@ Arkay Convention Centre
Mahaganapathe - Natanarayani - Adi - MD
Manasa Yetulo - Malayamarutham - Rupakam - T (N, S)
Kathaya Kathaya - Kalyani - Misrachapu - NT (R,S)
Thyagaraja Yoga - Anandabhairavi - Rupakam - MD (o)
Nenarunchinanu - Malavi - Adi - T
Karunanidhi Ilalo - Thodi - Adi 2 kalai - SS (R, N, S, T)
Narimani - Khamas - Adi - D. Subbaraya Iyer
Pachai Maa Malai (Viruttham) - Yamunakalyani - Thondaradipodi Azhwar
Kongalarndha - Ragamalika - Misrachapu - Thirumangai Azhwar
The artists wished for the stage lighting to be at a low level, which was more pleasant at the venue I understand. My tired eyes today seemed to be happy with that decision today, though I think if I viewed the video again in future (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH5IlnFCQkk), I'd probably wish the lighting was at the usual level for at least a couple of minutes to start.
The invocatory item in Natanarayani, which I have listened to DKJ sir sing several times, was rendered so soothingly and set the mood for the rest of the concert. Her rendition of the Malayamarutham composition which followed was similarly pleasant for the ear as it lacked unnecessary harshness which is sometimes present in others renditions of the krithi. She returned to the anupallavi line "Dhinakara Bhushanuni" for manodharma but this whole segment was possibly a little bit too plain for my liking as I found myself distracted with just about anything else.
The sub-main Kalyani alapana was certainly good; no unnecessary frills, no excessive akara sangathis, well proportioned, and generally very pleasant. Perhaps I am nitpicking when I say that I felt the first few minutes would have been better than good (great even) if it was more "open-throated", and that I only liked the last 30 seconds of the violinist's solo response. Narayana Theerthar's "Kathaya Kathaya Madhavam", a staple of the DKP/DKJ school, was a refreshing choice instead of the Trinity's oft-repeated compositions. This time during the swarakalpana, the team on stage seemed to grab the my full attention too, with several sets of neat and attractive kalpana swaras at the pallavi line supported well by the percussionists.
A brief outline of Anandabhairavi led to a rendition of Dikshitar's "Thyagaraja Yoga Vaibhavam", another staple of the DKP school. The pallavi line during the first minute or two was rendered with clear diction adhering to the DKP/DKJ bani; and while the composition was rendered well on the whole, I don't think she held the same grip on the composition for the remainder of the rendition. The fast-tempo chosen for the filler which followed in Malavi was engaging to listen to; it was perfect for her voice and while it was fast, the speed was not excessive. Her rendition strongly reminded me of a younger-than-now S. Sowmya singing the same composition during a Music Academy concert in 1999!
The main raga chosen for this concert was Thodi. Her alapana in that raga - wow, how beautiful it was and what class with which it was delivered! I intend on listening to it again. In the first five minutes, I was swept away in memories - with Sowmya's rendition of the raga for the first couple of minutes, followed by a younger D. K. Pattammal for the next few minutes. The consistent excellence in that alapana was the highlight of the concert for me, and I am sure her guru T. Rukmini would have been very proud of this well-planned and executed performance. The alapana was followed by a chaste rendition of Syama Sastri's "Karunanidhi". Nereval and swaras were rendered in two speeds at the line "Komala Mrudhu Bhashini" before the thani avarthanam and the remainder of the composition was rounded off. Of the speech which followed, I strongly agreed that there was no wastage during the Thodi, and that the concert was fantastic. Seemingly taking a cue from the speech-giver who made hinted at a "Padham" when he was talking about the sub-main raga of the concert, she took up a Javali at a nice pace immediately after the speech.
Just as my heart was getting ready to sob that there was no Tamil-language composition taken for this very memorable concert, Amrita Murali did not leave me disappointed. She sang a Pasuram as a viruttham and followed it up with a Ragamalika composition (Yamunakalyani, Nadanamakriya, Peelu, Sindhubhairavi) consisting of verses of the Divya Prabhandam to conclude the concert. The composition was new to me and I enjoyed it very much; in fact, I asked myself "what more do I want? A mangalam now might well be a wastage which will detract from the greatness I have heard today." Well, I must have been on the same wavelength as the artist, as she turned off the electronic tanpura to signal the concert has concluded, and left her Thodi and Ragamalika ringing in my ears exactly as I wished.
- same principle - samvAditva of phrases ( G3-M -> D2-S, N2 D -> M-R2), - now working around lack of samvAdi between G3 and N2!