Neyveli Santhanagopalan @ Music Academy 22/12

[sankark]

VV Ravi - Violin
Mannargudi Eswaran - Mridangam
Udupi Sridhar - Ghatam

Anandabhairavi - Pandamelara (Varnam) - Adi - Ponniah Pillai (S)
Varali - Ne pogadakunte - Jhampa? - T (NS@neerajanayana)
Kannada - Palayamam parvatheesa - Adi - MD
Keervani - Amba vani - Adi - HMB
Madyamavathi - Palimsu kamakshi - M Chapu - SS (RNST)
Dharmavathi, Kedaragowlai, Hamirkalyani - RTP (sarigamapadanisathamtham veenasankranthathamtham mrudula swantham) - Dhruva (brief tani)
Senchurutti? - Muppathu moovar - M Chapu - Andal
Two more items including 1 thillana

Average concert given that NSG's voice wasn't cooperative. One could hear his struggles to tame his voice. I have a NSG concert from Jamshedpur (in the nineties?) and that voice was nowhere in evidence. He effortlessly moved from raga to raga and in reverse in the RTP in alapana, tanam & swaras. And kudos for moving off the beaten track for the tala in RTP. VV Ravi's accompaniment was sublime. He brought the essence of the ragas in the first stroke and his madyamavathi was just so sweeeeeeeeeeeet.

[Anusha]

That would have been a very interesting RTP. The pallavi line is very beautiful. Is the pallavi line complete?

[HarishankarK]

That would have been a very interesting RTP. The pallavi line is very beautiful. Is the pallavi line complete?

The RTP line is one of the charanas from the shloka-kirtana of Mysore Vasudevacharya (Devi Navratna malika) - Omkara pancharasukhim .....

OmkAra panjara
OmkAra panjara. rAgAmAlikA. Adi tALA.

(rAgA: madhyamAvati)
1: OmkAra panjara shukIm-upaniSad-udhyAna kEli kalakaNThIm
Agama vipnia mayUrI-mAryAmantar-vibhAvayE gaurIm
(rAgA: Anandabhairavi)
2: dayamAna dhIrga nayanAm dEshika rUpENa darshitAbhyudayAm
vAmakuca nIhita vINAm varadAm sangIta mAtrukAm vandE
(rAgA: kAmbhOji)
3: shyAma tanu saukumAryAm saundaryAnanda sampadunmESAm
taruNima karuNApurAm madajala kallOla lOcanAm vandE
(rAgA: kalyANi)
4: nakha mukha mukharita vINAnAda rasAsvAda nava navOllAsam
mukhamamba mOdayatu mAm muktA tATanka mugda hasitam tE
(rAgA: mAyAmALavagauLa)
5: sarigama pada niratAm tAm vINA sankrAnta kAnta hastAm tAm
shAntAm mrduLa svAntAm kucabharatAntAm namAmi shivakAntAm
(rAgA: mOhana)
6: avaTutaTa ghaTitacUlI tADita tAlI palAsha tATankAm
vINA vAdana vElA kampita shirasam namAmi mAtangIm
(rAgA: bhairavi)
7: vINA ravAnuSangam vikaca madAmOda mAdurI bhrngam
karuNA pUratarangam kalayE mAtanga kanyakApAngam
(rAgA: simhEndramadhyam)
8: maNI bhanga mEcakAngIm mAtangIm naumi siddha mAtangIm
yauvana vana sArangIm sangItAm-bhOruhAnubhava bhrngIm
(rAgA: suraTi)
9: mEcakamAsEcanakam mithyA dhrSTAnta madhya bhAgam tE
mAtastava svarUpam mangala sangIta saurabham vandE

[narayan]

The RTP line is one of the charanas from the shloka-kirtana of Mysore Vasudevacharya (Devi Navratna malika) - Omkara pancharasukhim .....

I have learnt this devi navaratna malika in Hamsdhwani, Saveri, Begada, Athana, Hemavati, Kuntalavarali, Hindolam, Kedaragoula, Sriragam and a final two lines (mangalam like thing, not listed here) in Surati.

The pallavi line that NSG has sung in Dharmavati etc was learnt by us in Hemavati!

[tyagarajadasa]

I have heard Shri NSG sing this as viruttam....And I also distinctly remember him sing it in sAramati in one of the Jaya TV "SaReGaMaPa" episodes...

Also, pAlaya mAm is in rUpakam

[sivapriya]

A very high class, imaginative, mature, classically well crafted concert By Neyveli Santhanagopalan.

Omkara Panjarasukhim is by Kavi Kalidasa and to a large extent Alathur Srinivasa Iyer popularised it .

Sri Alathur Panchapakesa Iyer my first Guru taught me this devi navaratna malika in Hamsadhwani, Saveri, Begada, Atana, Hemavati, Kuntalavarali, Hindolam, Kedaragoula, Sriragam and a final two lines of PhalaSruti which goes thus :

"navaratna maalya metath rachitham, maatanga kanya kaabharaNam, yaph patathi bhakti yuktasabaveth vageeswari saakshaath" in Surati.

[hema]

I attended his concert (apart from lecdem where he SPEAKS more than he SINGS).
after a gap of more than 20 years. The last time I attended was an afternoon concert
at MFA (which was excellent).

I found the MA 2010 concert really, really AVERAGE. He had ideas which his voice could
not reproduce. I wonder why he did not give his students sitting behind him to take over?
Actually, I find this rather surprising -- none of today's artistes (although they have their students
occupy the stage -- Sanjay (Swarna, Sandeep), TMK (Rutvik Raja, Vikram, Vidya(?) --he sometimes
has an ARMY (:-)))), B Jayashree (two girls -- Krithika(?) ...) allow their students to take
some swara prasthara or sing some raagam.

Anyway, It was really NOT worthwhile for me to have rushed away from work for NSG's concert.

I feel many of these people should retire to TEACHING, give way to youngsters to
occupy the prime slots -- SavitaNs', Prasannas', Bharatsunders', Abhisheks', M R Subramanians'(I have not heard him
but have been told that he sings very well). I am happy that Abhishek has got the prime slot this year.

[sureshvv]

Attended his concert for Karthik and liked it. Knowledge and aesthetics are his primary assets now and he wields them mightily. He took up Brochevarura in khamas for main. Sometimes I got the feeling that I needed a guide to fully appreciate his concert - with commentary delivered via headphones!

[arasi]

Suresh,
I agree with you totally. Knowledge and aesthetics are his strength.--and the sowkyam. Even on his worst voice day, NSG's singing is soothing to me.