Date: Sunday, 9 April 2017
Venue: Bhavan Centre, London, UK
Sponsored by: Rasikalaya London
(Finale concert in the 3-concert series dedicated to the memory of Mandolin Srinivas. On Friday was a violin solo by Nagai Sriram, on Saturday a superb concert by Malladi brothers.)
Ramakrishnan Murthy (vocal)
Nagai Sriram (violin)
Guruvayur Dorai (mridangam)
Uzhavoor Babu (mridangam support)
(2 hours 50 mins)
1. amba kAmAkshi - Yadukula kambhoji - Misra chapu - Shyama Sastry
2. tyAgarAja pAlayasu mAm - Gowla - Adi - Muttuswami Dikshitar (S @ tyAgaraja)
3. sabhApatikku vERu deivam - Abhogi - Rupakam - Gopalakrishna Bharati (R)
4. brOvabhAramA - Bahudari - Adi - Thyagaraja
5. EtAvunarA - Kalyani - Adi (2 kalai) - Thyagaraja (R, N @ Sri karuDagu tyAgarAja, S)
6. Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi - Khamas - Khanda triputa (2 kalai)
Pallavi composed by mridangam vidwan Arun Prakash
"pradAnamAnadu manidanEyam / vAzhvinil aNaivarukkum"
Ragamalika swaras: Hindolam, Anandabhairavi, Charukesi, Brindavana saranga
-followed by kutti thani
7. varugalAmO ayyA - Manji - Misra chapu - Gopalakrishna Bharati
8. Mangalam - Sowrashtram
Ram had arrived straight from Singapore just a few hours ahead of the concert, but his voice didn't show any strain. Full credit to him.
Highlights:
- Swarajati was a beautiful start to the concert. The grand composition of Sastrigal in misrachapu has a majestic gait and repose to it that it brought a palpable calmness in the hall within minutes.
- Kalpana swaras for the Gowla kriti of MD were sung so beautifully, especially when he touched the rishabham in that peculiar Gowla way. Aha! (I read Mohan's comments in the Singapore RKM concert thread, as to whether Ram would sing the Gowla pancharatnam here in London!
)- Abhogi raga alapanai was delectable. I was hoping for kalpanaswaras, but it wasn't to be. Right from the very first 'sabhapatikku' his singing evoked memories of the great KVN. I find Ram to be a lovely combination of KVN's soothing style and Ramnad Krishnan's 'ravai' style of singing.
- The neraval and swaras in Kalyani were a delight to listen to. And Sriram enhanced the beauty with his own flourishes. Etavunara is an eternal masterpiece by the saint that one can never get tired of!
- What a Khamas! It was very stylish and soulful. Sriram again played beautifully with his responses (violin was 'konjing' in many places!). Interestingly, Ram switched from 2-kalai to 1-kalai and back during the pallavi swaras. Dorai sir did something similar during his 'kutti thani'.
- And what can one say about the Manji! It was KVN all the way... still remember the master's (possibly) last concert when he sang this kriti and took us all to the other side, near the Almighty...
- The legend Dorai sir was in his elements, with amazing touches throughout the concert, and esp in the main thani and the kutti thani for the RTP. He was ably supported by his student Sri Babu.
Overall, London rasikas were treated to a top class concert by this brilliant young vidwan. May he rise to greater heights in the coming years.