TRIBUTE TO TRS BY PRIYA SISTERS- MUDHRA-17/12

[CRama]

This season, I am restraining myself from sitting too much before the PC. But yesterday's concert prompted me to relax this condition a bit. The concert by Priya Sisters was a fitting tribute to their legendary Guru TRS. The concert included some pieces popularised by TRS- Grahabhalamemi in Revagupti (I can hear somebody telling me DKJ has sung this. Yes), Needaya Galguna of GNB in Shanmugapriya. They sang the neraval for the anupallavi line Sodanalaku nenu paatramaa and swaras as Pa Ri Sodanalaku nenu patramaa- Nii parisodanalakunenu- Sa Daa nee parisodana etc. Very intelligently crafted swaras with swaraksharams.

The RTP was in Ganamurthy ragam. The pallavi was a tribute to TRS- The sahithyam was Gurumoorthey Sangeetha sphoorthey Gandharva gaanamurthey Akhanda keerthey Subramanya (Gurumoorthey) It was in a tricky Mishra Triputa thalam kanda nadai. The raga alapana was for 5 minutes but thanam was elaborate and the entire exercise was presented in a very scholarly manner- with elaborate swaras at different places, interesting poruthams, koraippu, Trikalam, ragamalika swaras in Mohanam, Revati and Madhuvanthi and makuda swaras to go back to Ganamurthy. It was an excellent presentation.

Accompanists--MA Krishnaswamy-Patri Satishkumar- BS Purushotham. MAK provided very good following and his replies were crisp and apt. Patri provided sensitive accompaniment snd he lifted the concert to a great height with his anticipation, interesting filling up of gaps and energetic accompaniment. the thani was for 15 minutes and invited applause for each avarthanam.BS Purushotham provided a good match for the virtuosity of Patri.

Other songs in the concert were Kanada varnam, Ganapathe-Kalyani, Sundareswara in Manirang ( may be PS composition) Rajuvedala-Thodi. The Infosys Hall was full for the concert.

When TRS passed away, I was in my dark world, I could not go to see him nor even pen a few lines. This concert brought to me my memories of a TRS concert held in Theerthapaadamandapam, TVM in 1984. I had requested TRS to sing Sidhivinayakam, as I wanted to hear one of my favourite ragas from him. He said that he is going to sing Sree Mooladhara chakra vinayaka and that he will sing some other song in Spriya. That day he took up sub main Spriya and the song was Needaya Galguna. That alapana was someting unusual- It was not a step by step alapana. He was singing flashing sangathis at random. But the finished product was something out of the world- as if a painter flashes his paint brush and brings out a beautiful picture. He did nerval at sodanalaku nenu patrama and swaras as Pa Ri sodanalaku . These concepts and way of presentation was totally new to me at that time. I was totally awestruck. I was reminded of this in yesterday's concert and where else can I share this experience other than with my rasikas.

After the concert, Mudhra Bhaskar told that the sisters have presented a scholarly tribute to their Guru. He also told that he felt as if TRS is sitting in the front row and listening to their music. True. Just like Hanuman will be present wherever Ramayana is recited, the soul of TRS will be present wherever chaste music is presented.

To a question posed by some rasika in another thread, the daily tickets in Mudhra is Rs.150 minimum which included a coupon of Rs.20 which can be exchanged while purchasing tiffin.

[rajeshnat]

The RTP was in Ganamurthy ragam. The pallavi was a tribute to TRS- The sahithyam was Gurumoorthey Sangeetha sphoorthey Gandharva gaanamurthey Akhanda keerthey Subramanya (Gurumoorthey) It was in a tricky Mishra Triputa thalam kanda nadai. The raga alapana was for 5 minutes but thanam was elaborate and the entire exercise was presented in a very scholarly manner- with elaborate swaras at different places, interesting poruthams, koraippu, Trikalam, ragamalika swaras in Mohanam, Revati and Madhuvanthi and makuda swaras to go back to Ganamurthy. It was an excellent presentation.

The pallavi in ganamurthy is very nice and the lines were apt for TRS mAMA. Kudos to sisters.Great going Crama

[Rsachi]

CRama,
Interesting that all these years, you had tucked away in your memory that swarakshara kalpanas by TRS in Trivandrum (29 years ago) and you take it out of the closet after this tribute concert. It must have been like a train journey in Konkan railway with an intervening long tunnel if darkness and your emerging in beautiful countryside with nostalgic memories.

Godspeed to you and more such stories please!

I do wish that musicians and teachers of the calibre of TRS receive the love and admiration of rasikas while they're around rather than merely posthumous tribute concerts.....

[sivakami]

Rasikas from Secunderabad also got lucky& had the privilege to listen to this excellent tribute-RTP, when the Sisters performed for Kalasagaram recently a fortnight ago. This concert was dedicated to TRS Sir, and hence they opened with his varnam and went on to sing this pallavi, which was melodious and moving.

[shreedarshan]

Was glad that i could make it to the concert..It was indeed a grt tribute by the sisiters to their guru..
kudos to them for having composed such a beautiful pallavi...