GAYATHRI GIRISH FOR MUDHRA- 9/12/14

[CRama]

The concert of Gayathri Girish was held in the Infosys Hall on 9/12/14 for Mudhra. In this concert she was accompanied by Dr.Hemalatha on the violin, Ganapathiraman on the Mridangam and Nerkunnam Sankar on the Ganjira. List of songs.

Varnam-Sudhadhanyasi - HMB
Varavallabha ramana-Hamsadhwani- GNB (S)
Maadayai-Vasantha- PS
Sri Sugandhikundalambike-Kundalam- MD (R)
Karunakarane sivasankarane-Keeravani- PS
Dasarathi-Thodi- T (R,N,S)
Thani
Kanakasaila viharini-Punnagavarali _SS
RTP-Andolika – Khanda Triputa-
Laghu- Tisra nadai, first dhrutham-Chatusra nadai, second dhrutham- khanda nadai.
Eppadi padinaro-Karnataka Devagandhari
Kannanidam eduthu cholladi-Ragamalika- Ambujam Krishna
Thamboorimeettidava-Sindubhairavi- PD
Mangalam

The opening varnam in Sudhadhanyasi composed by Muthiah Bhagavathar was a pointer to the rich classic fare that was to follow. Varavallabha was rendered in its pristine form and ornamented with swaras with focus on porutham. Maadayai brought nostalgic memories as the song is now vanished from the concert platform. Gayathri has been one artist who has always been presenting a new composition in every concert I attend of her, and this was no different. The first ragam of the day was Kundalam, 61st melam in the Asampoorna mela paddhathi equivalent to Kanthamani in the 72 Melakartha scheme. The raga and song Sri Sugandhikundalambike are very rare and I was hearing the song for the first time. It is on the consort of Mathrubhootheswarar.

After a quick Karunakarane Sivasankarane in Keeravani she launched on the main ragam of the day- Thodi. The alapana took a solid 15 minutes her voice equally comfortable traversing on the mandra sthayi sancharas as well as the upper sthayi sancharas and the grand composition of Thyagaraja was presented with complete loyalty to the bhavam as conveyed by the saint composer. Neraval at an unusual place Bodhinchina Thyagarajakaraarchitha and the elaborate kalpana swaras that followed were testimony to her abundant manodharmam.

After a sedate Kanakasailaviharini, it was time for the Ragam Thanam Pallavi. Andolika was taken up for elaboration. You rarely come across RTP in Andolika except perhaps in the concerts of MLV in her hey days. The strong point of Gayathri Girish is her ability to blend musical savvy with emotional excellence. Be it raga, kriti, niraval or swaras, she integrate them achieving the right balance; there will be no half hearted attempts or overconfident shots. The alapana of Andolika was done with right impetus with the right blend of brighas, jarus and flashy sangathis and long sancharas which took 7 minutes. The thanam, a difficult exercise for this raga was presented for 10 minutes, raga bhavam oozing out in each phrase. The pallavi was a complex one- Khanda Triputa in which Laghu in Tisra nadai, first dhrutham in Chatusra nadai and second dhrutham in khanda nadai. Total 33 aksharams. The sahithyam was Devi Nin Thirumalar padam thunai Mevi arul purinthiduvaye. Ragamalika swaras were in Chandrakauns, Shanmugapriya and Natakurinji. Trikalam was done with precision. Trikalam in such a tricky thalam is not everybody’s forte aand Gayathri Girish did that with elan. The concluding pieces were presented with melody and devotion.

Dr.Hemalatha provided excellent support on the violin. Her alapanas and returns were top notch. The percussion team gelled with the vocalist very well with their anticipation and skill. They deserve appreciation for providing accompaniment to such a tricky pallavi. This is the first concert of Gayathri Girish in this season and she has again proved that excellence is her hall mark.

[HarishankarK]

Hope this recording will be uploaded somewhere. Andholika pallavi will be a delicious listen.
GG sings this Kuntalam raga song time and again - her rendition is available in Sangeethapriya.

[priyaram78]

Thanks for the detailed review Sri Crama. Your review itself was a joy, wondering about the joy of listening to her songs !

[Sivaramakrishnan]

I also attended the concert.

To me, one of the 'plus' points in the Todi aalaapana was the singer's ability to restrain from the 'irressitible' Shadja-panchama varjya prayogas. A plain, neat delineation.
'Kunthalam' was a rare pick.
I remember to have listened to the rather uncommon kriti in Vasantha in a Bharatanatyam recital. The composition brims with the ragabhava.
The taanam rendering in Aandolika was fine and brought memories of MLV.
The Taala of the Pallavi (as detailed by CRama) was interesting and educative. The percussion dept. rendered a capsular finale & mohra to wind up.
The violinist gave the right kind of support.
A good listening experience.

[rshankar]

Thank you for the reviews! Like Priyaram says, the concert must have been awesome.
mAdayai is part of Smts. MSS and Radha's vast repertoire.

[CRama]

This concert will be webcast by paalamtv later. I will inform at that time. Don't miss to enjoy the concert.