Maharajapuram Ramachandran - SIFA SF California Sept 8, 2013

[mahavishnu]

Maharajapuram Ramachandran - vocal
Hemmige Srivatsan - violin
Vijay Ganesh - mridangam

South India Fine Arts- SIFA, Menlo Park, San Francisco bay area, California. (Sunday, 3:30-6:30pm).

1. gaNanAyaka vAraNa mukha - sunAda vinOdhini - varNam - NS Ramachandran (S)
2. enakku vEndum varangaLai - nATTai - jhampa - Subrahmanya BhArati (S)
3. sitamma mAyamma - vasantA - Tyagaraja (neraval @ dharaija bhAgavatA-grEsaru) (NS)
4. ennai kAttharuLvadhoru bAramA - hEmavati - PS (A)
5. ranganAtudE - sowrashtram - roopakam - Ponniah Pillai
6. manasu swAdhInamaina - sankarAbharanam - Tyagaraja (ANST, neraval@tanuvu tAnu gAdani encuvAniki...)
7. swAmi mayUra... vadivEla - nAgaswarAvaLi - ? (Lji: perhaps you know this one?)
8. RTP - madhyamAvati - paraman aruLiya kumara guruparanE paripUraNanE - Tisra triputa (2 kalai, atIta eduppu)
swarams in nAttai, gowLa, Arabhi, varALi.
9. viLayAda idhunEramA - shanmukhapriyA - TN Bala
10. viruttam - puzhuvAi piRakkinum puNNiyA unnadi en manaththe (thirunAvukkarasar)- kEdaragowla, mukhAri, sahAnA, rEvati)
followed by sambhO siva sambhO - rEvati- dayAnada swAmigal
11. nI nAma rUpamulaku - mangalam- sowrAshtram - T

This is my first concert review from San Francisco. I am glad to begin my journey here with one of my favourite schools in Carnatic music, the Maharajapuram/Umayalpuram Swaminatha Iyer school.

While ARI might have been the brains behind the art of the modern concert paddhati, some of the greatest exponents of the kutcheri craft loom from the tradition of Sri Viswanatha Iyer and his descendants. Maharajapuram Ramachandran enjoys a special place in this august lineage, having trained with both his father and grandfather.

When I was first introduced to serious carnatic music listening as a young boy in the 1970s and early 80s, Sri Mahajapuram Santhanam ruled the roost. He was the giant star (no pun intended). Some commented that his ability to attract such large volumes of people to his concert was perhaps gravitational! People like SSI remarked (in jest of course) that he was putting the rest of them out of work.

Of course, his detractors were quick to label him as the "crowd pleaser". But they had him so wrong. When the history of these times gets written, it would be clear that it was he who introduced the larger carnatic public to amazing compositions in ragams like vanaspati/bhanumati, nasikabhushani and could make some of these vivAdhi mEla ragams sound like the popular rakthi ragams. The so-called "intellectual" musicians did sing these as well, but to largely empty halls. And who can forget his poornashadjam or his trademarked family heirlooms of Arabhi and Mohanam or the rarer pieces in pratapavarali and garudadvani. He had this special touch that resulted in every concert of his being a success.

Listening to Maharajapuram Ramachandran today was like listening to his late father. His voice has achieved a gravitas, a certain depth that has supplanted the more nasal tone that he had in his youth. The power he packs in the baritone range is incredible! And he used this voice to present a superb concert this evening here in California.

He began with a lovely Sunadha vinodhini varnam that I must confess to have only heard in a record that he released commercially a few years ago. Being vinAyaka chaturti, he continued with the mahakavi's piece tuned in Nattati.

I thoroughly enjoyed his rendition of Seethamma and the neraval was beautifully crafted. Srivatsan's returns in the neraval, reminded me of KVN in parts. Ramachandran's hemavati was succinct yet comprehensive. While I was waiting for him to start Sri Kanthimatim, he surprised everyone with the less frequently heard Sivan composition. This is a beautiful piece, that screams with Sivan's angst.

After a very elaborate sankarabharanam and a crisply presented manasu swadhinamai and the filler in Nagaswaravali, he moved on to the RTP in madhyamavati. Pentatonic ragams of all kinds are very special in the MVI school and this one is no exception; although I do not remember having heard much madhyamavati in Sri Santhanam's concerts. After the ragamalika swarams in the the ghana ragams, I was waiting for him to end with Sri ragam. But the pallavi being in madhyamavati and all, he returned in reverse order through these four ragams to the pallavi line. The viruttam he presented, another MVI school gem, was wonderful.

I am listening to Srivatsan after a long time, perhaps twenty years or so. The last time I heard him was at Wesleyan where he was a regular accompanist for Viswa in the 90s. He sounds much the same, although a bit rusty in some patches. His returns on the kedaragowla and sahana during the viruttam were exceptional.

The young mridangist Vijay Ganesh was excellent in parts. He played with a reasonably good sense of anticipation. Perhaps he could have paid a little more attention to the shruti of his instrument, which I thought was a little off on occasion. A perfectly tuned mridangam can lift a good concert to greater heights. But I understand the capriciousness of this instrument and all that it endures with travel, weather changes and stage lights.

The concert was held in a lovely auditorium near Menlo Park which was very tastefully decorated and arranged. We often criticize the poorer venues, but never compliment the good ones. And finally a word of appreciation for the organizers (South India Fine arts, California). The whole event was put together very efficiently: beginning on time, excellent stage lighting and sound system, very professional event staff and superb hall acoustics. All of these play a great role in the concert experience.

Overall a very good concert. Ramachandran's strong sense of shruti, his sense of proportion and his matured and seasoned voice raised the concert to high levels. I almost didn't notice three hours pass by.

[rajeshnat]

4. ennai kAttharuLvadhoru bAramA - hEmavati - PS (A)
.....
7. swAmi mayUra... vadivEla - nAgaswarAvaLi - ? (Lji: perhaps you know this one?)
8. RTP - madhyamAvati - paraman aruLiya kumara guruparanE paripUraNanE - Tisra triputa (2 kalai, atIta eduppu)
swarams in nAttai, gowLa, Arabhi, varALi.

Ramachandran's hemavati was succinct yet comprehensive. While I was waiting for him to start Sri Kanthimatim, he surprised everyone with the less frequently heard Sivan composition. This is a beautiful piece, that screams with Sivan's angst.

He moved on to the RTP in madhyamavati. Pentatonic ragams of all kinds are very special in the MVI school and this one is no exception; although I do not remember having heard much madhyamavati in Sri Santhanam's concerts. After the ragamalika swarams in the the ghana ragams, I was waiting for him to end with Sri ragam. But the pallavi being in madhyamavati and all, he returned in reverse order through these four ragams to the pallavi line.

# I have never heard even in print medium this Hemavati krithi.

# swami mayura giri vadivElA in nagaswarAli is by kavikunjara bharathi. I have heard him sung in few live concerts

# you may have heard santhanam's AdAthu asangathu vA in madhyamAvati, there is a OVK casette of santhanam which was popular . Not sure whether santhanam has sung this number in live concert . Like his appA , ramachandran generally avoids singing a rtp , Nice to hear a rtp that too in madhyamAvati. I am assuming since santhanam and brindavana saranga are inseperable in his concerts , possibly he had to pass this closely allied madhyamavati.

[rajeshnat]

Vijay Ganesh - mridangam

May i know whose disciple is vijay ganesh.

[mahavishnu]

Rajesh: Vijay Ganesh is a disciple of Kumbakonam Rajappa Iyer.
The hemavati song has been sung by Sethalapathy Balu sir on a few occasions (not many others).

Thanks for the info about the nagaswaravali piece.

[arasi]

Mahavishnu,
How happy we all are that you now live within driving distance of the SIFA and other CA concerts! Promises us plenty of reviews from you!

Your brief history on the heritage of the Maharajapuram school is illuminating. Your reviews are something to cherish for us all.

Srivatsan is a trailblazer I would say, for all the north american kids who take to CM at a young age, stay in India whenever they can to learn CM. Not only did he amaze me as a teenager when he played the violin, but what I hear about his (and his wife's) love for music is something. Their children are steeped in it, the number of good students he has (in both violin and vocal), the music programs they host, are all impressive. With a busy career, he manages singing, playing the violin and teaching.

I have seen his parents nurturing him with care and with a love for music in days when there were barely any children around, who were seriously into CM...

[CRama]

It was a very nice passionate review from a knowledgeable rasika. Keep more of them coming.
Ennai katharul in Hemavathi has been sung by Santhanam in a pre recorded casette. Sami Mayuragiri has been sung by TNS in Khamas in a few concerts.

[gardabha_gana]

Mahavishnu: Great to hear about SIFA. It is very nostalgic for me - having been to SIFA concerts regularly for over 15 years. Very nice to hear about Srivatsan. Looking forward to more reviews from you.

[rajeshnat]

/ Sami Mayuragiri has been sung by TNS no in Khamas in a few concerts.

Is there two krithis swami mayura giri vadivelA . Is the khamas that is sung by TNS composed by marimutha pillai . There was a review few years back I put in where Harishankar has suggested the khamAs is by marimutha pillai.
Check this link http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic. ... mayuragiri

On a side note another review of ramachandran I had put this krithi as Koteeshwara Iyer instead of kavikunjara bharathi. May be I made a mistake then.

Lji
Do you have lyrics of both - khamas and nagaswaravali versions . Also can you clarify the composer of both versions

[pvs]

Thanks for the detailed review, Mahavishnu.
Maharajapuram Ramachandran, reminds me of his grandfather in his spontaneity (sometimes almost impatient - if that's the right word), especially in his swaraprastharam, like a river in spate! One of my favourite artists especially for his impressive 'azuththam'.
I have recordings of Santhanam singing various Madhyamavathi songs - Ramakathasudha, Nagumomu, Pannagasayana, Karpagame, etc. and have also heard a low-fi recording of Parthasarathy nannu palimpa from when he was much younger. But like you mention, none of the same have raga alapanai or swaras to appreciable extent. The Hemavathi, I have heard only in a commercial release.

[rajeshnat]

Thanks for the detailed review, Mahavishnu.
Maharajapuram Ramachandran, reminds me of his grandfather in his spontaneity (sometimes almost impatient - if that's the right word), especially in his swaraprastharam, like a river in spate! One of my favourite artists especially for his impressive 'azuththam'.

I have recordings of Santhanam singing various Madhyamavathi songs - Ramakathasudha, Nagumomu, Pannagasayana, Karpagame, etc. and have also heard a low-fi recording of Parthasarathy nannu palimpa from when he was much younger.

Thanks for refreshing so many of madhymavatis , I have heard santhanam singing all except ramakathasudhA , my memory slipped . The nagumOmu galavani in madhyamavati is an utsava sampradaya krithi (not to be confused with abheri).
For the first 3 to 4 numbers you really see ramachandran as much as his tatha (mvi)than his appA. I am assuming the impatient spontaneity mahavishnu must have observed in his seethamma in neraval .

[Meera]

The hEmavati song has been sung by S.P.Ramh in a pre-recorded cassette.Looks like a LGJ favourite.

rAmachnadran is just like his father in giving the best to the rasikas and he doesn't mind singing for longer durations if rasikas want him to. I really cherish a concert last season where he sang the bhairavi svara jathi of SS.very soulful rendition.

[Lakshman]

This is the only version I have.

sAmi mayUra giri. rAgA: khamAs. Adi tALA. Kavi Kunjara Bharati.

P: sAmi mayUra giri vaDivEla Om sharavaNabhava guru
A: sOmashEkhara kumAra varada jayasuprakAsha shivasubrahmaNya guru
C1: nAn unadiNaiyaDimaravEnE manadinil anudinamumE
gAnavar kuyil maruviya kandanE shen tamizhkkaruL puri
2: mAmuni paravum kamala caraNA imaiyavargaL bhaya haraNa kOmaLaguNa
naya mazhai pozhi koNDalE azhagar taNDamizhkkaruL puri
3: mAlaghamagizhvuru tiru marugA malai maghaludavu muruga
kOlamighuvara vara shubha kavi kunjaran shol kuravaniyin sollaruL

[rajeshnat]

I really cherish a concert last season where he sang the bhairavi svara jathi of SS.very soulful rendition.

That is interesting bit of news meera . There was an audio casette of shyamA sastri krithis by santhanam where santhanam did not sing that well the bhairavi swarajathi. Looking forward to hear maharajapuram ramachandran's swarajati.

[pvs]

Just checked my Santhanam library and found more Madyamavathi - Vinayakuni valenu, Saravanabhava guhane, Sabareesha pari pahi, etc. some with raga and swaras, Ramachandran accompanying.
Not that it really matters if he has sung the ragam or not, but was just curious as he holds a special place in my earliest Carnatic memories along with MSS, TVS and TNS. All the other maestros were introduced through AIR.

[mahavishnu]

Glad to hear that there are comprehensive madhyamavati recordings of Sri Santhanam available. His untimely demise at the peak of his career is one of the great tragedies in recent memory. I remember being devastated when DKJ and he both died in quick succession.

I would be very curious to hear Santhanam's version of the bhairavi swarajati to see the subtle differences in his treatment of it compared to SSI. I imagine that Santhanam's version was probably more closely related to the Umayalpuram school. Perhaps we could start a discussion in the Vidwans thread on Viswanatha Iyer/Santhanam about the variegated differences (to use a genetics term) in this school post MVI.

Oh and another thing that I forgot to mention about this concert. Sri Ramachandran was suffering from severe pain in his left leg due to an unidentifiable injury. He had spent a good part of the morning in the ER. He sang with such spirit and cheer that I could not even detect that he was in pain. Hats off to his sense of professionalism for giving a 3+ hour concert with this condition!

[arasi]

Indeed! Call it a lineage of professionalism!

Hope he is feeling much better now.

[clmweb]

There was an audio casette of shyamA sastri krithis by santhanam where santhanam did not sing that well the bhairavi swarajathi. Looking forward to hear maharajapuram ramachandran's swarajati.

an interesting item in that album is the rarely heard "brovu brovu" in Kiravani. While the authorship of Syama Sastri is disputed, it is certainly easy on the ears. Here is a recording by Charulatha Mani who learnt it from Savitri Satyamurti, who in turn had learnt it from Maharajapuram Santhanam.
http://youtu.be/BuLSxcKJuOY