Bangalore Vijayalakshmi - 28th July 2012

[keerthi]

Alathur Srinivasiyer Memorial Concert
28th July 2012
Ananya sabhAngaNa, Malleswaram

Vocal - Bangalore Vijayalakshmi
TAnpura and Vocal Support - Janani, Lakshmi (?)
Violin - C.N. Chandrasekhar
MRdanga - Arjun Kumar
Ghata - Sukanya Ramgopal

00. gurustuti - NityAnandam paramasukhadam
01. calamEla jEsEvayya - nATakuranji -Adi - rangasami naTTUvaNAr [S]
02. rAmA nIpai - kEdAram - Adi - T - [S]
03. eTula brOtuvO - cakravAkam - chApu - T - [O]
04. sarasIruhAnana - mukhAri - Adi - T - [AS]
05. enduku nirdaya - harikAmbhOji - Adi [2] - T - A-s?
06. karuNa jUDavayya - sAranga - Adi - T
07. shankari sham kuru - sAvEri - Adi [Tisra gati] - SS - [ANS]
08. ??
09. akhilANDa kOTi - kuntalavarALi - Adi
10. tiruppugazh in sankIrNa rUpaka, kuntalavarAli
11. nI nAma rUpamulaku - mangalaM

It was an exceptionally good concert. The programme was organised by the family of Srinivasayyar, primarily his daughter - Smt. Vidya Subrahmanyam. She lives in Bangalore and is a dedicated teacher, who has dedicated herself to teach and disseminate the compositions learnt from her father in an unaltered style. The invocation 'srIgaNapatini sEvimpa' was sung sung by two of her students, and was a testimonial for Smt. Vidya's training.

There were several speeches before the music began, by relatives of Srinivasa Iyer, who spoke in fond, glowing terms of him not just as a musician but as a person - his simplicity, considerateness and his affection.Former AIR director, N. S. Krishnamurthy spoke of the Alathur brothers' music, and Srinivasa Iyer's music in particular, drawing attention to special features of his singing. Smt. Vijayalakshmi spoke with nostalgia of her guru's sincerity to pATHAntaram, and the gurupatni's kindness.

1. The varnam was sung in full, with the sAhitya of the cittaswaram and muktayi swarams. She sang a few rounds of very crisp kalpanaswarams at the end of the varnam.

2. rAmA nI pai was appended with elegant kalpanaswaram with the right amount of laya vyavahAram that elevated rather than stifled bhAva, in homage to the 'gharAna'.

3. The outline of cakravAka sounded a bit ambiguous and had glimmers of saurASTra, but the kRti was fine.

4. The mukhAri AlApana was sumptuous, unambiguous and well designed. The song was sung well, with excellent, progressive sangatis, and swarakalpana at the pallavi line. She landed onto different swaras - M, D1,and tAra S , while dovetailing into different sangatis of sarasIruhAnana. The measured use of laya patterns in the swarakalpana was very effective, and kept the accompanists on their toes.

5. HarikAmbhOji AlApana was fresh, unambiguous and sweet. The krti was sung well again, with each caranam being repeated.

6. karuNa jUdavayya - there were some unusual sangatis, with some hitherto unseen facets of sAranga, some welcome, some a bit suspect. The cittaswaram is most likely a composition of Alathur VenkaTesa iyer.

It was nice to hear this kRti anyway, given its rare provenance, and Ravisri's recent story, giving us the date when it was composed!

7. sAvEri was developed at a leisurely pace. The Alapana was methodical, and elaborate, with somebody guessing that she would sing a pallavi [maybe the Alathur chestnut kari moraliDa vinalEdA?] but she launched into the kRti shankari sham kuru; sang the caranam that refers to the deity - jambUpati vilAsini, and then the mudrA caranam.

Neraval at shyAmakRsNa sOdari shyAmalE shAtOdari, which she cleverly alternated with kRsNa sOdari! shAtOdari, was neat and gripping. swarakalpana again, was well knit, with the right amount of laya patterns to make it impressive and memorable.

I think I've missed a song or two in between.The artiste asked Arjun Kumar about the tani, after the sAvEri song, and he told her to go ahead and sing - there would be other concerts for the tani.

Smt Vidya then got on stage and sang the kuntalavarAli song - most likely a family heirloom, with Smt. Vijayalakshmi. The concert concluded with the sophisticated tiruppugazh and the mangalam. Smt. Vijayalakshmi sang with seemingly effortless ease, and paid fitting tribute to her guru.


There were several rare photographs of Srinivasa Iyer pinned on the walls of the auditorium. A most befitting tribute to the silent giant.

[srikant1987]

So nice to read this review, Keerthi! Thank you!

I found a mention of this concert on the newspaper and had I seen it a little earlier -- or known that it was a tribute to Sri Alathur Srinivasa Iyer by his disciple -- I would have come too! I really regretted it when I found out that the concert I'd skipped was a tribute to the silent giant ...

Apart from karuNajUDavayya (and to some extent shankari shaMkuru I think), not many of these compositions were known to me as Alathur favourites.

[rajeshnat]

04. sarasIruhAnana - mukhAri - Adi - T - [AS]
...
4. The mukhAri AlApana was sumptuous, unambiguous and well designed. The song was sung well, with excellent, progressive sangatis, and swarakalpana at the pallavi line. She landed onto different swaras - M, D1,and tAra S , while dovetailing into different sangatis of sarasIruhAnana. The measured use of laya patterns in the swarakalpana was very effective, and kept the accompanists on their toes.

Very recently Ramakrishnan Murthy sang this krithi sarasiruhA nana rAmaiyyA with really gripping swaras and I can relate what you wrote above . That was the first time I heard this mukhari krithi. Looks like it is an alathur special , RKM may have learnt from Chengalpet Ranganathan

Tx for the review not heard about Bangalore Vijayalakshmi till this review

[PUNARVASU]

Smt Bangalore Vijayalakshmi,Ithink, was in Mumbai some years back and is known as Pallavi Vijayalakshmi .If I am right, I remember attending a lec-dem by her at the Anushaktinagar Music Sabha-BRRR Sabha-many years back and she started it with the Natakurinji padavarnam, singing the sahityam for all the swarams.

[kssr]

I too have never heard of Bangalore Vijayalakshmi. When the reviewer calls it an "exceptionally good concert", I should probably look out for her concert. It doesn't happen frequently in these parts of Bangalore, I guess.

[squims]

Never heard of her either. Will watch out for her in the future.

[keerthi]

The event also saw the launch of a website dedicated to Srinivasaiyer -

http://www.alathursrinivasaiyer.com

A review in the Deccan Herald

[annamalai]

Thanks for the review and all the krithis are from the Alathur repertoire.

Since Alathur brothers were from Trichy, they used to sing krithis on Goddess Akilandeswari - Sree Matha Sivavamanke (Begada), Sankari Shamkuru (Saveri) and the Adi talam tisra nadai fits in naturally with their style. I have heard Akilandakoti in a marriage reception concert of Srinivasa Iyer with V. Thyagarajan and Palghat Mani Iyer. Udaiyavagal (Kuntalavarali) Thirupugaz is another Srinivasa Iyer special and his alapana (with a husky (kammal) voice) of Kuntalavarali is spell binding.

The brothers had learnt Thirupugaz from Pudukottai Daskhinamurthy Pillai and I love their rendition of Malasai Kopam (Jonpuri); Theruvinil (Suratti), Kurvel Pazhitta (Suratti); Paniyin Vin Thuliragave (Harikamboji-ish).

keerthi wrote: She landed onto different swaras - M, D1,and tAra S , while dovetailing into different sangatis of sarasIruhAnana.

This is another leaf from the Alathur book - kalapana swaras with different take-off points - many examples - Amba Paradevathe, Para devathe, Devathe, or in Munnu Ravana (thodi); swaras will alternated between at Raja Raja viraja .. and Ravi kula ... and with Lalgudi jayaraman and Mani Iyer all this would seem seamless.

There is an ancient Nanrudayan (Vinayagar) temple in Trichy and their rendition of thevaram Nanrudayanai (can not place the ragam) is one of the best.

[arasi]

Keerthi,
Thanks for the review and as usual, I could learn a few things from you! I hadn't heard of Vijayalakshmi either, until now. Such occasions do bring us closer to the musicians who are no more with us. A family occasion that includes rasikas helps open a new page for us who are keen on CM history.
I didn't know that Alathur Srinivasa Iyer's daughter Vidya Subramanian lives in Bengaluru.
Wonder how she's related to Rajganesh--sister or cousin?

[Lakshman]

The kuntalavarALi song is by Indira Natesan.