Lakshmi Sriram, Saraswati Vaggeyakkara Trust

Lakshmi Sriram - Akkarai Swarnalatha - B Sivaraman

Concert of Post Trinity Compositions
Saraswati Vaggeyakkara Trust, N G S Mini Hall.
29 July 09. 7:15 pm

srI mahAgaNapatE - AbhOgi - kaNDa cApu - NSR (short sketch)
telisi teliya - kEdAragauLa - Adi - VK
nItu pAdamE gati - pantuvarALi - rUpakam - Ponnaiah (RS)
tiruvaDi tanai maravAdE - rItigauLa - Adi - Muthukumaraswamy (RS)
ninnuvina vErevaru - mALavi - rUpakam - GNB
varamulosaki - kIravANi - rUpakam - PSI (RNST)
ennenna viLaiyADa - rAgamAlikA - tisra naDai
kAkkai siraginilE - kApi - Adi - Bharatiyar
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T

It was a very good concert. The choice of pieces and rAgams for such a thematic concert, was quite refreshing and contained quite some rare pieces. The pieces were all rendered very well. The manodarmam was very good and it was a very classical affair. The accompanists did a good job and played well.

Suguna Varadachari, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer Golden Jubilee Foundation

Suguna Varadachari - Dr. R Hemalatha - Mannarkoil J Balaji

Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer Golden Jubilee Foundation
Kasturi Srinivasan Hall, Music Academy
28 July 09. 6:30 pm

ninnE kOri - kAnaDA - Adi (varNam)
lambOdarAya namastE - varALi - MD
ninnu sEvincina - yadukula kAmbhOji - misra cApu - Subbaraya Sastri (R)
nIkenduku dayarAdu - simmEndra madhyamam - Adi - MV (RNS)
karuNAkara - bEgaDa - rUpakam - ST
pAlincu kAmAkshi - madhyamAvati - Adi - SS (RNS)
tani
karacaraNakrutam - senjuruTTi, yamunA kalyANi, nAdanAmakriyA
siva siva bhO - nAdanAmakriyA - misra jhampai - JCW
verum vambu vArtai - kApi - rUpakam - Suguna Purushottaman
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T
sriyatkAntAya - suruTTi

It was a very classical concert. All the pieces were rendered with a lot of bhavam and the manodarma parts were all very good as well.

I reached a little late, during the yadukula kAmbhOji AlApanai. The AlApanai of yadukulakAmbhOji was good. The simmEndra madhyamam was a truly classical affair. It was given a punchy start and each phrase was interwoven so methodically and classically the outcome was one of the unforgettable elaborations of the ragam in recent times. Personally I felt it was the best pick of the day's concert. The madhyamAvati AlApanai was great. The pieces were all rendered with the traditional gait and the manodarma parts were all very inspiring. It was interesting choice of kritis and ragams that made it a great concert. The accompanists were very good and played in perfect anticipation.

It was a great concert.

PS: The kApi piece by Smt. Suguna Purushottaman, has the same tune as 'parulanna mATa' and has lyrics which are in the same mood as the original composition, except for the language. Smt. Suguna Varadachari specially mentioned this after the piece.

N Ramani, Layamrita

N Ramani - Nagai Muralidharan - Bombay Balaji

Layamrita, Astika Samajam Venus Colony
27 July 09. 6:45 pm


bhajana sEyarAdA - dharmavati - rUpakam - MV (RS)
marivErE - Anandabhairavi - misra cApu - SS (R)
cakkani rAjamArgamu - kharaharapriyA - Adi - T (RS)
tani
akhilANDEsvari - dvijAvati - Adi - MD
vANi pondu - kAnaDA - rUpakam
bhajan
dhanAsrI tillAnA
sindhubhairavi
pavamAna,
madhyamAvati short sketch


Partial list. I reached late and hence must have missed a couple of songs in the beginning. The pieces were all rendered very well. The AlApanais were all done in the distinct style of Sri Ramani and the svarams were perfectly fitting as well. The accompansits were very good and did a wonderful job in accompanying the main artist.

My sincere apologies for the partial song list. I couldnt make out the pieces which were played. Others who were present could fill in.

It was an amazing concert with traditional music in full flow. I particularly liked the Anandabhairavi that was played.

Ritha Rajan, Nada Inbam

Ritha Rajan - M R Gopinath - Thanjavur Kumar

Nada Inbam
26 July 09. 6 pm

nijamarmamulanu - umAbaraNam - Adi - T (RS)
sUryamUrtE namOstutE - saurAshTram - catusra dhuruva - MD
vAcAmagOcaruNDani - aTANA - Adi - MSR (R)
entanErcinA - sAvEri - Adi - PSI (RNS)
janani ninnuvinA - rItigauLa - misra cApu - Subbaraya Sastri (R)
vallagAtanaka sItA - harikAmbhOji - Adi - T
tanayuni brOva - bhairavi - Adi - T (RNS)
tani
mAnamE bhUshaNamu - shankarAbaraNam - misra cApu - Karvetnagar Govindaswamy Ayya
nImATalE mAyanurA - pUrvikalyANi - Adi - Pattabhiramayya
rAkA candra - slOkam from mUkapanchasati - bahudAri, latAngi, kApi, suruTTi
kAraNamadAga - sindhubhairavi - Adi - Thiruppugazh
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T

It was a totally classical concert by the veteran artist. Each piece was rendered with a traditional flavour and the necessary gait. The starting short AlApanai was umAbaraNam in itself was a standing testament of the artist's vidwat. Each piece that followed and the manOdarma packages that were added were all amazing and made it a concert to cherish for a long time. The AlApanais of aTANA, sAvEri, rItigauLa and the main bhairavi were all done in a very classical fashion with no unwanted frills. They were carefully woven with classical phrases to form a beautiful picture of the rAgam. The choice of pieces and rAgams was quite nice and made it a very nice concert. The accompanists did a great job in accompanying the main artists in a very anticipatory fashion, thus adding to the overall enjoyment of the concert.

Overall the team made it a great concert

R Vedavalli, Saraswati Vaggeyakkara Trust

R Vedavalli, V Sumitra - R K Shriramkumar - K Arun Prakash

Saraswati Vaggeyakkara Trust and Tambaram Asthika Samajam
Sitadevi Garodia School, East Tambaram
23 July 09. 6:45 pm

praNatAtiharAya - sAmanta - Adi - MD
nI pada pankajamula - bEgaDa - Adi - T (S)
sarasIruhAnanA - mukhAri - Adi - T (RNS)
mATi mATiki - mOhanam - misra cApu - T (NS)
nenarunchinAnu - mALavi - Adi - T
jnAnamosagarAdA - shadvidamArgiNi - tisra Ekam - T (RNS)
tani
ninnaruLAla - pAsuram in shanmukhapriyA, sAvEri, sindubhairavi
anRu ivvulagam - sindhubhairavi - Adi - ANDAL
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T

It was an extraordinary concert. I was totally satisfied for the ordeal that it took me to reach tambaram. I was planning to go by train, however in the last moment chose to take a direct bus and reached East Tambaram around 7 pm. And a 10 minute walk to the venue, it was still the first song that was being wrapped up. The concert had started late.

The bEgaDA was just building up the mood for a grand concert. The svarams were very nice. The mukhAri AlApanai was very classical affair, including all the touching phrases. The kriti was rendered very soulfully with an elaborate round of neraval and svarams at the pallavi line.

The highest point of the full concert, to me, was the mOhanam kriti. What a grandeur of a piece! It was a stunning rendition to make the kriti all the more majestic. There were neraval and svarams at 'mangaLAkAra rUpa jita ratirAja' to add-up as jewels to the crown. The fast mALavi piece was a contrasting fast piece to follow.

The main AlApanai was quite elaborate and showed all the delicate nuances of the rare rAgam. The kriti rendition was very moving and bhavaladen. There were neraval and svarams at 'paripUrNa niSkaLanka niravadhi sukha dAyaka'. The rAgamAlikA pAsuram and the tiruppAvai were great too.

The accompanists were very good. Smt. Sumitra shared neraval, svarams and did a very good job in trying to match upto her guru. Sri Shriram Kumar was very good all thro' the concert. His playing for the kritis was absolutely faithful and the replies in the manOdarmam parts were all very fitting and thoroughly classical. Sri Arun Prakash was embellishing the full concert with his subtle strokes. He played in perfect match and the tani was very nice also.

Overall it was a wonderful concert.

R Vedavalli, Guru Smaranam

R Vedavalli, V Sumitra - Pakala Ramdass - Vellore Ramabadran

Guru Smaranam. Palghat Mani Iyer Rememberance Day.
Sastri Hall
18 July 09. 6:15 pm

guru brahma guru vishnu - slOkam in harikAmbhOji
entaranI tanaku - harikAmbhOji - Adi - T (NS)
mOkshamu galadA - sAramati - Adi - T
praNatAtiharAya - sAmanta - Adi - MD
ninnE nammi nAnu - tODi - misra cApu - SS (RNST)
idi nIku mariyAda - bEgaDA - misra capu
tillAnA - shankarAbaraNam - Adi
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi
svasti prajApya - madhyamAvati

It was a fantastic concert. I loved every bit of the concert and enjoyed it thoroughly. Concert started late, thanks to the felicitation function before. From the beginning it was a very classical affair. All the kritis were rendered with a lot of weight. The manOdarmam parts were totally soothing and in perfect match to the mood of the concert. The accompanists did their job to perfection.

With the concert lasting just less than an hour and half, one was left hungry for more...

Bhairavi & Malavi, Nada Inbam

Bhairavi & Malavi - Parur M S Anantakrishnan - Mannarkoil J Balaji

Nada Inbam, Raga Sudha Hall
14 July 09. 6 pm

smaraNE sukhamu - janaranjani - Adi - T (RS)
cEta srI - dvijAvanti - rUpakam - MD
nimma bhAgya dhODDadhO - aTANA - rUpakam - PD
ninnu vinA - pUrvikalyANi - vilOma cApu - SS (R NS @ cintadIrcci vEgamE brOcuTaku)
kaDaikkaN pArvai - khamAs - Adi - PS
kAru bAru - mukhAri - Adi - T (R NS @ sAdu tyAgarAja vinuta rAmA)
tani

It was a very good concert. As i entered, Kum. Malavi was elaborating janaranjani and i left during the main, i hope others would fill up the list.

The kriti renditions were all weighty and moving. janaranjani AlApanai was very well done. Smt. Bhairavi's pUrvikalyANi was pretty weighty and was well fitting the kriti that followed. The mukhAri AlApanai they shared was very good and had some really nice classical phrases one could cherish for a long time. They did a very good job with the neraval svarams as well. The accompanists were very good and played in a very accomodative fashion.

Over all a very good concert and these ladies are defly to be watched in future.

N Ramani, Nadopasana

N Ramani - R K Shriram Kumar - Trichur C Narendran - E M Subramanian

Nadopasana, PS High School
6 July 09. 6:30 pm

sarasijanAbha - kAmbhOji - aTa tALam - Vadivelu
srI maha gaNapati - gauLa - misra cApu - MD (RS)
calamElarA - mArgahindOLam - Adi - T
raghuvara nannu - kAmavardhani - Adi - T (RNS)
kamalAmbhA samrakshatumAm - Anandabhairavi - misra cApu - MD (R)
nAdOpAsana - bEgaDa - Adi - T (RS)
tani
RTP - sAvEri - catusra tripuTa (2 kaLai) 4 akshara eDuppu, 4 akshara aridi
lambOdara lagumikarA ambAsuta AmaraviNuta
rAgamAlikA svaram in bEhAg
short tani
sAdhO sAdhO - Ahir bhairavi - Adi - Meera bhajan (short sketch)
tillAnA - dhanA srI - Adi - ST
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T
madhyamAvati short sketch

It was a fantastic concert by the senior vidwan. Each piece was rendered with a lot of feeling. The manOdarma parts were all marvellous. The choice of kritis and ragams was very nice and fitting too. After the tani was over, Sri Ramani announced that he has quite some time to finish and hence would play a short RTP. It was a fantastic. The pUrvAngam was set to catusra naDai and the uttarAngam to tisra naDai. Svarams were played in both naDais. The accompanists were very and gave perfect support to the full concert on the whole.

Jayalakshmi Santanam, Nadopasana

Jayalakshmi Santanam - Pakala Ramadas - Thiruvidaimarudur Radhakrishnan - V V S Manian

Nadaopasana, PS High School.
3 July 09. 6:30 pm

gnAnAnandamayam dEvam - slOkam in kAmbhOji
taruNi ninnE - kAmbhOji - Adi - Fiddle Ponnuswamy
sudhAmayi - amrutavarshiNi - rUpakam - HMB
nAdOpAsana - bEgaDa - Adi - T (R)
rAmA ika nannu - sahAnA - rUpakam - PSI (RS)
ambaramE tannIrE - kalyANi - kANDa cApu - ANDAL (NS)
kshINamai tirugA - mukhAri - Adi - T (R)
heccarika gA rA - yadukula kAmbhOji - kaNDa cApu
pArthasArathI nannu - madhyamAvati - rUpakam - RSI (RNS)
tani
samayamidE rA rA - bEhAg - PSI
eNNi eNNi manam - rAgamAlikA - tisra naDai
sAnti nilava vENDum - tilang - Adi - Sethu Madhava Rao
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T
sriyatkAntAya - madhyamAvati

It was an amazing concert. Each piece was rendered with a lot of bhavam. The renditions were weighty and all the pieces were moving. The AlApanais were measured and brought out the rAga bhAvam in totality. The neraval svarams were all very good as well.

Smt. Santanam gave a very enjoyable concert. Unfortunately, she had a bad throat on that day, but that did not stop her from presenting what was one of the most enjoyable concerts. Smt. Ahalya on the vocal support was good. Sri Ramadass on the violin was good in parts. The percussion department was beautifully handled by Sri Radhakrishnan and Sri Manian. The tani had Sri Manian do Konnakkol.

K Lakshmi, Sravanam

K Lakshmi - Bombay Anand - Srivanjiyam Sriram

Sravanam, TTD Center
29 June 09. 6 pm

sarasuDa ninnE - sAvEri - Adi - KVI
tatvamariya taramA - rItigauLa - Adi - PS (S)
nAradamuni veDalina - kAmavardhani - tisra Adi - T (RNS)
saundararAjam - brindAvana sArangA - rUpakam - MD (R)
eTiyOchanAlu - kIraNAvaLi - Adi - T
O rangasAyI - kAmbhOji - Adi - T (RNST)
kasturi tilakam - slOkam in hamsAnandi, kApi
jagaddhOdhAraNa - kApi - catusra Ekam - PD
irangAdirukkalAmO - sahAnA - Adi
nainanmE siyArAm - lalath - Tulasidas
suddha sArang ashtapati
bEhAg tillAnA
nI nAma rUpamulaku

It was a good concert from the youngster. The brindAvana sArangA was presented in a very moving fashion. The kAmavardhani was good too. The kAmbhOji was very good though it could have been a little better structured. The kritis were all rendered well and the manOdarmam was quite good. The accompanists were good and played in tandem with the main artist giving fitting replies.

A youngster to watch out for!

V K Manimaran, Ramana Kendram

V K Manimaran - Pakala Ramdass - B Ganapatiraman

Ramana Kendram.
24 June 09. 6:45 pm

vAtApi gaNapatim - hamsadvani - Adi - MD (S)
IsanE inda Ezhaikkiranga - chakravAkam - rUpakam - PS
bAgAyanayyA - chandrajyOti - Adi - T
rAmanukku mannan muDi - hindOLam - Adi - AK (RS)
tAyE tripurasundari - suddha sAvEri - kaNDa cApu - PT
bhajarE rE citta - kalyaNi - misra cApu - MD

It was a good concert. The kriti selection and renditions were good. The sub-main hindOLam was very well elaborated and presented in a chaste fashion. The main kalyANi AlApanai was good in parts.

The violinst was good in parts. The mridangist was excellent and played perfectly for the songs and the svarams.

I had to leave during the main kriti.