Ranjani-Gayatri for SU11-NZCMS

[MV]

Violin - B.U. Ganeshprasad
Mridangam - Poongulam Subramaniam

Song List
1) Era Napai- Thodi Varnam
2) Swaminatha - Nattai - MD (KS)
3) Sakala Graha - Atana - PD
4) Buvini Dasudane - SriRanjani - Thyagaraja - (Ragam by Ranjani, KS)
5) Kamakshi - Varali - SS
6) Thiruvadi Charanam - Kamboji - GKB ( R,N, KS and T)
7) Vara Raga Laya - Chenchu Kamboji - Thyagaraja
8) RTP - Hamsanandi in Khanda Jathi Triputha . Poorvangam in Tisram and Uttarangam in Chatusram
KS in Gaulai, Reethigaulai, Rageshri and Madhuvanti
9) Viruttam - Nadiya Porul in Bilahari by Gayatri, Saveri by Ranjani
Nanmaiyum in Desh with Rama Namam
10)I stopped making Note after this but they sang another PD 'Ente Baghe'
11) Thillana - Paras

[mahavishnu]

thanks for posting this, MV. This looks like a very typical R-G song list. Many of the pieces are those that they sing very frequently. Do you, by any chance, remember the Pallavi line?

Are they performing in other locations in kiwiland as well? Are you and Sam Swaminathan in the same city?

MV, I also noticed from the NZCMS website that Abhishek Raghuram is performing there today/tomorrow (time zone dependent). Is there any chance of getting a songlist/review?

[MV]

The sisters were in fine fettle as they started off. The cold, rainy miserable weather notwithstanding, they were in their groove and the audience were in their seats in full strength. SriRanjani alapanai was well done and the brisk round of swarams set the tone for the evening. The two were laughing and enjoying themselves as they explored various patterns. I was just talking to a friend earlier in the week about creativity in CM and the skill of these two. It was as if they heard that conversation.

The Syama Sastri kriti in Varali was hauntingly beautiful and they sang it with great verve. I was thinking, even an outline of ragam would have been so good for such a majestic piece. But they had a long evening ahead and so left the composition to be savoured by itself. Kamboji by Gayatri was masterly and neraval at 'Marubadiyum' was brilliant. Neraval at the same spot Maribadiyum kettum there was so much more there for the duo to extract.

But it was the RTP which was the show-stealer. Hamsanandi was very scholarly done with swara bedham to Hindolam and a brilliant thanam leading to the pallavi. The neraval ofcourse flowed smoothly but it was the swarams switching between tisram-chatusram and singing tisram swarams in chatusra half which was magnificient. They dropped it down to 1 kalai and carried on some rapid-fire rounds. An hour later, they decided to move on to their trademark viruttam, a Swati Tirunal kriti and Abhang on request (I will edit the list and add it soon) Though they sing the thukkada section beautifully, the RTP was so brilliant that that is what lingers in memory. Four hours later, with noone having moved, not even the visiting artistes for the SU11, they decided it was time to end it.

Finally, it gave me great pleasure to write this review. During Chennai Season, before you reach Rasikas the next day after their concert the reviews are running 3 pages deep and I feel it superfluous to say 'I enjoyed it' So, this one is from NZ. Brilliant!

[MV]

Mahavishnu, just about to do Abhishek's review before I rush off to Auckland (where Sam lives) to listen to Unnikrishnan this evening

[MV]

RTP line
Then param Giri valar Muruga Guhane.. Katharul Kanindu vandennai. There was a request for Malayalam/Swati Tirunal, so they sang Kanthanodu in Nilambari beautifully. They said they hadn't sung it in ages and Abhishek sang the Pallavi line from the front row in the audience. Abhang on reques was Chala Mandira in Maru Behag