Sangeetha Swaminathan at Lanham, Md (DC area) Temple

[Ranganayaki]

The Raju Soundararajan Memorial Concert

Sangeetha Swaminathan - Vocal
Pavani Srikanth - Violin
Vijay Ganesh - Mridangam

List of Kritis (please correct/add):

1. Rama Bhakti Samrajyam - Suddha Bangala - Adi - Thyagaraja

2. Theril Erinaan Vaasudeva Baalan Sri Gopaalan - Kalyani - Papanasam Sivan

3. Janani Ninu Vinaa - Reetigowla - Mishra Chapu - Subbaraya Sastry

4. ennAlu UrakE - Shubha Pantuvarali - Misra Chapu - (A, N, S) (thanks, Ramesh)

5. Yochana Kamala Lochana - Darbar - Adi - Thyagaraja

6. RTP in Varamu:
Pallavi: Saagaa Varam Tharuvay, Saama Gaana Lolaney, Sadaa Shiva(ne?)
Taalam: Khanda Jati Triputa Taalam, with an interesting mix of Nadais: Chaturasra Nadai for the Laghu and Khanda Nadai for the two Dhrutams
Ragamalika Swarams in Varamu, Charukesi, Saama, Hamir Kalyani

7. Ramanai Bhajitaal - Maand -

8. Hari Smarane Maado Nirantara - Yamuna Kalyani - Adi - Purandara Dasa

9. Sumanasa Vandita Sundari Madhavi - Revati - Eka Taalam (?) - Adi Sankaracharya (thanks, Punarvasu)

10. Namo Namo - Desika Todi - Rupakam - Thyagaraja (thanks, Rajesh)

11. Tillana - Misra Shivaranjani - Adi - Lalgudi Jayaraman

12. Mangalam.

I was late for this concert, arriving towards the end of the Shubhapantuvarali alapana. The highlight of the concert was the Taala in the RTP, it was fascinating and fun. She made it seem completely effortless, and from the taala point of view, the accompanists seemed to be very much with her.

I enjoyed her very sensitive Varamu alapana , that brought out beauty and interest.

I have really written this review because I was excited to share details of the RTP.. I hope others will add to this with their comments on the concert..

[mahavishnu]

just a couple of suggested corrections to the song list.

2. tEril ErinAn vasudEva bAlan sri gOpalan - kalyani - Papanasam sivan.
4. ennAlu UrakE - subhapantuvarAli - TyagarAja

[arasi]

2: tEril ERinAn, vasudEva bAlan Sri gOpAlan is PS's composition.
4: ennALLu yUrakE yunduvO-T
7: rAmanai bajittAl

Several in the list from Sanjay's repertoire...

[Ranganayaki]

Thank you, Ramesh and Arasi.. I've corrected the "Bhajittal" to reflect the longer "ah" at the end

[rajeshnat]

7. Ramanai Bhajitaal - Maand(?) -

...

9. Sumanasa Vandita Sundari Madhavi - Revati - Eka Taalam (?) - composer?

10. Namo Namo - Sindhubhairavi (?) - Rupakam - Thyagaraja

11. Tillana - Misra Shivaranjani - Adi - Lalgudi Jayaraman

....
I have really written this review because I was excited to share details of the RTP.. I hope others will add to this with their comments on the concert..

RanganAyaki,

7. Ramanai Bhajitaal - Maand(?) - pApanAsam sivan

9. Sumanasa Vandita Sundari Madhavi - Revati - Eka Taalam (?) - Adisankara (ashtalakshmi stothram)

10. Namo Namo - Desika Todi (though it sounds like sindubhairavi) (?) - Rupakam - Thyagaraja

11. Tillana - Misra Shivaranjani - Adi - Lalgudi Jayaraman

I particularly love to hear the last number of LGJ , two mishra shivaranjani tillana's were popular in 80's , kind of one that Maharajapuram santhanam composed edged this composition by LGJ . It is just a beautiful rAgA shivaranjani or mishrashivaranjani and I liked this LGJ composition , forgot the lines but it is also on Lord MurugA .

While others do add comments , you can also add your long comment , sangeetha swaminathan is a very gifted and brilliant singer.RanganAyaki's detailed review may add greater finish to the already great finish of Lalgudi tillAnA.

[annamalai]

Interesting choice of Teril Erinan as the second krithi of the concert.

This krithi is almost in the same varna mettu as the Javali Entati Kuluke .

[arasi]

Annamalai,
Yes. Interesting how the same meTTu can effectively convey the content of two differently wrought songs.--one in kurukshEtrA, of the majesty of Krishna ascending the chariot of Arjuna,the Geetha moment to follow.
The other, the petulant expression of a woman complaining about the indifference of her beloved! One conjures up a grand scene and of sage counsel. The other, a thumb nail portrait of a lovelorn!

[PUNARVASU]

sumanasa vandita is the first stanza of the ashtalakshmi stotram-this praises Adilakshmi.

[Ranganayaki]

Ramesh, I've now edited to reflect your corrections too.. I was so tired last night that only Arasi's last correction seems to have registered properly!

Rajesh, thank you for Desika Todi.. It is not a familiar raga to me, and really, I didn't think at all that it was Sindhubhairavi. It had shades of Sindhubhairavi throughout, though which got stronger at the end. Thanks for the info will check that raga out.

About the Tillana, I enjoyed it so much, and came home and listened to it online.. I was surprised to find it listed as Misra Shivaranjani. I have always thought it was a Shivaranjani Tillana. I tried to find out what the difference was, and could not.

[Sreeni Rajarao]

Thank you for reporting about the concert.

It is very apt that Raju Soundararajan is being remembered with a music concert.

It is good to see Pavani Srikanth getting active in performing also (besides teaching), after her (and husband Srikanth Mallajosyula's) relocation to Maryland area.

[Ranganayaki]

In her rendering of the Tillana, I believe she performed a shruti bhedam at the end.. I will have to listen to the tillana to give you an exact description, but she seemed to place her Shadjam on Ga, then on Ri and then back to its normal position of SA. This was in the final korvai (do we call it that). So she sang them all (all three phrases in the "korvai") using the same swaras.

I am no quick enough to be able to tell without analysis what ragams this could have engendered. It remained very much in the bhava of Shivaranjani.

(edited to read "Shivaranjani" - I'd said "bhava of Sindhubhairavi", oops! )

[Ranganayaki]

Sreeni,
I had started a reply talking about Raju Sounderarajan, but could not finish it yesterday.. I googled his name, not being familiar with the history, and found out that most of his family perished in a tragic accident a few years ago. My heart goes out to the survivors. I was not sure if he is a well known man outside of the dc area musical families. Everyone here knows that he was responsible for the Thyagaraja Aradhana celebrations for 25 years till he died. It is very apt that they have an annual concert honoring his memory. But in my search I came across one reference which spoke of his being a descendant of OVK. I am not sure of this information, but would like to share it here, so that anyone else who knows can confirm or correct it.

[Ranganayaki]

sreeni, Pavani Srikanth played well. She gave apt responses throughout. My feeling was that I would have enjoyed her playing better if she had been a little tighter in her swara placement. There was no apaswaram, please don't get me wrong, but something about her fingering probably made it feel loose and it would have been much nicer if she had 'tightened" it.. I have no idea what words to use for my comment, but I place it here for what it is worth. Her swaras seemed to be indistincly differentiated - does that make sense? This is not about playing kalpana swaras.. but her playing in general. She did get a nice ovation, though, which was certainly well deserved.

[PUNARVASU]

I think the pallavi line should read as 'saagaa varam taruvaay' and not 'saaga varam taruvaay'(which means just the opposite.

[arasi]

Yes, but it was just the spelling which gave the word the opposite meaning! Though some find it a bit odd, diacrtical spelling helps us in getting the meaning right.

[MV]

In her rendering of the Tillana, I believe she performed a shruti bhedam at the end.. I will have to listen to the tillana to give you an exact description, but she seemed to place her Shadjam on Ga, then on Ri and then back to its normal position of SA. This was in the final korvai (do we call it that). So she sang them all (all three phrases in the "korvai") using the same swaras.

I am no quick enough to be able to tell without analysis what ragams this could have engendered. It remained very much in the bhava of Shivaranjani.

(edited to read "Shivaranjani" - I'd said "bhava of Sindhubhairavi", oops! )

Ranganayaki, Yes there is a Sruti Bedam at the end of this Thillana and it has been notated by LGJ himself going from Misra Sivaranjani to Hindolam to Revathi. I think because of that and the couple of touches to Ni in the Thillana, he has named it 'Misra Sivaranjani' It is a beautiful Thillana. Thanks for the review

[mri_fan]

Here is a link to what was discussed on this forum following the unfortunate demise of Sri Raju and much of his family

http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic. ... hilit=raju

[Ranganayaki]

Punarvasu, MV, thank you. I'm about to correct the Pallavi line. MV, you answered an unspoken question I had: whether it was present in the original notation or not. I must have made a mistake in hearing the swarams she sang then, too. I must have got mixed up.

mri_fan, I looked at those pages, and feel really bad. Thanks for putting the link up.