTP - kApi - Adi tALam (tisra naDai, 2 kaLAi) 4 akshara eDuppu, 6 aksharam aridi
rAmA srI rAma srungAra sushyAmA - sAkEta dhAmA sItA manObhi -
rA rA chinnanA - senjuruTTi
tillAnA - valaji - Lalita Sivakumar

It was a good concert. It started about 20-25 min late. The AlApanai of mAyAmALavagauLa was short and sweet. The pUrikalyANi was done leisurely and with a lot of grandeur. The kApi was good. The kriti renditions were good and all sangatis did come out very well. The neraval and svarams were all good as well. The accompanists were good and matched up to the main artist. I had to leave during the Pallavi