Song list of Smt. Seethalakshmi's concert in San Diego

[uscasdrs]

1. bhAjamahE-Hamsadhwani-Aadhi-Thulaseevanam
2. sIthamma mAyamma-Vasantha-Rupakam-Thyagaraja
3. ElAvathAra-Mukhari-Aadhi-Thyagaraja
4. jAnakivallabha-Dharmavathi-Misra Chapu-Ambujam Krishna
5. maravakavE-Sama-Rupakam-Patnam Subramanya Iyer
6. paramapurusham-Lalitha Panchamam-Kanda Chapu-Swathi Thirunal
7. O rangaSAyI-Kambhoji-Adhi-Thyagaraja
8. Sri rAghavam - Slokam - Ragamalikai
9. rE man-Sindhubhairavi-Ekam-Surdas
10. iLa thaLir SayanE (Padam)-Punnagavarali-Misra Chapu-Swathi Thirunal
11. AyE giridhar-Panthuvarali-Ekam-Swathi Thirunal
12. Thillana (nAdhrudheem)-Sankarabharanam-Desadhi
13. thungAthIravirAjam-Ragamalikai-Adi
14. kA vA vA-Varali-Adhi-Papanasam Sivan
15. Mangalam

Duration about 3 hours

Accompaniments:
Violin: Nishant Chandran
Mridangam: Raamkumar Balamurthi

This concert was absolutely phenomenal from beginning to end. Brought back memories of the stalwarts of carnatic music. If we can have one concert like this in San Diego every year, I would be in the seventh heaven.

She also conducted workshops for about 50 students this weekend, spread over two days and for sessions. She is very good teacher who is patient, methodical and is very willing to share her knowledge.

It was a delight spending time in the concert and in the workshops - her true passion for carnatic music, dedication, and humility truly came through.

[pattamaa]

Is this Vidhushi G. Sitalakshmi from Thiruvananthapuram, SSI's disciple?

[Sindhuja]

Another San Diegan here! Curious now...
Thanks for the song list. Unfortunately could attend neither the concert nor the workshop...

[bilahari]

Thank you, uscasdrs, for the list. I suppose this would've been a once-in-a-lifetime concert like the one Parassala Ponnammal delivered in 2008. Very sad to have missed it

Pattamaa, you are correct.

Sindhuja, I'm curious too. Another one comes out of the woodwork.

[ragam-talam]

Another one comes out of the woodwork.

bilahari - the main reason for this sad state of affairs is the chennai-centric nature of carnatic music. There are so many excellent vidwans and vidushis outside of Madras who are yet to get the recognition they so richly deserve. The music world is so much poorer because of this.

You can watch Smt Seethalakshmi accompanying Parassala Ponnammal in this Navarathri recital: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxuDdlXZcY8

Hope the San Diego concert was recorded. It does include quite a few excellent kritis.

[musicfan_4201]

Another one comes out of the woodwork.

bilahari - the main reason for this sad state of affairs is the chennai-centric nature of carnatic music. [/quote]

In a away it is blessing in disguise. Else they would have resorted to the snake and monkey songs to please the chennai-centric music aficionados

[uscasdrs]

Thank you, uscasdrs, for the list. I suppose this would've been a once-in-a-lifetime concert like the one Parassala Ponnammal delivered in 2008. Very sad to have missed it

Even though, due to other commitments, I could listen to a small part of the Parassala Ponnammal Concert, Friday's concert reminded me of what I had missed two years ago.

The concert was recorded

Revathi and Suresh

[cmvenkat]

Dear Revathi & Suresh
Thank you for sponsoring this phenomenal concert. What was amazing was to see and hear this musician sing with sheer abandon. The alapana, neraval, kalpana svarams all had a natural flow injecting great emotion and bhava. Her kambhoji alapana was exceptional and ragamalika sloka rendering was very inspiring. I got the distinct feeling that once she started singing, she was entirely unaware of where she was. Whatever ragas she touched, she did full full justice. I can enthusiastically listen to her sing the same raga many hundred times. Semmangudi mama has left a legacy here for us to enjoy.
Venkatachalam (San Diego)

[Sindhuja]

Ah, so that was Mrs Revathi! ( I actually half guessed that ) Thanks again. Especially after seeing Venkatachalam mama's comment now, I can't wait for the cd of this concert to be released!

[uscasdrs]

Dear Sri. Venkat,

Very nice summary. Her music has a quality that can only be the result of being totally, totally immersed in what she is singing. Isn't that the goal of our music? Her kambhoji alapana was amazing. I was simply stunned by her slokam rendering. I loooooved her full-throated singing (got to confess that I am always biased towards this style of singing). This will go down in my books as one of the best concerts I have listened to in recent years. Suresh missed part of Parasala Ponnammal's concert. I am glad he listened to this from beginning to end.

It is my sincere hope that musicians like her are brought to the limelight and applauded for what they have achieved. It will do our music a lot of good IMHO.

It was our pleasure and great fortune to sponsor this concert and host her. We had a fantastic time. Too bad we are back to reality today (and at work).

Regards,
Revathi

[bilahari]

I wonder if IFAASD could consider making the recording to this particular concert available online for the benefit of all the rasikas. It might go a long way in popularising Smt. Seethalakshmi, in much the same way Rama Varma's Youtube uploads of Parassala Ponnammal opened our eyes to the vidushi.

[CRama]

Prof G.Seethalakshmi is a senior disciple of Shri Semmangudi in the Swati Thirunal Music Academy, Thiruvananthapuram. She retired as a professor from one of the academies in Kerala (Thiruvananthapuram, I suppose). She is living in Thiruvananthapuram. She is very active in the field for nearly fifty years and she is featured in all the festivals in Kerala and she is a very respected teacher. I think she has studied under Parassala Ponnammal Mami also in the TVM Academy. Rasikas may remember that she had accompanied Parassala Ponnammal Mami in Chennai in the concerts some time back. In fact, there is one full concert of Semmangudi in circulation in which Prof. Seethalakshmi is a cccompanying him . I have heard her many radio programmes and had always been mesmerised by her rendering. Recently from one of my friends collections, I happened to hear a few of her concerts and the Punnagavarali padam I heard was simply haunting.(The same padam she sang in San Diego). I could not resist my temptation.The music was out of the world. Immediately I started singing Kanakasaila viharini and Thava dasoham. The same padam is sung by Parassala Ponnammal mami also. In another concert, I heard her singing Punnagavarali padam of Kshetragna. Next day, it so happend that in a concert of Semmangudi, this padam was also sung. Both were out of the world experiences.
Smt Seethalakshmi has tuned many songs of Swati Tirunal in recent years and she brings to light many unheard songs of the Maharaja. It will be a feast for the rasikas if somebody provides her a opening in Chennai. The rasikas of Chennai will come to hear of quality sublime music.
There are many such musicians in Kerala, more in Thiruvananthapuram. But they feel contended with whatever they achieve there. They never go seeking concert opportunitkies or awards The names of some other musicians in TVM that came to my mind immediately are:
Smt.Omanakutty
Smt Ananthalakshmi Venkataraman
Sri Mangad Natesan- Thrissur
Sri R.Krishnaswamy- A great teacher, may be too old to sing now.
Smt.S.Rukmini, Veena vidushi
Smt.Gomathy Chidambaram, Veena vidushi
Shri Ananthapadmanabhan, Veena vidwan, Thrissur
Shri Varkala C.S.Jayaram
Shri.B.Sasikumar, Violinist

[harimau]

CRama,

Dr. Omanakkutty is singing at the Music Academy on Dec 27 in the morning Senior slot.

[srikant1987]

bilahari - the main reason for this sad state of affairs is the chennai-centric nature of carnatic music. There are so many excellent vidwans and vidushis outside of Madras who are yet to get the recognition they so richly deserve. The music world is so much poorer because of this.

In a away it is blessing in disguise. Else they would have resorted to the snake and monkey songs to please the chennai-centric music aficionados

Actually it's the mistake of other cities in India, especially South India, that they don't hold -- and attend -- as many CM events. Otherwise, you wouldn't have to perform in Chennai to be performing often and be noticed.

Dr. Omanakkutty is singing at the Music Academy on Dec 27 in the morning Senior slot.

Here's a concert for you, bilahari.

[bilahari]

CRama, thanks for throwing up all those names. I will definitely try to attend Dr. Omanakutty's concert.

And Srikant does have a point - while the music scene in Chennai is riddled with politics, it nurtures the art in a way few other cities do!

[Sivaramakrishnan]

Thanks CRama for the valuable introduction of Smt.G Seethalakshmi to our Forum.

I too have listened to many of her concerts at Trivandrum and of course 'she sang for the sake of music' only!

Hopefully a 'super professional saturated' Chennai would see beyond the western ghats and welcome the artists from Kerala to its fold. And to say of Sri R Krishnaswamy - a teacher par excellence (mentioned by CRama), his famed radio lessons that ran for about a quarter century, have a parallel only in Voleti's AIR classes from Andhra.

I think Smt G Seethalakshmi too handled music lessons over TVM radio for a short while.

I have also heard Smt Seethalakshmy accompanying Semmangudi in a couple of concerts in Trivandrum.

[makham]

I have heard that Prof Seethalakshmi is the only female artiste to have provided vocal support to SSI in concerts