D.Sesha Chary & D. Raghava chary - Vocal
Nagai Sriram -Violin
Srimushnam Raja Rao- Mridangam
E.M.Subramanyam- Ghatam
Sami ninne kori - Sri - Varnam - Adi- Karur Devudu Iyer
Nannu ganna thalli naa bhagyama -Sindukannada- Adi- Tyagaraja
Meena lochana - Dhanyasi- Misra chapu- Syama sastri
Marivera dikkevarayya- Shanmukhapriya -Adi-Patnam Subramanya iyer
Nijamarmamulanu thelisina variki- Umabharanam-Adi- Tyagaraja
Ragam, thanam, pallavi- Khamboji .
Mayamma- Ahiri- Adi- Syama Sastri
Nanoru vilayattu bommaiya - navarasa kannada- Adi- Panasam Sivan
Alagalalla -Madyamavathi-Rupakam-Tyagaraja
I read in another thread that Syama sastri is slowly vanishing from the musician’s repertoire. The highlight of this concert is that they sang two!
The sindhu kannada krithi lent briskness to the start of the concert. Sri. Sesha chary excelled himself in the dhanyasi alapana for the exquisite Syama sastri kriti meena lochana. I was very disappointed when they skipped the niraval ( I would rate their niraval at gana vinodini which i have heard earlier, as one of the very best I have ever heard) and went straight to kalpanaswarams. Then came the soothing alapana sung to the full in Shanmukhapriya by Sri. Raghava Chary. Marivera was a good choice and gave a lot of substance to the concert. Niraval was sung at `sannuthanga sri Venkatesa neevu.’
Khamboji RTP was the main piece.The RTP lasted for a full hour. Sri.Sesha Chary’s visthara alapana was of distilled purity. No repetitions. No frills.No fancy decorations.. It was music which had classicism, `nayam' and `ghanam’ and of course gnanam! Very satisfying. I thought a `weighty’ kambhoji had no threats from its neighbours. Its grandeur could be quite intimidating. But then Sri. Sesha chary commented before he started the raga malika that kambhoji has similar ragams-``nearest ragams’’ he said, namely, Khamas, Kedara gowlai , Bilahari and yadukula kambodhi. And he went on to elaborate, delineate and show the similarities as well as the uniqueness, absolutely displaying the beauty of each of these(he skipped yadukula kambhoji though,) much to the delight of the audience.The RTP was in tisra triputa thalam. The pallavi was ``Elara saami, pagavaru emi bodhinchiro?’’
Thani by Srimushnam Raja Rao and E.M. Subramanyan followed. Raja Rao played parts of it in sheer frenzy. I have heard the combination of Sesha Chary and Raja Rao often and they have a tendency to egg on each other and we get fire works on stage.
It was like a burst of crackers at times, a full month after Diwali! A 10,000 walla! EMS was much subdued.Mayamma came to quieten all this. syama sastri’s pride! I wonder if this was his personal favourite. Every time I hear the brothers sing i feel it is the first time- such profound singing.Almost their signature song!What shall i wonder at? The poignant mood? Its effects on the soul? The way Sri.Sesha chary glides the kakali nishadam with precision and brings it to its perfect sthaanam with the poise of a gliding bird? The way padha pankajamula,sthiramathi nammithi is sung like a microcosmic niraval?.....
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After the concert it sounded redundant when a mami commented ``Avaa paadara ahiri romba anandamaa irundadu’’
Not many post-mains.. As they were singing madyamavathi -a short alapanaa, in Ramnad Krishnan’s style, I thought mangalam /pavamana was coming to mark a quiet end.. But suddenly Sri sesha chary burst in to the anupallavi ,cheluvu meeraga mari of alagalalla of Tyagaraja sung so cheerfully! and quickly. Like a twist in the tale.
Nagai Sriram is growing, maturing in to a good violinist. His Dhanyasi, khamboji and particularly khamas was good. It was nice to note that the audience were cheering and applauding him well often during his playing.