AndyMusicBlog-thodi

THE BANGALORE GAYANA SAMAJA, K.R.ROAD, BANGALORE 560 004 THIRTY NINTH MUSIC CONFERENCE EVENING CONCERTS SUNDAY 5th AUGUST to SUNDAY 12th AUGUST 2007 DAILY FROM 6 PM SUNDAY 5th AUGUST 2007 Sri. S SHASHANK Flute Violin Sri. SATISH KUMAR Mrudangam MONDAY 6th AUGUST 2007 Sri. NEYVELI SANTHANAGOPALAN Vocal Sri. V. V. RAVI Violin Sri. V. PRAVEEN Mrudangam Sri. M.A.KRISHNA MURTHY Ghatam TUESDAY 7th AUGUST 2007 Smt. M. S. SHEELA Vocal Sri. C.N.CHANDRASEKHAR Violin Sri. A.ANANTHAKRISHNA SHARMA Mrudangam Sri. GURUPRASANNA Khanjira WEDNESDAY 8th AUGUST 2007 at 6 PM Pt. SATISH VYAS Santoor Pt. RAVINDRA YAVAGAL Tabla WEDNESDAY 8th AUGUST 2007 at 7-45 PM Dr. RAJEEV TARANATH Sarod Pt. UDAYA RAJ KARPOOR Tabla THURSDAY 9th AUGUST 2007 Sri. VIJAY SIVA Vocal Sri. R. K. SRIRAMKUMAR Violin Sri. NEYVELI NARAYANAN Mrudangam Sri. SRISHYLAN Ghatam FRIDAY 10th AUGUST 2007 Sri. MYSORE M. NAGARAJ Dr. MYSORE M. MANJUNATH Violin Duet Sri. SREEMUSHNAM RAJA RAO Mrudangam Sri. G..S.RAMANUJAM Ghatam SATURDAY 11th AUGUS...

Yesterday (15th July,07) we attended a vocal recital by Rudrapatnam brothers Dr. R.N.Thyagarajan and R.N.Taranathan. Was a wonderful performance on the whole. They have voices which each easily blend into each other's. Giridhar Udupa was on the Ghatam (didn't catch the names of the Violin and Mridanam accompanists. The latter was a girl from US.) Song list: 1.) Viriboni Varnam (Bhairavi /Ata Talam) 2.) Jayajaya janaki (Nattai/ Purandaradasa / KhandaChapu) 3.) Marivere (Ananda Bhairavi / Shyama Shastri / Chapu) 4.) Sobillu Saptaswara ( Jaganmohini / Thyagaraja /Rupaka) 5.) Lavanya Rama (Purna Shadjam / Thyagaraja /Rupaka) 6.) Kantimati (Hevamati / Mutthuswami Dikshithar / Adi) The Hemavati alapana was scintilating. The kriti was rendered beautifully with a nice round of neraval and svarams at 'dyaSTOttara sahasra kalashAbhiSEkAmOdAmsurahitAm'. Had to leave the concert venue before the concert ended as it was pretty late by the time the tani avartanam ended.

I lost my maternal grandma recently and have been wanting to blog about her and her love for Carnatic since a while. Everytime I get started with these posts, I'd get too emotional and stop.Finally I've decided to complete this post. (Will publish another post on her as a wonderful human being later). My grandma Smt. Alamelu Raman, was a walking talking encyclopedia of Carnatic Music and a good singer. She had learnt music in school and imbibed all that was being taught to her cousins. She has remnisced that her grandpa used to often remark "Alamelu is a genius -she just listens to a song a couple of times and is able to reproduce it so wonderfully". She kept her yearning for music alive as long as she was alive. Music was and remained was one of her life-lines. She used to learn music over the radio, making meticulous notes from Voleti Venkateshwarulu's "Learn to Sing" on All India Radio. She also learnt a kot of kirtanams from Manakkal Brothers when my...

On 25th April (07), We attended a concert by famous flautist Master Shashank. Reached the venue with Great expectations as it has been good listening to Shashank live. The concert began almost 30 minutes behind schedule which is a rarity at Rama Bhajana Seva Mandali. Shashank began with an Ata Tala Kanada Varnam (after providing the audience with a Hobson's Choice of the same). The Latangi he played after that was very elaborate. He was alternately brilliant and lack lusture. The Saramati that followed was equally detailed and he managed to put a few people in the audience to sleep (saw a couple of them seated in the same row as us itself.) The Hindustani influence of Pandit Jasraj with whom Shashank is learning now became highly evident. I have nothing against Hindustani music or Panditji but when people begin to mix both styles, the end effect somehow doesn't sound appealing. I've heard violin maestro N. Rajamji play both styles; but when she plays Raga Bageshri it is pur...

On 18th April (07), I attended a concert by Shri Vijay Siva. Reached the venue a little late as we went directly from office. Vijay was singing the Thyagaraja Kirtanam "Entaninne " in Mukhari. This was followed by the Begada kirtanam 'Abhimanamendu' - Ragam Saveri was taken up by Vijay and RK Sriramkumar next with detailed Aalapanai. I was hoping he would sing DKJ's favourite Thyagaraja Kirtanam in Savei - Rama Bana but what follwed was the Dikshithar masterpiece - 'Shri Rajagopala'I listened to the Ragam and Tanam in Kanada and then left as we had to get home in order to reach office on time the next day. Sangeeta Kalanidhi DKJ must have been all smiles in heaven listening to two of his best disciples.

Yet another post describing yet another concert I attended. The artist of the day (14th April,07)Mandolin U Srinivas. I've listened to him solo on many occasions) but this was the first time I listened to him with his younger brother (and disciple) U Rajesh. They began the concert with the Thodi Varnam Eranapai followed by VaraVallabha in Hamsadhwani (the speedy notes played towards the end of this kirtanam deserve special mention.) The next set of compositions were Saint Thyagaraja's Raghuvara in Pantuvarali, St. PurandaraDasa's composition in Hindolam (wasn't able to decipher which) and the Dikshithar masterpiece Param Dhamavati in Dharmavati. Both Srinivas and Rajesh played this Ragam in an elaborate manner. H.K.Venkatraman's violin support was simply too good and recieved a round of well deserved applause. They played a few more Thyagaraja compositions - a rare one in Kotipriya (I guess I've gotten the name right - the ragam is a janyam of Mayamalavagowla me...

I listened to a radio recording of Violin Maestro Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu released by All India Radio from their archives. He has been accompanied on the violin by his daughter Dwaram Mangathayaru in this recital. Attaching a snippet from the sleeve notes on the CD - "Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu, was well known for his deft handling of complex ragas. Though a traditionalist at heart, even as he adhered to the orthodox Carnatic style, he was receptive to fresh ideas. He won many laurels and great praise for his exquisite handling of violin." The concert began with the Dikshithar masterpiece "Vathapi Ganapathim" in Hamsadhwami. This was followed by Subbaraya Shastri's "Janani Ninnuvina". The next three Kirtanams were Thyagaraja masterprices - Durmaga Charadhamulanu in Ranjani (the swara improvisations were mind-blowing), Brovabarama in Bahuari and Kshirasagara in Devagandhari. I hope AIR releases more recordings of the Violin Virtuoso as they are a real...