Accompanists: Sri M.A.Sundaresan(Violin), Sri Neyveli Venkatesh(Mridangam), Sri Gopalakrishnan(?
)(Ghatam)Song list:-
1.intamODi(sAranga varNam)-S at pagadAni
2.kshitijAramaNam(dEvagAndhArI, Adi, Dikshitar)-A
3.tuLasi jagajjananI(sAvEri, rUpakam, Thyagaraja)-N,S at charaNayugambulu narulaku paramavaikuNTamaTa
4.himagirikumArI(raghupriyA i.e ravikriyA(Venakatamakhi scheme of mELAs), Adi, Dikshitar)-A,S at himagirikumArI
5.eTulaina bhakti(sAma, mishra chApu, Thyagaraja)
6.bAlakrishNan pAdamalar(dhanyAsi, rUpakam, Papnasam Sivan)
7.rA rA rAjIvalOchana(mOhanam, Adi, Mysore Vasudevachar)-N,S at nIvE nA vibhuDani niratamu nI pAdamulanu neranammiti
8.mAyE tvam(tarangiNI, Adi, Dikshitar)
9.endendu(suruTTI padam, mishra chApu, Kshetragnya)
10.nagavulu nijamani(yamunAkalyANI, Adi) preceded by shlOka kastUrItilakam...
11.sarvam brahmamayam(madhuvanti, Adi)
12.maraLi maraLi(madhyamAvati, Adi)
Wonderful concert... I'm under the impression that the song lists of concerts at Bharat Kalachar are always exceptional (at least the artists that I've attended in the past and what I gather from forum posts here)... Probably just coincidence... As I sadi earlier, Malladi Brothers always have something refeshingly different to offer at every concert... Hope my "experience-sharing" doesn't read like an encomium but I'm pretty much in awe of the brothers' performances...
The concert began on a sprightly note with the sAranga varNam. On the heels of sAranga came a short yet sweet AlApana of dEvagAndharI. Wonder if the brothers specialise in this rAga... Have had fantastic renditions of nA morAlakimpavEmi and vinarAda nA manavi elsewhere... I've never heard tuLasi jagajjananI in a concert and their chaste rendition of the same left a lingering taste of sAvEri. The neraval was very good particularly because of appropriate pada-chhEda.
The next item in my opinion was the piece de resistance of the concert... raghupriyA in all it's vivAdi splendour(I wonder how many ppl would cringe as they read this
) unfolded in the robust voice of Sri Sriram Prasad... If the choice of the rAga for sub-main was in itelf adventurous, Sri M.A.S's essay was EVEN more so! He made sure it wouldn't become a running-up-and-down-the-scales affair through some innovative phrases although aesthetics were probably compromised in part on account of this. I've heard the brothers sang an RTP in this rAga somewhere. So was curious what it'd be at this juncture. An appreciative glance from Sri M.A.S signified the weight of Dikshitar's composition as they commenced himagirikumArI. Swaras were sung very well(as Mrs.Y.G.P put it later in a poetic flourish, their swara singing "intertwined like creepers")The mystique that pervaded the atmosphere was blown away gently by the zephyr of a sAma kriti... Soft and mellifluous... Next came a powerful bAlakrishNan with near immaculate pronunciation... It was an apt precedent to the mOhanam AlApana. In the spirit of including kritis of various composers, Mysore Vasudevachar's rA rA was sung. The tani invited spirited applause for both artistes. If vigourous head-shaking is an indicator of enjoyment, then certainly Sri Neyveli Venkatesh was having a ball!
The choice of tarangiNI and a vilamba kriti immediately after was a little puzzling. The brothers then mentioned that today was the death anniversary of Sri Voleti Venkateshwarulu. So they sang two kritis tuned by him, one of Annamacharya(10) and Sadasiva Brahmendra(11). The rendering of 10 was particularly emotive. The concert concluded on an auspicious note with maraLi maraLi jayamangaLam.
