"Sandhya Ragam" - Concert Reviews by Sandhya Shankar

Musical Girijavalam A friend had posted about a concert she enjoyed and trusting her judgment, I decided to check out this vocalist  Girijashankar   Sundaresan .  There I was at Sivagami Petachi on the afternoon of 23rd December this season to hear him sing. He started the concert with a varnam composed by Fiddle Ponnuswamy in Ragam Khamboji set to Adi thalam ‘Taruni Ninnu Pasi Talaledura’.  When one is a student of a maestro like Chitravina Ravikiran, it’s a given that every aspect of music is perfected.  His next song was Saint Thyagaraja’s composition ‘Orajupu Chuchedi Nyayama O Raghutama’ in Ragam Kaanada Gowlai set to Adi thalam. Every one of Thyagaraja’s compositions has a different mood in the inner layers, though outwardly it may appear as if he is just obsessed about Lord Rama and he does nothing but to blindly praise him.  What should be noticed is the ‘relationship’ between him & Rama. Rama is not just a God but has several roles...

Bale Muralikrishna Years ago, when I heard that there was this young person called Kunnakudi M.Balamuralikrishna who had entered the Carnatic Music arena, I felt it was an interesting hybrid name and wondered if he had any connection to either Dr.M.Balamuralikrishna or Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan. I did the most obvious which is turning to Google and found that he was not related to either of them.  Somehow, I have never had an opportunity to sit through a whole concert of his, though I have been observing his steady growth.  This year I heard him at the Music Academy at the coveted 6.45 slot.  There was an impressive crowd and he started the concert with a rarely sung varnam ‘Intha Kopamelara O’Rama’ which was a Ragamalika composed by Veena Kuppaiyer set in Adi thalam. He sang 9 Ragams if I had counted right ! The Ragams were Natai, Gowla, Varali, Arabhi, Sri, Narayanagowla, Reetigowla, Nataikurinji and Kedaram ... Poruma?.....making this the richest of the rich ...

Prosaic Prasanna Venkataraman There is so much hype about getting a chance to perform in the Music Academy during the Marghazhi Season and the most coveted slot being the evening 6.45pm. For decades it’s been an accepted thing that if an artiste performs in this slot, then he or she will have to be extremely good. Only the BEST get to perform during that time or the least is that he or she has to be a crowd puller.   I attended 2 concerts back to back at The Music Academy on the 20th December, with a quick coffee in between. It’s going to be another post about the first concert but this review about second concert can’t wait. It was Prasanna Venkataraman who was a student of T.R. Balamani, T.K. Govind Rao and who I heard was now learning under Sanjay Subramanyam. This was enough for me to check him out. The queue in the canteen delayed me and made me miss his varnam, for which I am now thankful. In my earnestness to present facts, I tried checking people sit next to me...

Sakethram It’s not easy to grow up in the shadow of a talented, famous and successful sibling where it’s inevitable that constant comparisons are made. I am not talking about Sakethram who has a super successful sister Vishaka but about myself and my gorgeously beautiful elder sister who was also a well behaved child while I was this ugly duckling of the family or rather ugly monkey who was far too mischievous. It’s all about me and my sister not about Sakethram & Vishaka. Do I sound like Sowcar Janaki in K.B’s film ‘Iru Kodugal’ where that famous wordplay of life & file is used ?   Having made my point, I am sharing my experience at Sakethram’s kutcheri for Kartik Fine Arts at Narada Gana Sabha on 5th December.   He started the concert not with a customary varnam but instead a composition of Ambujam Krishna in Ragam Hamsanandi set in Aadi thalam, ‘Punnagai Ondre Podhume.’ It was an earnest attempt on his part to impact the audience and it did take a while...

Crazy about RamanaGayatri I have always thought Crazy Mohan means laughter and spot on humour, but today I realised that there is more to this man than people associated him with.   I attended a programme which was quite different in its flow. It was a Carnatic music concert based on Crazy Mohan's 'Ramanayana' in Tamil, a poetical biography of Bhagawan Ramana Maharishi. Apparently Crazy Mohan read a book about Ramana Maharshi's life back to back and it impressed him so much, that it motivated him to write all through the night, this marvelous poetry or was it prose?   It was set to Carnatic Music by Rajkumar Bharati and the icing on the cake was Gayathri Girish and her sincere singing.   One could not ignore that this was not a regular concert where some popular, some rare, some racy, songs are put together keeping the audience interest in mind. This programme was not intended to get people's eyeballs or applause, but instead it was meant as a t...

Giant (Jayant )and the Flute Stalk   I have been saying now for several years that it’s not fair to have instrumental concerts inserted between the vocal concerts during the Marghazhi December Season. There is so much happening as it is, with artistes, timings & venues being deciding the parameters with rasikas. Somewhere the instrumentalists do not get their share of undivided audience or attention. Probably there should be an exclusive instrumental mini season and the rasikas get to enjoy a lovely Veena, mandolin, keyboard, piano, flute or anything else without feeling bad about missing any vocal concert. There are so many accomplished instrumentalists who don’t get the crowd they deserve.   The option of having an exclusive festival for instrumentalists should be seriously explored.   Like for example, I went to attend a flute concert (where the theme was ‘Muruga’) on 13th December at Marghazhi Maha Utsavam at around 4.45 pm and people kept walking in ...

Anthara Gandhara (G3) Venkatraghavan It’s become a rarity to come across a musician who perceives Carnatic music more as an art than as a career, or a pathway to fame. And here was one such musician who gave us a lovely evening filled with pure music and devotion.   Her first song was a famous Pancharatna Krithi composed by Saint Thyagaraja in Ragam Arabhi ‘Sadinchine O Manasa’ set to Adi Thalam. It’s common knowledge that Thyagaraja’s Ishta Devata was Rama and almost all his compositions were revolving around him. This song starts in a playful tone about Lord Krishna where Devaki, Vasudeva and Yashoda are mentioned. There is no excess of adjectives to describe Krishna but he used metaphors & similies instead making it a rich tapestry of words. He refers to Krishna as one who is ever attractive to the Gopikas and as a contrast in the 6th charanam he refers to Rama as Raghuvamsa tilaka, one who is a brother to all women not related to him. The lyrics ‘Samayaniki Tha...

Tamizhikkum Sanjayendru Per There has always been a clamour for Tamil language and for it being the identity of people of Tamil Nadu by all politicians who want to use Tamizh(not Tamil) as a tool to fulfill their political aspirations. All politicians are fighting to keep Hindi from entering the borders of Tamil Nadu, in order to preserve and protect Tamizh language while their own children and grandchildren go to the most expensive & best International Schools where Tamizh is neither the medium of instruction nor is it a part of the syllabus! For sometime now, one of our best Carnatic musicians Sanjay Subrahmanyan has this exclusive Tamizh concert where he sings only Tamizh compositions. It’s a fitting tribute to this city which has nurtured Carnatic Music and all those marvellous compositions by several well known & lesser known Tamizh poets waiting to be exhibited. Sanjay had sung on a similar format for Shubhashree Thanikachalam’s ‘Marghazhi Maha Utsavam’ for...