Rama Ravi and Nanditha Ravi @ Pallavi Sydney 19 May 2013

[mohan]

Smt Rama Ravi & Smt Nanditha Ravi – vocal
Sri Sanjay Ramaswamy – violin
Sri Bala Sankar – mrudangam

Sunday 19 May 2013
Concert organised by Pallavi, Sydney
Ermington Community Centre
4pm to 7pm

1. sarasijanAbha mAm pAhi (varNam) - nATa - Adi - svAti tiruNAL / paramEsvara bhagavathar
2. praNamAmyaham SrI gaurIsutam - gauLa - Adi - maisUru vAsudEvAcAryA
3. vINApustaka dhAriNIm ASrayE - vEgavAhini - miSra jhampa - muttusvAmi dIkshitar
4. rAma nI samAnamevaru - kharaharapriyA - rUpaka - tyAgarAja (o, s)
5. ekkalattilum unnai maravAmalE - pUrvikalyANi - Adi - tiruvAyUr rAmaswAmi pillai (a, n, s)
6. tiruvaDi tanai maravAdhE - rItigauLa - Adi - muthukumAra swami
7. ninnADanEla nIrajAksha - kannaDa - Adi - tyAgarAja
8. ninnE namminAnu sadA - tODi - miSra cApu - SyAmA SAStri (a, n, s, T)
9. nArimani kaindrirA (jAvali) - kamAs - Adi - dharmapuri subbaraya ayyar
10. rAmA rAmA (padam)- Bhairavi - Adi - kSEtragna
11. meragAdu leci rArA (jAvali) - aTANa - Adi- chinnayya
12. kaliyugadalli hari nAma - senjurutti - Adi - purandaradAsa
13. daSaratasuta - jhOnpuri - rUpaka - vanamAmalai jeeyar
14. dhIm tAnanana (tillANa)- hindOLam - khaNDa Eka - tirugOkarnam vaidyanAta bhAgavatar
15. nInAmarUpamulaku nitya jaya mangaLam - saurAshTram - Adi – tyAgarAja

(Key: o=raga outline, a=raga alapana, n=neraval, s=kalpana swaram, T=taniavartanam)

A beautiful concert by Sangita Kala Acharya Smt Rama Ravi and her daughter Nanditha who presented a selection of pristine compositions rendered effortlessly. There was so much weight and dignity in their divine music. The concert comprised of grand pieces that included a mix of some rare and some more popular compositions as well as a treat of javalis and padams. Their two voices gelled so well that it was sometimes difficult to realise who was singing or indeed whether it was one voice or two.

Accompanists Sanjay and Bala (both brought up in Sydney) provided subtle and unobtrusive accompaniment that appropriately enhanced the music.

[mahavishnu]

Thanks, Mohan. I can see what a treat this must have been. So many gems from the Dhanammal school!

[keerthi]

Mohan, Who is this Muttukumara swAmi? Any more details about the composer. I have heard Smt. Rama sing the same song before.

The tillana is by Tirugokarnam Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar [the same who composed the PUrvi dhrupad/tillAna], not by Vasudevacarya - - presuming it has the lyric nIdu mahimalanu nE pogaDi pogaDi etc.

[mohan]

keerthi - I have no further details about Muttukumara Swami. Perhaps Lakshmanji can assist.

Thanks for the correction about the tillana. It was listed in the krithibook app as this. Is there another hindola - khanda eka tillana by Vasudevacharya?

[Lakshman]

The only MUthtukumaraswami (Varagur) I know about is the one who used to teach at Annamalai University. I knew he had composed tAna varNAs but I was not aware of any of his krti compositions.

[keerthi]

Is there another hindola - khanda eka tillana by Vasudevacharya?

I suspect, no. It is the same tillAna, may be a misattribution. I have seen the pUrNacandrika tillana of pUci ayyangar listed as VasudEvAcarya's. It is quite possible that it is an innocent mistake by the editors/compilers, carried forward into kritibook.

The Dhanammal tradition gives the composer as TirugOkarnam Vaidyanatha/Subrahmanya Bhagavatar. I was curious to know if you looked it up or if Smt. Rama announced the composer. Since Rama Ravi learnt from the Dhanammal Grandchildren, as well as KalakSEtra, she could clarify.