Bharathiya Vidhya Bhavan saw another “mahAmaha crowd”. It was nothing but Ranjani & Gayathri (R&G)
My perception of Ranjani & Gayathri’s concert -is of three types- Excellent, Good, not good. (There are some artists like Vijay Siva, Malladi Brothers- Always Good). For R&G excellent was the concert with RTP, Saraswathi, Lalitha & Sree RTP concert in MA, 3 years back. Not good was the Anantha padhmanabhaswamy concert last year (2 years bank) in adyar. Many concerts they did not do any adventure but sing “ordinary”
This was another “Excellent” performance of the duo. It sums up why they rated the best duo in “ladies category”. To my view, any other sisters, singing nowadays are far behind to come close them.
Song list
Ninee kOri-Vasantha-
• Quick swaram to catch up their “tonal” quality anticipating huge expectation from a massive crowd.
I should tell you about the crowd. There is no place, even in stadium, to sit. I could see people sitting in the make up room room and near the Electiric panel room for listening the concert, beside a dozen people standing at the entrance. BVB has done excellent arrangement of providing closing circuit in three places around the hall. But, it is R&G, you can’t help it.
Moreover, rarely you get a free concert of R&G.
• Divakara Tanujam- Sanaischara kriti in line with Saturday of Dikshitar- Slow and bringing the eloquent qualities of Yadukula kAmbodhi.
• Bhavapriya- First sub main- Actually I thought it was kumudakriya and Subha P.varali, but some how, they announced before starting “SrikAnta niyEda”- Thyagarajar.
Swaram in this was a classs, the speed, they exchanged between the swarams was amazing.
• Madyamavath- Second Sub main- followed by “nAdhupai”- Kanda chApu kriti of Thyagaraja kriti. This was taken for its reraval in a suitable place “ajAnubahu yuga Sri jAnaki pathi”
• samAna rahitE-chAyA tarangini-GNB
• Sahana-Main followed by Papanasam Sivan’s “chittam irangAda dEnayA”- Neraval in “bhaktar irangum dEEna bandU”-(S).
• Tani
• “Chindai niRainda un malar pAdamE, mundai piRavi vinai akaRRum aRpudhamE”
Could not get the first ragam- must be Keeravani
Second in Arabi
Third- kApi followed by aravinda pada malar of Ambujam Krishna
• Dasar kriti in Darbari
• Abhang- Request from Public
• Mangalam
It is sahAna, I would rate it at best. Never mind, listening in the second day, (previous day, Gurucharan also rendered sahAna). It was slowly and steadily reaching all the intricate sangathis before coming to a “abbAdA”-pOdhumpA” mind set.
I heard RTP of MLV on bhavapriya. MLV brings that phrase intantly when she starts. I could not see that in R&G in their initial singing. I may be wrong too.
I thought sahAnA was RTP as mahdyamavathy had got all the ingredients of main. But again, they took Sivan’s kriti. No issues. This was heard as tukkada in many concerts.
Patri & Gopalakrishnan- Mridangam & Ganjira
For rajeshnat- Tani was very good. Well rendered. I
For others- see my previous review on Sikkil Gurucharan’s
Tani – It was applauded by R&G despite the onslaught. Difference today was Gopalakrishnan was equally efficeint in replying Patris "kaNakkUs"
BU Ganesh Prasad- was good in violin. He played closed to their rendering. No “jAlams.
It was another great performance. Worth living in Mylapore and attend concerts like this.