GAYATHRI GIRISH FOR CCA -11/1/16

[CRama]

Accompanists. B.Ananthakrishnan- Violin
Shertallai Ananthakrishnan- Mridangam

List of songs.
• Varnam- Suruti (S)
• Sivagamasundari- Jaganmohini- GKB (S)
• Madayai nidhiyennum Nee dayai purintharul-Vasantha- PS (R,S)
• Bagayanayya-Chandrajothi- T
• Meenalochani Amba- HMB
• RTP- Vachaspathi- Khanda Triputa 2 kalai
• Pallavi- Neeve gathi Amba Paradevathe Sree Rajarajeswari
• Nee than thunai Neelambari- Ragamalika- N.S.Chidambaram
• Kalyanagopalam-Sindubhairavi- NT
• Thillana-Sindubhairavi- OVK

Chennai Cultural Academy (earlier name Nungambakkam Cultural Academy) had to reschedule the season programme because of the damage caused by the torrential rains. It started the concerts much late and is still going on. They wanted to accommodate all the artistes whom they have booked earlier. In that process, duration of the concerts have been pruned. This concert of Gayathri Girish was for just 90 minutes. I was really sceptical when I went. I thought- what is to be sung in a 90 minutes concert. It will be like a radio programme. But I was happily proved wrong. Gayathri Girish proved that with proper planning and execution, even a 90 minutes concert can be made a grand affair.

The concert had a bright start with the Suruti varnam, not very commonly heard in the concerts. Same with the next compostion of GKB in Jaganmohini. Measured kalpana swaras for these two numbers infused a momentum for the concert. Next was a very detailed alapana of Vasantha ragam. Madayai also not frequently heard. The first kala swaras for this song was full of raga bhavam and had some unusual phrases. Meenalochani Amba of HMB is also a very rare song which was very popular in 50s. Madurai Mani Iyer used to sing this. In the next generation of artistes, TNS used to sing this. Now Gayathri Girish, his disciple presented this song very beautifully.

To my greatest surprise, Vachaspathi was next taken up for a very detailed elaboration- for about 10 minutes. It was purest Vachaspathi- no ambiguity with any other cousin. I smelt that RTP is coming. After the violin, Gayathri Girish announced that she will be presenting the RTP in Khanda Triputa. I was in cloud nine – for many reasons. One - I never expected a RTP in a 90 minute concert. Two – I have been longing to hear RTP in Vachaspathi for many years. I never remember hearing RTP in Vachaspathi in any live concert. I have earlier also told in some context, the best RTP Vachaspathis are two- one by Alathur Brothers and another by DKP. This RTP by Gayathri deserves to be in the same orbit. Customary trikalam was done with precision. In the Ragamalika segement, swaras in a multitude of ragams- Nata, Kalyani, Kanada, Hindolam, Reethigowla, Bhairavi, Kambodi and Suruti made it a very colourful RTP. The entire RTP excluding thani took 35 minutes. After a short thani, with the three tail enders, the concert came to a close.

Gayathri Girish needs to be applauded for singing a RTP in a concert of 90 minutes, that too without compromising on any key ingredient- whether expansiveness of alapana, thana, or neraval, or ragamalika swaram. After the concert, there was a satisfaction of hearing one big concert of two and a half hours or three hours. That is the effect of the RTP. In this context, I remember remarks by TNS or Suguna Purushothaman in a lec dem on RTP- A RTP raises the gouravam of a concert significantly. This concert is a testimony to that statement.
Violin by B.Ananthakrishan was very good. His bowing was melodious and raga alapanas, swara returns most appropriate. Shertallai Ananthakrishnan embellished the concert with his deft strokes and anticipation.
Thanks to Gayathri Girish for presenting such a lovely concert.

[rshankar]

CRama, once again, thank you for the detailed review - the only version of the vasantA kRti I've heard previously is the famous one from Smt. MSS. I do not think I've heard mInalocani ambA. What rAgam was it in?

[kvchellappa]

CRama's reviews came to mind when I was reading this in Ramayanam about the narrative:
चिरनिर्वृत्तमप्येतत्प्रत्यक्षमिव दर्शितम् ॥
"What had happened quite a while ago, has been brought to life again!"

[rajeshnat]

Ravi,
minalochani amba by HMB is in todi

[CRama]

Sorry, I forgot to write the name of the raga for Meenalochani. Yes. It is thodi.

When I told our forumite and my friend Sivaramakrishnan that Gayathri Venkatraghavan rendered a pallavi in Dharmavathy, his quick response was Why Dharmavathy, Why nobody is singing pallavi in Vachaspathi or Lathangi. Without knowing this conversation, Gayathri Girish has fulfilled Sivarakrishnan's wish also, although he could not be present in the concert.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

Thanks CRama for the nice review and Gayatri for Vachaspati. Hope a recording will be available.