T.M.Krishna @ Naada Inbam, Chennai

Venue: Raga Sudha Hall, 85/2, Luz Avenue, Mylapore

Date: 18 Dec 2006

Organizer: Naada Inbam

Vocal: Sri T.M.Krishna

Violin: Sri B.U. Ganesh Prasad

Mridangam: Sri Mannargudi Easwaran

Ghatam: Sri T.V. Vasan

List of songs:

1) mErusamAna – mAyAmALavagOwLa – Adi – thyAgarAja (NS)

2) pArvati ninnu nE – kalgaDa – Adi (tisra gati) – syAma sAstri

3) sarasa sAma dAna – kApinArayaNi – Adi – thyAgarAja (N)

4) kshitijA ramaNam – dEvagAndhAri – Adi – muthuswAmi dIkshitar (A)

5) bhOgIndra sAyinam – kuntalavarALi – kanDa chApu – swAti tiruNAL

6) kAmAkshi (swarajati) – bhairavi – misra chApu – syAma sAstri (ANT)

7) mODi jEsEvElarA (jAvaLi) – khamAs – Adi – paTTabhirAmayyA

8 ) meragAdu rammanavE – sahAnA – misra chApu – kshEtragna

9) eppo varuvArO – jOnpuri – Adi – gOpAlakrishna bhArati

10) sarvam brahmamayam – madivanti – Adi – sadAshiva brahmEndra

11) thillAnA (nAdru dIm tana dIranA) – shankarAbharaNam – Adi – ?? 

12) pavamAna (mangaLam) – sOwrAshTram – Adi – thyAgarAja

13) mangaLam kOsalEndrAya (slOkam) – suruTTi 

(Key: O=raga outline, A=raga alapana, N=neraval, S=kalpana swaram, T=taniavartanam)

Today’s concert was probably the best that a devotee of TMK’s music like me could ask for !! TMK’s artistry combined with the good acoustics of Raga Sudha Hall simply elevated the concert to great heights.  The dEvagAndhAri and bhairavi alapanas transported me into a different world altogether. Syama Sastri’s bhairavi swarajati was rendered beautifully, ably embellished by the accompanists, especially by Sri Mannargudi Easwaran on the mridangam. Sri Easwaran played superbly for all the songs. The taniavartanam that he and Sri T.V. Vasan played was also a treat to the ears.

Sanjay Subramanian @ STBGS, Chennai

Venue: Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Mahaswamigal Auditorium, Vani Mahal, T.Nagar, Chennai

Date: 17 Dec 2006

Organizer: Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha

Vocal: Sri Sanjay Subramanian

Violin: Sri Nagai Muralidharan

Mridangam: Sri Guruvayur Dorai

Khanjira: Sri Neyveli Venkatesh

List of songs:

1) valachi (varnam) – navarAgamAlikA – Adi – kothavAsal vankatrAma iyer

2) parAkEla saraswati – nATTakurinji – rUpakam – tirupati nArAyaNaswAmi (S)

3) tyAgarAja pAlayAsumAm – gOwLa – Adi – muthuswAmi dIkshitar (A)

4) nIyE charan – kAmbOji – Adi – pApanAsam sivan

5) ambaramE taNNIrE – kalyANi – kanDa chApu – AnDAL (ANS)

6) sukhi evvarO – kAnaDA – Adi – thyAgarAja (AST)

7) rAgam tAnam pallavi – varALi – kanDa tripuTa (2 kaLai)

pallavi wordings: “ambikai jagadambikai varAL idO, sruthiyOdu layamum tarAL idO”

kalpana swarams in varALi, sahAnA, kOmaLAngi, janaranjani, behAg

8 ) rAmanai bhajithAl – mAnD – Adi – pApanAsam sivan

9) visvEshwar darshan – rAgamAlikA (sindhubhairavi, pahADi, kOsalam) – rUpakam – swAti tiruNAL

10) ADiya pAdattai – suruTTi – Adi – gOpAlakrishna bhArati

11) mAlAsai kObam (tiruppugazh) – jOnpuri – Adi – aruNagirinAthar

12) pavamAna (mangaLam) – sOwrAshTram – Adi – thyAgarAja

(Key: O=raga outline, A=raga alapana, N=neraval, S=kalpana swaram, T=taniavartanam)

I would probably rate this along with the TNS concert at Ramarao Kala Mantap as the best concert I have heard so far in the season this year. This was the last of the four concerts I attended on Sunday and it made my day as it was undoubtedly the best of the lot. I have always come away happy and satisfied from Sri Sanjay’s concerts and Sunday was no exception. The main credit for making the concert excellent goes to Sri Sanjay and Sri Nagai Muralidharan. The gOwLa and kAnaDA alapanas done by both were masterpieces. The ragam tAnam pallavi was classic stuff and Sri Nagai Muralidharan was so precise in his replies be it during the kalpana swarams or whenever Sri Sanjay did a tisram.

Sri Guruvayur Dorai and Sri Neyveli Venkatesh did a fine job handling the percussion part of the proceedings.

T.M. Krishna @ Bharat Kalachar, Chennai

Venue: Sri YGP Auditorium, T. Nagar, Chennai

Date: 17 Dec 2006

Organizer: Bharat Kalachar

Vocal: Sri T.M. Krishna

Violin: Sri H.K. Venkatram

Mridangam: Sri K.V. Prasad

Ghatam: Sri Udipi Sridhar

List of songs:

1) karuNimpa (varnam) – sahAnA – Adi – tiruvOtriyUr tyAgayyA

2) pAhimAm srI – janaranjani – Adi – rAmaswAmi sivan (S)

3) enraikku siva krupai – mukhAri – misra chApu – nIlakaNTa sivan (A)

4) manavyAlakim – naLinakAnti – Adi – thyAgarAja (S)

5) jAnakI patE – kharaharapriyA – Adi – pApanAsam sivan (ANST)

6) jAnarO I mOgamu (jAvaLi) – khamAs – rUpakam – rAmanAtapuram srInivasa iyengAr

………..

(Key: O=raga outline, A=raga alapana, N=neraval, S=kalpana swaram, T=taniavartanam)

I had to leave after the sixth song. Overall a good concert once again by TMK. Kharaharapriya was simply superb.

The concert could have been certainly made better for the audience by including at least one fast paced song. All songs were sung slowly and this certainly didn’t look like a concert that would get someone who didn’t know much about carnatic music interested in it. Even “manavyalakim” was sung slow.  I am saying this especially in the context of an auditorium like the one where the concert was held. The auditorium stretched for quite some distance from the stage and it is very easy for the singer to get the audience to lose interest if “interesting” songs aren’t there. This is what precisely happened at least with the people sitting around me almost at the back of the auditorium.