Smt Sankari Krishnan at Rasikalaya London - Saturday, May 3

[Ajit Ramachandran]

Smt Sankari Krishnan at Rasikalaya London - Saturday, 3rd May 2014

Smt Sankari Krishnan (vocal)
Sri Balu Raguraman (violin)
Sri Somasundara Desigar (mridangam)

01. Varnam - Bowli - Adi - Lalgudi Jayaraman
02. siddhivinAyakam anisham - ChAmaram (shaNmukhapriya) - roopakam - Muttuswami Dikshitar (S @ prasiddha gaNa nAyakam)
03. pAlimpa rAvadElara - Arabhi - Adi (tisra gati) - Pallavi Sesha Iyer (RS)
04. jananI ninnuvinA - Ritigowla - Misra Chapu - Subbaraya Sastri (R)
05. padumanAbhan maruga - Nagaswarali - Adi - Papanasam Sivan
06. ADAtu asangAtu vA - Madhyamavati - Adi - Oothukkadu Venkata Subbaiyer
07. gati nIvani (Lalgudi pancharatna kriti) - Todi - Adi (2 kalai) - Tyagaraja (RNST)
08. Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi - Latangi - Misra chapu (2 thalli eduppu)
"murugA kaDamba katiRvEla nI / vA kOla vaDivazhagi vaLLi lOla" (arudi of 6)
Ragamalika swaras: Vasanti, Varamu, Revati
09. nArAyaNa ninne - Shuddhadhanyasi - Adi - Purandara Dasa
10. Viruttam (from Sivapuranam) - Mohanam, Saveri, Sama
11. varuvAro varam taruvAro - Sama - Adi - Gopalakrishna Bharati
12. enna tavam Seydanai - Kapi - Adi - Papanasam Sivan
13. Kavadi chindu - Senchurutti
14. Tillana - Misra Sivaranjani - Adi - Lalgudi Jayaraman
15. kuRai onRum illai - Ragamalika - Adi - Rajaji (set to music by Kadayanallur Venkatraman) - audience request
16. Tiruppugazh - mangalam

(R: raga alapana / N: neraval / S: swarakalpana / T: tani avartanam)

Last week, Smt Sankari Krishnan, Sri Balu Raguraman and Sri Somasundara Desigar kicked off the 2014 season for Rasikalaya with a fantastic concert. The concert also marked the first time we at Rasikalaya were trialling a broadcast via Parivadini's Internet channel. Feedback from U.S. and U.K. vieweres indicated that apparently both video and audio were exceptional, as was the concert.

Coming back to the concert, Smt Sankari's concert featured a mix of rare and popular compositions all rendered full of bhavam and sowkhyam. However, our technology to broadcast the concert began to cause interference in the early stages of the concert (only heard by the live audience, thankfully not transmitted online). We were therefore forced to cease the broadcast by the Madhyamavati piece.

However, it is to the credit of the artistes and the audience that this did not mar the level of enjoyment in delivering and listening to a supremely fulfilling concert. Starting off with Lalgudi Sri Jayaraman's popular Bowli varnam, the concert was a prime example of sampradhaya sangeetham. The free flowing swaras for Shanmukhapriya from both Smt Sankari as well as Sri Balu at 'prasiddha gana nAyakam' were a delight. The immediate foray into Pallavi Sesha Iyer's rare Arabhi kriti was simply exquisite. Smt Sankari rendered some particularly delightful and unmistakeable phrases in Arabhi during her alapana that brought the rAga essence to the fore. The pallavi sesha iyer composition shone rendered at a brisk tempo, along with its sparkling chitta swaram and a few rounds of kalpana swaras. Sri Somasundara Desigar's support throughout this brisk piece as with other pieces was spectacular.

The transition at this stage to the immortal subbaraya sastri piece in reethigowlai was superb as was the alapana preceding the piece from both Smt Sankari and Sri Balu Raguraman. The next 2 pieces were in tamil - one not often heard (in nagaswaravali by Papanasam Sivan) and in madhyamavati (Sri Oothukadu Venkata Kavi's popular composition). One can hear the majority of these pieces on Parivadini https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvVmqs3Tr7M (NOTE: our issues with trying to balance transmitting a live concert while hosting one on stage are all too obvious so please bear that mind as you watch as there are interruptions). Kudos are also due to the Parivadini team whose help and support were spectacular to make transmission a reality within a span of a few days!

The main item in Thodi marked a departure for us and typical carnatic concerts as it was 'unplugged'. The entire piece was rendered by the artistes without any microphones while we were remedying sound issues. The acoustics in the room, the pindrop silence of the audience who were listening with rapt attention enhanced the majesty of Thodi and the Lalgudi Pancharatna kriti which was Smt Sankari's chosen kriti for the day. In this as with the other songs of the evening, the Lalgudi pANi shone through brightly. Many in the audience were still raving about the Thodi piece at the end of the concert - a real pity that we were unable to share this via Parivadini. The detail of both the vocal and violin alapanas was profound. Moreover, the brisk neraval, korvai and swaram, followed by tani were all enhanced with able percussion support by Sri Somu who ably modulated his mridangam in the microphone-free environment to ensure percussion did not overpower violin or vocal. A true standout piece for multiple reasons!

As with all Rasikalaya concerts where our only request is for an elaborate ragam-tanam-pallavi, we received a majestic Latangi RTP with detailed tanam, then a misra chapu pallavi rendered in tri kalam, followed by a swararagamalika. While the clock was now ticking past 2.5 hrs, the artistes happily journeyed on, continuing to delight the eager rasikas of rasikalaya!

The final segment included a pleasing mix of known and evergreen kritis including a standout viruttam featuring verses from the thiruvAcagam (siva puranam) followed by Gopalakrishna Bharathi's varuvAro. Sri Lalgudi's spectacular misra sivaranjani tillana and an audience request for kurai onrum illai brought to the concert to a fitting conclusion.

[rajeshnat]

Ajit
Thank you for your review . I like in general for a request for an elaborate RTP. Very nice song selections by vidushi Sankari Krishnan. I read somewhere that LGJ ishta deivam is Muruga and the pallavi was also a tribute for him apart from the todi main and the sparkling thillana. Best wishes hope you continue having more concerts. I remember one of your core team member rishi who has his native roots in lalgudi would have been delighted even though there is only one MD krithi.

[arasi]

Yes, Rajesh. He wrote very good reviews too. And Jayaram! Haven't seen him in a while at Chennai either.

Good to hear that Rasikalaya has more concerts coming this year.

[Nick H]

Jayaram! Haven't seen him in a while at Chennai either.

December 2012.

Best wishes to you London folk for your concert season

[Ajit Ramachandran]

Thank you rajeshnat, arasi and Nick - your goodwill and wishes are greatly appreciated.

Both Jayaram and Rishi are still very much a core part of Rasikalaya. We just take turns with the concert reports. Both were present and enjoyed the concert as well - I will have them respond when they have a moment.

[Nick H]

I heard Sankari Krishnan for the first time only late last year. She was standing in for the artist I had gone to see, who was unable to come. Obviously, when that happens, the reaction is disappointment, but I very soon lost all such feelings and enjoyed her concert enormously.