MALLADI BROTHERS IN MUSIC ACADEMY- 21/9/19

[CRama]

Every year Arun Excello Group is conducting a Navarathri Vaibhavam Festival as a curtain raiser to the Navarathri. Very thoughtfully, they are doing it a week before Navarathri as footfalls will be affected during Navarathri. This is a very big marketing event for their projects. In the present concert, Malladi Brothers were accompanied by V. Sanjeev on the Violin, Tumkur Ravishankar on the Mridangam and Alathur Rajaganesh on the Ganjira. The concert started at 6.45 after introduction, honouring the artistes, etc.

List of songs.
• Rama ninnu nammina- Mohanam –T (S)
• Tulasi Namaskara Slokam- Yanmoole sarva teerthaani yanmadhye sarva Devataa
Yadagre sarva vedaascha Tulasee tvaam namaamyaham - Saveri
• Tulasi jagajanani- Saveri – T (S)
• O Jagadamba- Anandabhairavi- SS (R,N,S)
• Sivakameswarim- Kalyani- MD
• Slokam- Sree Vidyaam Siva Vaama bhaaga nilayaam-
Meenakshi Pancharatnam- Keeravani
• Devi Neeye tunai- Keeravani- PS
• Enduku dayaraadura- Thodi- T (R,N,S)
• Tani avartanam

There is a famous concert of MLV (IIRC Singapore concert) in which after the mind boggling Thodi of MLV for the RTP, the speaker (Do not know his name) says “ Kodi koduthalum thodi ketkanum. Anaal naam eduvum kodukkamalae ippadi oru thodiyai kettuvittom” That is most fitting for the Thodi that the brothers sang yesterday. The raga was started by Sreeramprasad who, with his sonorous voice, abundant imagination, aesthetic approach, developed the ragam systematically and midway Ravikumar joined and afterwards it was sheer ecstasy all the way. The imagination of the brothers were so rich that they decked the ragam with the choicest jewels (phrases). In many places, it was Ravikumar who developed a phrase put forth by Sreeramprasad. They had good coordination and together made it a memorable Thodi.

The concert maintained its excellence throughout. Rama Ninnu nammina and Bhavanutha are special for their school and Nedunurigaru has impressed generations of rasikas with these two kritis and abundant swara prastarams. They treaded the same path. The slokam in Saveri sung by Sreeramprasad was appropriate for the Kriti and was embellished with imaginative swara prastarams. Ravikumar’s delineation of Anandabhairavi was notable for his unhurried approach and packing with time tested sangatis. The kriti was rendered well. I have never heard neraval for this kriti. The brothers enriched the kriti with the imaginative neraval on the lines Kanna talli naadu chentaninta kannada salupaga tagunaa. Elaborate swara prastarams in two kalams were icing on the cake.

Sivakameswarim was just a filler, but given full justice to the sahithya and Sangeetha bhavam. I want to hear this song as a main some day with neraval and swarams. Nobody chooses this song.

Devi Neeye Tunai was another jewel of a song that the brothers presented today. Though they are not known to sing many Tamil songs, they sang the song with full bhavam and never missing any word. Many native singers also do make mistakes in the sahithyam. They were very careful in that. Kudos to them.

Enduku dayaradura- They could have chosen any other song on Devi for Navarathri Vaibhavam. Further, the same song was sung by V.V.Prasanna in the earlier slot. The brothers did elaborate neraval on the lines Tyagaraja Vinuta and customary swarams in two kalams followed.

I had to go after the tani. Someone else who attended the concert may kindly fill up the remaining songs.

Sanjeev on the Violin provided very good support. His raga alapanas and swara returns were succinct. Tumkur Ravishanker on the Mridangam embellished the concert with his energy, dexterity and choicest strokes. Alathur Rajaganesh on the Ganjira jelled well with Ravishanker and made the tani enjoyable.

An excellent concert to linger in the mind for a long time.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

Yes, the Todi alapana was outstanding, especially in the upper octaves without any overtures. It was evident the brothers are doing a good, creative homework.

Devi neeye thunai in Keervani- as CRama has observed-was finely rendered. May be for vocalists, the 'music tongue' and mother tongue are equally important!

However, the tendency to overdo swaraprastaras in the very opening kriti needs to be curtailed. In this concert, The sahitya soukhyam of Rama ninnu nammina which they brought out, was drowned in the kalpanaswaras that followed.

Overall a satisfying concert.

[dhanurasi]

A 'madi' concert. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[CRama]

However, the tendency to overdo swaraprastaras in the very opening kriti needs to be curtailed. In this concert, The sahitya soukhyam of Rama ninnu nammina which they brought out, was drowned in the kalpanaswaras that followed.

Overall a satisfying concert.

There is nothing wrong if the opening song is decorated with a few rounds of swarams. Many examples can be drawn from the past where swaras have been sung for the opening song. Deva deva kalayami te and Merusamana by Semmangudi, Brochevarevare by Semmangudi and many others, Rama nannu brovara by Semmangudi, M.S.Subbalakshmi, Telisirama by G.N.B, Madurai Mani etc and the instances are many. To catch the attention of the rasikas in the beginning of the concert, musicians add swaras to the first song, even varnams. Nothing wrong in that. Many times neravals were also done by yester year musicians. Umpteen instances. As I mentioned in my OP, Rama ninnu nammina and Bhavanutha- Nedunuri and his disciples used to take it as the opening song and if they append a few bouts of swaram, it is enjoyable only.

But the instance of Yesudas singing 20 minutes swarams for Vathapi as the first song is not aesthetically appealing. Many times he does neraval too.

[parivadini]

Apparenmtly there was a concert of Shri. Mudikondan where he started with the varnam and when he reached the charanam: nilupa rAni mOhamAye, he was totally drawn by the beauty of kalyani that he went on do nereval in those lines elaborately. There are people who have heard it who say that the first piece itself went on for over an hour!

Just saying!

[rajeshnat]

Apparenmtly there was a concert of Shri. Mudikondan where he started with the varnam and when he reached the charanam: nilupa rAni mOhamAye, he was totally drawn by the beauty of kalyani that he went on do nereval in those lines elaborately. There are people who have heard it who say that the first piece itself went on for over an hour!

Just saying!

May be Mudikondan momentarily realized that he has forgotten the lyrics of next few songs hence he went on to a neraval in the varnam so that he did not expose that he forgot the subsequent krithis. I am just wondering if mudikondan had followed an ariyakudi approach he may have had a kalyani varnam and then a kalyani main. I guess that day was Melakartha 65 day .

[sureshvv]

Sikkil Gurucharan likes to sing neraval for opening varnams, and does it quite effectively - upping the energy level without over extending it.

[shankarank]

Who says we should do only svarams to sAhityam? We can "lyriccufy" all the ciTTa svaram passages where they don't exist in the original like the pada vaRNam, according to our wish ( 10 year challenge to Carnatic musicians - come up with different ones each time they render it), in different languages ( language issue solved). The composer did not make any of it , so the musicians have full freedom!

NGO(s) and activists [:cough;] can come up with their own!

And neraval can be done for each seperately and in alternate rAgAs where the svara solfas should be applicable to that rAgA. At least the composed svaras exist in letter form if not in pitch form . Composer's intent preserved!!

Whole concert will get finished with a vaRNam.

vaRNAkkkaccEri , adu oru vaNNamAna kaccEri