Parrasala Ponnammal for Carnatica's Samarpanam

harimau · Post by **harimau** » 21 Dec 2007, 22:22

"Full many a gem of purest ray serene
The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air."

That about sums up Parrasala Ponnammal who is unknown in Chennai which prides itself on being the Carnatic music capital.

The 100 or so persons who were at Swamy's Hall were treated to two hours of sublime music. The hall still had plenty of open seats while tickets couldn't be had for love or money for dueling abhangists, shrieking females and assorted superstars of Carnatic music who cannot hold a candle to Smt. Ponnammal.

I am sure someone will post a detailed song list and review but that would not do justice to the music I heard.

Let us see how many of the self-professed aficionados of Carnatic music turn up for her concert at Raga Sudha Hall in a couple of days.

PS. Smt. Ponnammal was the first woman to sing at the Navarathri Mantapam in Trivandrum, breaking a 300-year old tradition of only male singers being allowed to sing there.

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 21 Dec 2007, 23:17

amazing concert!

Parassala Ponnammal - Vocal
Trivandrum G Seethalakshmi & Bama Kannan - Vocal Support
Avaneeswaram Vinu - Fiddle
Trivandrum Vaidhyanathan - Mrudangam

Carnatica's Samarpanam. Swamy's Hall.
21st December 2007. 7 pm

amba gauri giri kanyE - Arabhi - tisra tripuTa - Iramiyan Tampi (pada varNam) (short sketch)
bhajAmahE srI vinAyakam - hamsadvani - Adi - Tulasi Vanam (short sketch, S)
pAhi nikhila janani - nATTai - Adi - Iramiyan Tampi (short sketch, S)
srI bAlakrushNam pAhimAm - pUrvikalyANi - rUpakam - KC Kesava Pillai (RNS)
srI patE srI nArAyaNa - mukhAri - misra cApu - KN Gopala Pillai (RS)
varadE sashidaracEtOhAriNi - tODi - rUpakam - Iramiyan Tampi (RNS)
tani Avarttanam
taruNi nyAn - dvijAvanti - misra cApu - ST
kAntanODu - nIlAmbari - rUpakam - ST (R)
kanaka maya - husEni - rUpakam - ST
iLa taLir sayanE - punnAgavarALi - misra cApu - ST
jalajabanduvumiha - suruTTi - misra cApu - ST
tillAnA - danA srI - Adi - ST
bhujaga sAyinO - yadukula kAmbhOji - rUpakam - ST (mangaLam)

The concert was just too good to express. almost everybody was speechless. Each alapanai was so refreshingly off beat and made everybody sit up. The neraval and svarams were so good. The kritis were all rendered beautifully.

I am totally speechless and wordless to write anything about this concert.

As somebody was remarking, "it needs an 85 year old lady, to make you sit and listen to a concert full of un-heard-off kritis and not loose interest." (my apologies to quote him, without taking his permisson)

each phrase in the alapanais was so moving. At this age, the azhuttham in her music is just mind blowing...

i cant write more.. i dont know what to write.

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 21 Dec 2007, 23:20

This concert was themed "Travancore as a seat of music"

for those who missed this concert, Smt Ponnammal is performing on 23rd December 2007 morning 10 am at Raga Sudha Hall. Sri R K Shriram Kumar and Sri Manoj Siva are going to be the accompanists.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 21 Dec 2007, 23:30

I was there for the Arabhi, hamsadvani and nATai and was very reluctant to leave the hall. Her voice just glides through the svarAs (all those years of breathing music). I stayed for the whole of Sankara Iyer's concert before that. It was like sitting under a banyan tree and ruminating. Hurray to the two ripe in age and vidvat vocalists. Their gift to us simply stuns us.
And thanks to Carnatica for offering us such rare treats...

cienu · Post by **cienu** » 21 Dec 2007, 23:31

Truly a great lady. I was amazed to hear her Saveri Krithi at Navarathri Mandapam on Youtube. Fantastic.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 21 Dec 2007, 23:35

WOW! Bharath - amazing!!

Smt. Ponnammal's song selection also seems very wise - showcasing the fact that ST was not the only composer of merit from Travancore/tiruvanantapuram, with the lesser known composers first and ST compositions after the main! And even the ST comps seems like a combo of known and rare/unheard ones. I have not heard 'iLa taLir SayanE' (just three words that evoke mental images of a vast ocean, a small tender leaf floating on this, bearing a charming little one reclining with his foot in his mouth!) and 'kanakamaya'.

I hope this concert was recorded - if for nothing else, to establish that these lovely, and rare compostions were actually performed.

uday_shankar · Post by **uday_shankar** » 22 Dec 2007, 00:10

Should thank Kiranavali for talking me into staying for it...best musical decision I made.

As Harimau aptly put, this isn't about song lists and reviews. The music was simply superior.

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 22 Dec 2007, 00:16

some pics from the concert.

acknowledgements to a grand nephew of Smt Ponnammal, who was with me at the concert.

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 22 Dec 2007, 00:18

I was also convinced to stay back and thoroughly enjoyed the pieces I heard. The voice is indeed a thing of beauty. However I had not had lunch and my stomach eventually won ovevr my ears.

Glad to have met Jayaram as also several members of the forum. Interesting to know that the mysterious Harimau was among us!

ramakriya · Post by **ramakriya** » 22 Dec 2007, 00:46

harimau wrote:PS. Smt. Ponnammal was the first woman to sing at the Navarathri Mantapam in Trivandrum, breaking a 300-year old tradition of only male singers being allowed to sing there.

youtube has some recordings of that performance at Navaratri Mandapam. Simply a treat to your eyes and ears! Check it out if you have not seen.

-Ramakriya

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 22 Dec 2007, 02:43

Here are those youtube links.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns2sZiHAhlg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxuDdlXZcY8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of52RllSWUM

Simply wonderful.

Has she performed at Chennai before? Is she well known among the sabha and rasika circles? ( if not, what were they waiting for? )

My first introduction to this great lady was from the above youtube links that Meena posted a while back.

ramanathan · Post by **ramanathan** » 22 Dec 2007, 08:42

It was our privilege and great honour to host this concert and this great artiste. I'm as speechless as Bharath after hearing Ponnamal mami last night. Adding to my pleasure is the fact that she honoured two of my requests: the Huseni utsavaprabandham and the Surutti padam! Also honoured that I got a chance to drive her home after the concert!!

BTW, Bharath a minor correction... the composer of three of the pieces is IRAYIMMAN TAMPI.

Ramanathan

venkatpv · Post by **venkatpv** » 22 Dec 2007, 09:12

an eye-opener! what serenity! amazing indeed.

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 22 Dec 2007, 14:52

ramanathan wrote:BTW, Bharath a minor correction... the composer of three of the pieces is IRAYIMMAN TAMPI.

thanks for correcting

ramanathan · Post by **ramanathan** » 07 Mar 2008, 20:16

My pleasure and privilege to tell rasikas that this concert will shortly be published as a two-cd album by Carnatica.

arvindt · Post by **arvindt** » 08 Mar 2008, 20:32

My pleasure and privilege to tell rasikas that this concert will shortly be published as a two-cd album by Carnatica.

That's great news ramanathan sir... I missed this concert but went to Ponnamal Mami's second concert at Raga Sudha and it
was an incredible concert, with all the SSI favourites sung beautifully. I am dying to hear the Carnatica concert, and a two-cd
album sounds great. Hope it will be available through the Carnatica online store?

Sathej · Post by **Sathej** » 09 Mar 2008, 09:40

That's really good especially for people like me who missed the concert. Really a tempting list....
Sathej

vanamali · Post by **vanamali** » 10 Mar 2008, 13:16

arvindt wrote:
My pleasure and privilege to tell rasikas that this concert will shortly be published as a two-cd album by Carnatica.
That's great news ramanathan sir... I missed this concert but went to Ponnamal Mami's second concert at Raga Sudha and it
was an incredible concert, with all the SSI favourites sung beautifully. I am dying to hear the Carnatica concert, and a two-cd
album sounds great. Hope it will be available through the Carnatica online store?

Just checked carnatica.com's website. The concerts of RK Srikantan and Palasara Ponnammal that were held by Carnatica in December are now available on their website.

Take a look at the links:
http://www.carnatica.net/shopping/produ ... ucts_id=64
http://www.carnatica.net/shopping/produ ... ucts_id=67

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 12 Mar 2008, 12:00

Wow, I just heard Narasimha Mamava by her on youtube (navarathri mandapam rendition) and it was soulful and spontaneous. The experience & maturity shows right through.