Smt Charumathi Raghuram - Violin
Shri B Sivaraman - Mridangam
Shri N Gururprasad - Ghatam
Innam En Manam - Charukesi - Adi - Lalgudi Jayaraman
Margazhi Thingal - Nattai - Adi - Aandal Paasuram
Paramapurusham - Lalitha Panchamam - Kanta Chapu - Swathi Thirunal (Swaram)
Kolam Kana Vareer - Nattaikurunji - Adi - Ambujam Krishna (RNS)
Avan Seyal Anri - Hameer Kalyani - Adi - Muttiah Bhagavathar
Emani Pogadudura - Veera Vasantha - Adi - Thyagaraja
Muruga karthikeya gowri thanaya kaliyuga varatha saravanabhava - Four Raga RTP in Saveri, Thodi, Brindavani, Shanmukhapriya - Misra Jathi Triputa
Sonathai Seithida Sahasama - Ragamalika - Adi
Thillana - Revathi - Misra Chapu - Lalgudi Jayaraman
Bhagayada Lakshmi - Adi - Purandara Dasa
Day one of Margazhi and back to rasikas after a year. Though I said I would be regular here with my reviews but personal commitments kept and travel kept my busy. So officially Day 1 of margazhi was a good start for me personally.
Of course attended couple of MMU concerts and also few young brigade around Mylapore, I saw most of them have been either reviewed or are available online for rasikas to listen. Also, since I usually attended weekend concerts before I officially take off from work, I don't find time to log in. But no excuses for the next fifteen days. Will try and write as much as possible.
When I entered the hall, Smt Sudha was already humming charukesi, so guessing this varnam before the start of the concert was a no brainer. I thought that was a fine start. Now being the first day of margazhi, I am sure most of the performing musicians would have included the first thiruppavai in their list too and so did Sudha.
Lalitha Panchamam is a not so often heard ragam and she sang couple of round of swaras. Swarams has always been the forte of GNB - MLV school and obviously artist for the day follows her guru in this. However, she was yet to give her best and I believe she was still warming up.
Ragam exploration was neat and grammatically perfect. She beautifully did Sruti Bedham and transposed into Neelambari and returning back to Nattaikurunji. Their school performers have been a master of this and Sudha did a superb job. However I was still left wanting more of nattakurunji. Ragam delineation was good but I felt there was something missing that could have held us. Concert at this stage was progressing in a sedate manner and I was expecting more from the vidushi. When she sang the Ambujam Krishna composition, she caught me by surprise. Charumathi was as usual very good in her response. She is one of my favorite violinists among the lot.
I must mention that the krithi was rendered beautifully and the bhavam she evoked while rendering the anupallavi had to be experienced. There was still enough time and not taking a chowka kala krithi for elaboration meant she had an elaborate RTP in mind.
She did only couple of rounds of neraval in the pallavi line. Her Keezh kalam swarams brought our the beauty of the ragam. Overall the kalpana swarams were structured well and very creative. The theermanams was planned well and charumathi was very perfect in filling the gaps.
The hameer kalyani song was rendered beautifully. I must say she brought out emotive element in the song very well. After couple of fillers, the piece de resistance if you may call was the RTP.
The surprise element was Saveri followed by Thodi and then brindavani followed by shanmukhapriya. When she sang thodi immediately after starting off saveri, I was at the edge of my seat because I was wondering whether I did an error in recognizing the raga or was it just a slip from the artist. But she traversed so well, I was in awe for a second and so were many in the auditorium. Within the first one minute she jumped from one ragam to another, laying the foundation and increasing the expectation. Each ragam was handled in detail and she sang for nearly 25 mins before giving violin a chance, who of course got a bale from the audience too.
Lets not forget, rendering thodi after saveri is like walking on a tight rope and she showcased her vidwat and experience. My only complaint if you may say is not much importance given to tanam by many artists these days. Smt Sudha due to paucity of time wound it up fast, though what she sung was good. Just when I thought she was progressing well, she finished it. Slight disappointment but nevertheless i was more eager on how she had structured the pallavi.
She took the popular route of taking the pallavi lines of popular krithis set in these ragas and set in misra jathi triputa thalam.Neraval, Keezh kalam and the trikalam was done with so much ease and vidwat that one could just applaud the efforts instantaneously. Even though the pallavi was complicated she ensured the raga bhavam wasn't lost in the mathematical exercise. Similarly while finishing the pallavi she sang the raga in reverse and that was done well.
Charumathi on the violin also stood up to the occasion. Sivaraman is a fine accompanists from TK Murthy school and embellished the concert well. Guruprasad also ably supported like a shadow. Overall my margazhi started ona good note.
After this proceeded to the academy where AS Murali again sang a wonderful thodi followed by Gajavadana. Don't want to club that with this
. But two thodis on a single day, I am not complaining 
Wish everyone a happy margazhi.