U. Rajesh - Mandolin
M. Swaminathan - Mrudangam
S.V. Ramani - Ghatam
Duration: ~ 2.5 hours
Approximate Songlist:
01. varNam - cArukEsi - Adi - LGJ
02. namAmi vignavinAyaka (S) - hamsadhwani - Adi (tiSra)
03. endarO mahAnabhAvulu - srI - Adi
04. srI rAma padama - amritavAhini - Adi
05. garuDagamana (R,S) - nAgaswarAvaLi - rUpakam
06. saravaNabhava - pasupathipriya - Adi
07. RTP - shaNmugapriya - Adi(2) (sama eDuppu)
Ragamaliga swaras in kAmbOji, dhEnuka, and two other ragas I didn't catch
Thani Avarthanam
08. venkaTAchala nilayam - sindhu bhairavi - Adi
09. vaishnava janatO - kamAj
10. sAi bhajan - rEvati
11. thillAna - mAnD - LGJ
12. mangaLam - sowrASTram
As expected, the auditorium was packed to capacity and beyond for this concert (attendance was supposedly about 570). Shrinivas began the concert with a madhyama kala rendition of LGJ's cArukEsi varnam. He continued with a brisk hamsadhwani krithi and a rather elaborate swara prastharam which was racing on like a bullet train until Rajesh suddenly played a very soft, elongated nishAdam during his turn, injecting some much needed sowkhyam into the proceedings. (I was told by a friend at this juncture to complain about the noise of crying babies and kids, and am doing so only at her behest. I personally was not disturbed by anybody.) The pancharathna krithi followed with Shrinivas decorating the anupallavi with several fast-plucking gimmicks that the krithi really does not need. After a nice amritavAhini piece, the brothers launched into nAgaswarAvaLi ragam, with Rajesh using janTa prayOgas effectively. The kalpanaswaras for this piece were noteworthy for swara sequences played across strings.
After a brisk pasupatipriya, Shrinivas announced an RTP in shaNmugapriya and the brothers played a fairly elaborate shaNmugapriya. At the outset, there was a curious RG,,,RS phrase that smacked of srI. Shrinivas, at the tara sthayi climax, played rapidly repeating SRGM SRGM phrases that finally culminated in a gasp-inducing jAru to the tara panchamam and back (lingering ever so slightly at M2). The subsequent thanam was one of my highlights of the evening, with the brothers using the plain madhyamam to good effect and Rajesh reaching well into the tara and even atitara sthayis towards the close. The thanam was particularly good because of the periodic simultaneous use of several strings to give a vINa effect. The pallavi neraval was standard fare, as were the ragamaliga swaras (Rajesh played a ragam towards the end that for some reason eluded me - it was very well done).
Madrimangalam Swaminathan and S.V. Ramani played an electric thani avarthanam here with each round of the thani garnering enthusiastic applause from the audience. Throughout the concert, the percussionists kept up with the brothers' pace and this team is obviously a well-oiled machine. I was especially impressed by the deft fingering of the ghatam vidwan.
Of the tukkadas, vaishnava janatO was played quietly, slowly, and was quite moving (it was a request made by a young child). LGJ's mAnD thillAna provided a delightful close to the concert.
This is my first live concert of Mandolin Shrinivas and it was exactly as I had expected. It was fast paced, often gimmicky, and was a testament to the man's supreme technical mastery over the instrument. I was pleasantly surprised by Rajesh's playing this evening, which I often found more sensitive than Shrinivas's. The music, over all, was entertaining without being arresting. There was no great manOdharma on display either.
I personally felt this was a fairly good concert.
(I know I will be roasted for my rating
)Humorous Post Script:
The organiser during the vote of thanks accidentally referred to Rajesh as Shrinivas's son, causing many a murmur in the crowd. Several of my American friends who had attended the concert spoke to me afterwards remarking that the two really did not seem to be father and son!
I think this sort of hilarity is happening quite regularly in concerts these days . Probably due to the uNarchivasam ( over enthusiasm) of the organiser .