R Vedavalli, Saraswati Vaggeyakkara Trust

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 25 Jul 2009, 12:06

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.

bharath

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 25 Jul 2009, 18:29

Wow Bharath - must have been an extraordinary concert, for you write so volubly!

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 25 Jul 2009, 18:56

And I thought that "tambaram" was sufficient excuse for me not to even intend making it to this one.

Bharath puts me to shame <Blush>

srikant1987 · Post by **srikant1987** » 25 Jul 2009, 19:10

Oh no! If Vedavalli mami is not enough, we have RKSK too. If RKSK is not enough, we have KAP too.

But Kasba (somewhere in Kolkata) is a little too far from Tambaram.

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 25 Jul 2009, 23:21

What a beautiful concert list - bEgaDA, mukhAri, mOhana and shaDvidhamArgini. With such a combination of artistes, it would have been a great treat and well worth the long ride to Tambaram.

mATi mATiki especially is such a beautiful song which seldom finds a place on the concert stage. It is a Vedavalli Amma special, a song that takes on a real unique glow in her hands...

Jigyaasa · Post by **Jigyaasa** » 26 Jul 2009, 10:49

WOW! shaDvidhamArgiNi for main! Awesome!

srinivasrgvn · Post by **srinivasrgvn** » 26 Jul 2009, 12:55

I just envy all of you who attended this fabulous concert! How superb it would have been! A perfect blend of artistes, compositions and ragas!! Nice review, rbharath!

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 30 Jul 2009, 23:45

nick, sometimes one does make such efforts for the sake of music.

I have been to many corners of the city for concerts, iff the artists were of that class.

arunk · Post by **arunk** » 30 Jul 2009, 23:52

Bharath,

Was the shaDvidamArgini rendered with the ga a more of G1 tinge (like TNS, MDR) or G2 (like Hyd Brothers). The first one gives a varali ringe (or say more like navanItam), the second gives a SubhapantuvarAli tinge. IIRC, mami's shaDvidamArgini doesnt have the SubhapantuvarALi tinge (?).

I ask because I have always had this confusion/doubt about this raga, intriguing considering it is a mela raga

Arun

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 31 Jul 2009, 00:00

arun, i think, found it more of a G1 tinge only. Infact, for a short while in the beginning of the alapanai, i thought it was a vivadi, but later realised it was shadvidamArgini.

sankirnam · Post by **sankirnam** » 31 Jul 2009, 06:12

is that the original ragam gnanamosagaradha was composed in?

sivapriya · Post by **sivapriya** » 31 Jul 2009, 07:26

The original raga for Gnanamosagaraadha was Shadvidhamargini .