rAji gOpAlakrishnan@NGS (Mini) on Dec 04th,2010

[rajeshnat]

rAji gOpAlakrishnan@NGS (Mini) on Dec 04th,2010,Saturday
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vocal : rAji gOpAlakrishnan
Violin : Akkarai Subbulakshmi
Mrudangam : Neyveli Ramkumar ,disciple of Srimushnam raja rao

Concert duration : 2 Hrs and 10 mins(6:30 to 8:40 pm)

1. ninnu kOri - mOhanam - poochi
2. ninnE bhajana - nAttai - T
3. teliyalEru rAma (S) - dhenukA - T
5 mins swaras

4. mAthangi shree rAja rAjeshwari (R N S) - rAmamaNohari - MD
10 mins alApana 6 mins violin return
6 mins neraval in "rAma maNohari rAghEndu shekhari sukhakari"
7 mins swaras
5. cittam irangAdEnayyA(R) - sahAnA - psivan
6 mins alApanai and 4 mins violin return

6. kamalAcharanE - amritabehAg - GNB
7A. innamum sandEhappaDalAmO(R N S T) - keeravAni- GKB
14 mins alApanai and 9 mins violin return
5 mins neraval in the pallavi line
7 mins swaras
7B. tani for 7 mins

8. Narayanathe Namo Namo - behAg - AnnamAcharya
9. aNilatharala kuvalaya (Ya ramitA vanamAli)- suddha sArang - Jayadeva
10.taka dheem ta dheem .. tanjam - Desh - LGJ
11. pavamAna

It is the first weekend of Kutcheri season 2010, rather a season that has got progressively advanced from Dec 15th to Dec 04th in the last 30 years to accomodate more musicians.With it comes a little bit of carelessness for atleast a rasika like me. I just looked at The Hindu to see Smt Raji's name and thought it was NGS . I went to the Karthik Fine Arts counter at NGS to ask a ticket for Smt Raji . "Ippa Unnikrishnan , raji inga pAdala "was the answer from the counter . I kept wondering did I see the paper right? Was Raji singing instead tomorrow? . A huge crowd gushed out of NGS after the RG sisters concert with a forumite saying Hi and confirming me that it is NGS- Mini that Raji is singing

As I walked upto the mini hall , could hear the start of ninnu kOri.She did quite well with her voice in fine form, understandably a good omen considering in chennai the rains have not stopped. Raji continued with a rare nAttai , I would have been bit more happier with a dose of swaras

RamAmanOhari or ramApriya was the submain.Smt rAji handled beautifully one could say this particular rAja mAthangi is one I cherish the most when I hear the brilliant S KalyAnarAman, atleast I draw a virtual line where SKR's rAja mAthangi vs the rest of musicians rAja Mathangi . Smt Raji sang a lovely neraval with swaras it was a bit of miss hear and there in swaras ,as the mridangam just did not gel that well, nevertheless this immensely classical vidushi sang very well this rAmamAnOhari.

The next 2 was both dipping the quality of the concert .Her sahAnA was not having that much of a serene bhAvam and the GNB no could have been little bit faster , that too having heard this no once when she sang this no few years back in Ps high school for a GNB day

The dip of GNB and sivan's no just got totally erased with the pick of the day alApana , what a lovely keeravAni it was .She built it beautifully with lovely voice modulation. I predicted that it would be this GKB no as lots of T's krithis were sung and I got exactly the same innamum sandEhapaDalAmo , her diction is always impressive and raji sang beautifully. However as the neraval started in the pallavi smt raji gave up too soon and swaras were not that expansive as the alApana. Perhaps I was thinking that she wrapped it bit short as may be she planned to sing a pallavi

The tukkadas had a hindustani - carnatic touch which I always love , especially the SKR came again back in full with that yA ramitA vanamAli , what a suddha sArang it was then and how close was this by Raji . Desh thillAna was just well done , it just reminded of another guru of hers ,Prof TRS(TMT being her guru too) who has sung the same desh thillAna. BehAg was also well done

Akkarai is always very classical, her bowing has the right azhuttam , she indeed pepped up the concert. HEr keeravAni alApana draw a lot of applause and her proportion sense was right (usually she goes bit long ,but certainly not today). The mridangist advertised in the paper was bangalore rajakesari , but he was replaced by Neyveli Ramkumar (another sishya of Srimushnam) .Neyveli rAmkumar , but he could have had a better anticipation especially for the keeravani. His tani was just ok.

When a rasika like me becomes bit careless by not looking at the paper well which is always a part of the season, I think as part of the same season musicians also apply a bit of curtailment in concert to sabhas like NGS mini (that too being a free concert )is my calculated guess. Smt rAji sings beautifully slokham/viruththam and her OVK krithis are impressive , but she just passed it all and wrapped in 2 hours 10 minutes

I was not too sure if this vidushi has come back from toronto for the season , i was very happy to hear this vidushi as she is one of my favourite .Overall a very good concert .

[mahesu]

A very good concert of high standard, to summarize. Her swaras in Denuka (Theliyaleru Rama) were absorbing while Akkarai's returns were very good ( I expected more from this violinist though). As the concert progressed, Smt Raji's voice settled and the concert gained momentum. Especially, the Kiravani reminded the ones of Sri TMT. Her Niraval and Swaras in main song were short and sweet as I understand the concert was only till 8.30 (probably she could have started the main a bit earlier) The mridangam artist, who played a short and crisp Tani, probably due to the same reason of want of time(I thought it was Rajakesari) had very good anticipation during the swara essays of Smt Raji especially in Kiravani, where he gelled so well, made me think if the team had reheased well before presentation ( I am not sure if that is the practice followed). Overall a good concert that can be rememberedd

[arasi]

Rajesh, Mahesu,
Is she singing anywhere else during the season? It's a few years since I've heard her. Last year, I was there at the IFA for her concert but it was canceled

[mahesu]

She is singing for Kartik fine arts on 28th Dec 4.30PM at Valliammal college Anna nagar

[arasi]

Thanks! A bit too far, but would try and see if I can make it.

[rajeshnat]

The mrudangam artist was neyveli rAmkumar , disciple of srimushnam raja rao.Edited the first post after knowing his name