Ranjani Gayatri at Kalarasana on 28 Dec

[Jigyaasa]

Accompanists:

H. N. Bhaskar (Vi), K. Arunprakash (M), N. Guruprasad (G)

Song list:

chalamEla – varNam – darbAr
AnandAmrutavarshiNi – amrutavarshiNi – Adi – S at pallavi
Ongi ulagaLanda – tiruppavai – Arabhi – Adi
AnandanaTEsha – tODi – rUpakam – Ramaswami Sivan – A, N, S at gnyAnam perum aDiyavar guNa gAnam seidu dhyAnam seyyum
iko namma swami – maNirangu – Mishra chApu – Purandara dasa
paramAtmuDu – vAgadhIshvari – Adi – Thyagaraja – A, S, T at gaganAnila
kaLala nErchina – dIpakam – Adi – Thyagaraja
RTP – sAma – chatushra jhampa (khaNDa naDai) – shAntamu lEka O manasA saukhyamu lEdu – rAgamAlikA swaras (particularly moving rEvati among others)
Viruttam – ullAsa nirAkula yOga... I left at this point

I liked the neraval and swaras for the tODi kriti. The vAgadhIshvari exposition did hover around HarikAmbhOji territory for the first minute but subsequently, the treatment was quite charming and erudite. SAma was quite elaborate and the pallavi lyric inspired by Thyagaraja's composition in the raga. They handled the complex tALa with apparent ease even while traversing the rAgamAlikA and the violinist deserves special mention in this context.

[rshankar]

Jigyaasa, thanks for the report...I have not heard the tODi kRti...and I did note that you left before they blasphemed themselves (or else, you would have had to change the title to 'Bhlasphemy at Kalarasana'! ) - and just to clarify, I do love their performances!

[Jigyaasa]

The tOdi song is definitely worth listening to! http://www.musicindiaonline.com/#/album ... nam_Vol_1/

And yes, I would love it if concerts have no tukkaDas at all. However, I enjoy their viruttam renditions. So I decided to stay for that.

It's also interesting to note that NSG's concert at the same venue had the SAME main, a sAma RTP AND the same viruttam! How about that for a coincidence!

[vidyaarthi]

Very interesting coincidence ,isn't it?

[arasi]

Yes, particularly for those who are regulars at the sabha
Even with sabha-hopping, we end up with same rAgams chasing us from one venue to another, though not as similar as in this case!

guru vidyaarthi,
I wasn't there at this concert, but the two concerts of yours that I listened to--especially the one at MA--were quality ones and they filled me with joy.

[kamalamba]

Jigyaasa,
Thanks for the review and notes. I couldn't get tickets for this concert;they were all sold out!
If I recollect, GNB used to sing AnandanatEsa quite regularly. Very nice kriti
I really like Ranjani and Gayathri and feel they are unnecessarily and unfairly targeted for the 4 minutes-or-so of Abhangs they sing in a concert (which are almost always wonderful).
Would have loved to listen to NSG's (master of sowkhyam) sAma as well.

[bilahari]

Huh. That IS quite the coincidence.

And yes, I do enjoy R-G's music as well.

[vidyaarthi]

Thanks arasi ji..new year best pranams

[arasi]

'vidyaarthi' NSG,
The same to you!

[MV]

I heard NSG lecdem @ SPSS-was great. Heard him yesterday on Jaya TV. Atana was lovely but Khamas was superb. And yes I like RG too. Happy New Year all