Malladi Bros for Kartik Fine Arts, 01/12/2013

[sankark]

Malladi Brothers - vocal
Embar Kannan - violin
Neyveli Narayanan - mridangam
BS Purushothaman - kanjira

venue: NGS Main Hall

lambOdharam avalambE - kAmbhOji - rUpakam - MV (raga sketch, ns@ sura bhUsura)
swAminAtha paripAlayAsumAm - nAttai - Adi - D
daridApu lEka vEdithE - sAveri - Adi - T (s@daridApu)
AnandEshvarEna samrakshitOham - Anandabhairavi - m cApu - D (beautiful alapana)
vAsudevayani vedalina - kalyAni - Adi - T
koluvamarEgadA kOthandapAni - thOdi - Adi - T (RNS@koluvamarEgadA, T).
varuvArO varam - sAmA - Adi - GKB
RTP (sarasvati vilAsam sangItOtsavam rasika jana mOham navarasamaya) - sarasvati - k triputai - self composition (ragamalika had mOhanam, hindOlam)
nithya pUjAlivigO - ? - Adi - annamAchAryA
rAma jOgi mandu - khamAs - Adi - bhadrAchala rAmadAs
yadO naigamagaya slokam + mangalam - madyamAvathi

A good way to start the season this year. AB & Thodi alapanais were the highlights. The RTP was a very short one - 25 - 30 mins max. Tani was quite energetic and had interesting patterns.

[semmu86]

Top notch concert as usual from the Brothers. Neyveli Narayanan (Again one of the top Mrudangam artists of the day) was so delightful. The accompaniment, the embellishment for the krithis & of course the thani were brilliant.

His playing yesterday was a brilliant mix of the styles of Upendran & UKS.. I could spot shades of influence of TS as well (As in the naDai variations when playing for the krithis, finishing the anupallavi & coming back to the pallavi of the krithi again).

[mahavishnu]

Semmu: Your assessment of Sri Narayanan's playing is spot on.
I heard NN accompanying Malladi brothers on their US/Canada tour a few years ago. His adaptively blends his style to their singing.

[rajeshnat]

His playing yesterday was a brilliant mix of the styles of Upendran & UKS.. I could spot shades of influence of TS as well (As in the naDai variations when playing for the krithis, finishing the anupallavi & coming back to the pallavi of the krithi again).

Semmu86/Mahavishnu,
When you talk about UKS and TS styles to an extent I can relate to what you wrote. May I know what is the style of Tanjore Upendran that you generally observed (he being a student of PMI) . My awareness about Upendran is very low.

[cacm]

He learnt from Rajappa Iyer who taught UKS originally before PMI & several other vidwans.....A GREAT TEACHER as well as performer. VKV

[hameerk]

nithya pUjAlivigO - DwijAvanti - Adi - annamAchAryA

[VijayR]

He learnt from Rajappa Iyer who taught UKS originally before PMI & several other vidwans.....A GREAT TEACHER as well as performer. VKV

Are you sure of this information, Sri. VKV?

[cacm]

I am repeating what I was told. I CANNOT be absolutely be sure of this. May be some one can correct or confirm what I wrote. VKV

[NadhopasanaUSA]

Hello All,

I was told by my Guru Sri Neyveli Narayanan that Sri Tanjavur Upendran learnt from Sri Tanjavur Rajam Iyer not Sri Kumbakonam Rajappa Iyer. Just wanted to pass on the correct info to this thread.

regards
Ravi

[cacm]

THANKS! VKV

[mahavishnu]

Rajesh & others: Upendran also has a dominant arrai chapu that very UKS-like. Even his sitting posture seems to have influenced Neyveli Narayanan greatly (who has absorbed the best of both these styles). So, Semmu is (as usual) spot-on in his observation about this. A good example of his accompanying style can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSIWhECP8AY

There is a tavil influence in Sri Upendran's playing too, some say that it might have come from Valangaiman Shanmukhasundaram pillai, who was his father-in-law. But it could also be a general Tanjore influence in his playing style and the effect might be very individual-specific. This is also relevant to the discussion on the evolution of mridangam styles in a parallel thread.

Radioweb ran an Upendran special a few weeks ago. A clip of that can be found here http://radioweb.in/programs/tanjore-upendran-0

Some of my best memories of Upendran were when he accompanied BMK, Santhanam and N Ramani. But my favorite was a concert I was lucky enough to attend: TNS, L Subramaniam and Upendran sometime in the early 80s at the MMA! If anyone has a recording of this, I would be much obliged if you can share.

[semmu86]

Thanks Ramesh for the clips. Rajesh, there is a violin duet concert of TNK-MC accompanied by UKS-Upendran (Double Mrudangam accompaniment) in the website of "Parvathi". Do check that out if you haven't, till now. Wonderful concert, that can help you to an extent for understanding the two styles.