SRUTI, Philadelphia-Sri Vijay Siva, May 15,2010

[gs1968]

An enthralling concert was held under the auspices of SRUTI Philadelphia on May 15,2010
Vocal-Sri Vijay Siva
Violin- Sri R.K.Shriramkumar
Mridangam-Sri.J.Vaidyanathan

The song list is as follows
1.Varnam - Hamsadvani- Pagavaribodhana-Patnam Subramania Iyer
2.Pahisri Girirajasudha- Anandhabhairavi-Syama Sastri
3.EntaRani Tanaku-Harikhambhoji-Thyagaraja
4.Sri Ranagnayakam Bhavayeham-Nayaki-Muthuswami Dikshitar
5.Ramabhirama-Dhanyasi-Thyagaraja
6.Aru marthoru Thanimarinthu Ambalathil Kandene-Khamboji- Muthu Thandavar Padam
7.Nadachi Nadachi- Kharaharapriya- Thyagaraja
8.RTP-Purvikalyani
9.Neenyako Ninna-Shenjurutti-Puranadara Dasar
10.Kanrin Kuralai Kettu-Mukhari-Composer?
11.Karpagame Kan Paarai-Madhyamavati-Papanasam Sivan
12.Thayin Manikodi Paareer-?saama-Bharatiyar
13. Mangalam

I may have missed a few thukkadas and I hope other attendees will make the necessary additions and corrections.
I am not qualified enough to critique the doyens in this field but the concert was at a very high level both intellectually and emotionally. I had tears in my eyes at various points of the concert. The Nayaki and Kharaharapriya were the highlights. Especially during the slow paced kalpana swara rendition or Nadachi, I closed my eyes and prayed it would never end!
RTP was not a Ragamalika but it was a complex laya pattern involving three speeds in multiples of 7.
Obviously being from the same school-the accompanists had no difficulty in interpretation and added to the concert experience.

[arasi]

What a list! My favorites Yadukula kAmbhOdi, pUrvi kalyANi and a lot more...

gs,
That's the state we all long for in a concert--closing our eyes, being moved to tears and wishing that the song/concert would never end. The magic of good music!

In TNS's concert thread, the performance as a joint venture came up. It is true that the trio VS, SRK and JV make an ideal team--as sishyAs of the same guru and also as members of the same family! I am sure Sriramkumar feels that he is family too and vice versa.
Would have been lovely listening to bArati's tAyin maNikkoDi pArIr a la DKP. VS obviously did not ask the audience to stand up when he sang this patriotic song (which is mostly sung when the flag is hoisted) Just as well. Imagine our doing pUja with tulasi dalam, falling on the floor when 'danDamu betedanurA' is sung and so on! A concert hall is where we are gathered for listening to a concert. Simply listening to tAyin maNikkoDi pArIr! (behold the precious flag of our Motherland!) sung with feeling would bring tears to one's eyes, sitting or standing...

[musicapriya]

yes, what a sublime concert. ranganAyakam was delivered to just melt in your chair and then came the kharaharapriya alapana and kriti which took you to greater heights of enjoyment. many of us kept guessing on what DKP favorites were going to be delivered - like dinamani vamsa in harikamboji or meena lochana brova in dhanyasi etc. you almost wanted to request all the songs that you have heard DKP sing and have an extended concert. the RTP was a treat for the mathematically inclined and made you start 'putting' thalam with extra care. shri JV was phenomenal with very involved playing. shri shriram kumar was fantastic too and their rapport was marvelous to experience.

the intro to DKP by smt. kiranavali vidyasankar was illuminating with special audio coverage of an intricate RTP in dhanyasi by DKP and was a good start to Sruti's DKP memorial event.

the mukhari song is by neelakanta sivan.

[mahakavi]

Item #6: arumarundonRu tanimarundidu ambalattil kaNDEnE.
It was originally tuned in mOhanam, I think (by TiruppAmburam Swaminatha PiLLai).

[rajeshnat]

8.RTP-Purvikalyani

10.Kanrin Kuralai Kettu-Mukhari-Composer?

In 2005 or 2006 at academy that I attended, he sang a RTP in poorvikalyAni , the lines were something like "parama pAvana rAmA vimOchana rAmA ",was the same pallavi rendered?

enRaikku shivakripai - mukhAri - Neelakanta shivan

It should have been a terrific concert with a very engaging team.

[vidya]

Rajeshnat,
Yes, It was the same Pallavi line. A few more points:

#1 There was a short talk on Smt.DKP by Kiranavali Vidyasanker preceding the concert with a couple of clips played and a few key aspects of Smt.DKP's music highlighted including her minimalistic approach, her being a pioneer in the field of women singing Kanakkus and her formative influences were highlighted. Clips played included her Dhanyasi RTP and bhajan jAnaki nAth (to show the range of her repertoire) and finally the ubiquitous shAnti nilava vENdum.

#2 It was a concert that exhibited a lot of musical maturity which included poise(gauravam as they call it in Tamizh), selection of compositions. and not screaming in the upper octaves. This was a team I'd heard several times at the Tyagaraja Aradhana in Coimbatore and it was good to hear this team again after a decade or so!

#3 To use fellow forumite Munirao's phrase, the Ranganayakam was all about 'pAtha shuddha' and it strengthened my conviction that it is such pathashuddha that truly forms the basis and validity for Dikshitar kRtis.

#4 The tala was Tisra triputa misra gati The RTP was a welcome change not only in terms of selection of a carnatic raga which allows tristhayi exploration and not having to hear random string of pointless ragamalika svaras that one hears at the cost of depth of raga exploration , trikAlam and good mel kalam svarams in the main raga. May the tribes of such RTP's increase!
#5 There was also Tanjavur Chinnaiah's lilting Javali kOpamETula in kedAragauLa and a tiruppugazh

[prashant]

ranganAyakam used to be sung so beautifully by Sri DKJ and Smt. DKP. It was as though the krithi was composed especially for them. Sri Vijay Siva more than lives up to this lofty standard while singing this song. I remember one especially beautiful rendition in March 2007 during a concert at the Balaji temple in Dombivli [just outside Mumbai]. He prefaced the song with a beautiful slOka 'vimAnam praNavAkaram'. One of those musical moments that will remain with me forever...

[arasi]

Prashant,
Nice to hear from you every now and then with your comments based on your rich musical experience and learning. Wish you would bring in more of your insights as you ued to

[gs1968]

Thanks to everybody for the comments,corrections and additions. How could I forget to mention the beautiful presentation by Smt.Kiranavali Vidyashankar before the concert especially when so much of what she mentioned was amply evident in the concert that followed..
The Ranganayakam was preceded by the same sloka as mentioned by Prashant and was a beautiful introduction to the kriti.
No-he did not ask us to stand for the Thayin manikodi paareer song! I am sure Arasi is referring to the recent TMK controversy. The only standing we did was the long,spontaneous ovation at the end of the concert! (richly deserved)
My wife ( incidentally another Vidya) confirmed with Sri JV about the RTP Talam pattern. It is exactly as forumite Vidya has mentioned. Some rasikas were wondering if the gait had been changed halfway through the swaras but he said the gait remained the same but the number of notes was doubled from 7 to 14
The concert itself was a perfect example of experienced stagecraft. The selection of songs with due representation of the trinity,varying scales and tempo and rendered with so much clarity. He also had the supreme gift of the artist-to end when everybody is craving for more.
The only thing missing was a swati tirunal kriti but looking at the concert list I cannot see a spot where one would fit in naturally without disturbing the balance.
Unfortunately I cannot make it to the CMANA concert on May 29 so I really hope some other forumite will attend and give us details

[gs1968]

Can we request Mahakavi to give us details of Sri Vijay Siva's concert in Raleigh on May 16?

[mahakavi]

gs1968:
Do you have to ask? ;(
Vijaya Siva, R K Shriramkumar, and J Vaidyanathan in Cary, NC on May 16th (under the auspices of SIFAA)

I did not take a paper and pen into the auditorium. The A/C failed on that day. It was hot inside. I was moving in and out. But that is not an excuse for not writing. If I had a paper and pen I would have at least reported on the items sung. Now I don't remember much about the concert. Let me recollect to the best of my ability (with the help of another rasika whose memory is equally vague as mine)
1. a bEgaDa varNam---dayAnidE mAmava ???
2. HiraNmayIm LakshmIm--lalitA--MD
3. SadAnanda tANDavam--bahudAri--accuta dAsar
4. SadAshrayE abhayAmbikE sannidhEhi--cAmaram--MD
5. Some kriti of Thyagaraja (not a prominent one)
6. Main piece: SwararAga sudha--SankarAbharaNam--Thyagaraja
7. RTP in Anandabhairavi. Pallavi line "kamala sadani, kamala vadani, kamala daLa nayani". I don't remember other rAgams in the swararAgamalika.
8. Some kannaDa song (I don't remember the words quite--something like mAttADa....)
9. tungA tIravirAjam--yamunA kalyANi--Kamalesha viTTaldAsa
10. veTTa veLi tannil--Kudambai siddar song (This was my request)

There may have been a couple of more which I don't recall. Sorry!

Overall it was a satisfying experience (despite the climate problem in the auditorium). Lalita, bahudAri, cAmaram, Sankarabharanam, and RTP were top-class. Vijaya Siva from the DKJ/DKP school did full justice to the reputation.
Shriramkumar and Vaidyanathan were equally flourishing in their support.

[arasi]

Thanks, mahakavi.
It was perhaps mAtADa bAradEnO in kamAs?

[gs1968]

Thanks to mahakavi for the details. Although the list is not complete, the general drift of the concert is clearly evident. Mahakavi had mentioned in one of his earlier posts that he likes the rendition of Dikshitar's Devi kritis by VS and he got not one but two of those almost back to back in that concert. I see that he sang a Ragamalika RTP instead of a single raga that he did here. It must have been memorable since he was able to recall 12 songs without writing it down 3 days later! I still cannot get Saturday's concert out of my head!