Tiruvizha Viju Anand - violin
R Sankaranarayanan - mridangam
1. mEru samAna - mAyAmALavagowLa - T (brief rAgA-sketch, N,S)
2. EdayyA gati enakku - chalanATTa - kOTEswara iyer (R)
3. abhayAmbikAyAH - kEdAragauLa - MD
4. ninnu jeppa kAraNamEmi - mandAri - PS (brief R)
5. parimaLa ranganAtham bhajEham - hamIrkalyAni - MD (R, S)
6. prasanna venkatEswaram bhajarE - vAti vasanthabharavi - MD
7. RTP - kIrvAni set to kandajAti triputa in kanda nadai;
8. jagathOdAraNA - kApi - PD
9. rAma kathA - madhuvanti - NUkala SatyanArAyanA (R)
10. mangaLam
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This was a 2.5 hours concert that was very well done by sri SRS and party with lots of manodharmam and sowkiyam.
In the opening mEru samAna, sri SRS did niraval & swarams @ Kanaka BhUshanamula. The swarams were brisk, adding some slow tempo swarams would have been nicer and more Semmangudi-isque!
The chalanATTa AlApanA for EdayyA gati enakku was very soulful.
parimaLa ranganAtham bhajEham was the main piece (though it did not include thani).
Full credit to SRS for bringing out the intricate hues and beauty of hamIrkalyAni in the AlApanA and later in the swarams at the pallavi line.
He did full justice to this MD classic not often heard in recent times.
The RTP was very elaborate and well done. The pallavi line was "kadirvElA unadu pAdam thuNaiyE | OrArumukanE devAthidEvanE" . I guess the phrase "unadu pAdam thuNaiyE OrArumukanE" must be a favorite of pallavi composers
sri Viju's response in raga and in the pallavi line exploration was apt, imaginative, and innovative. sri Sankaranarayanan's thani was energetic and explosive,packed with sollukattus, soothing modulations, and generous and appropriate use of the thoppi. I would have loved to listen to some rAgamAlika but perhaps time was a constraint on this all-day program by CMANA.
The madhuvanti AlApanA was very soothing and the lyrics for rAma kathA were very poetic mixing sanskrit and telugu. I later found out out this is a composition of Dr. NUkala SatyanArAyanA gAru.
Overall, a very well delivered and enjoyable concert by sri SRS on his maiden US tour with very able support from sri Viju and sri Sankaranarayanan.
