Smt. Suguna Varadachari stuns Cleveland audience March 29th

uday_shankar · Post by **uday_shankar** » 31 Mar 2008, 01:47

Smt. Suguna Varadachari - vocal
Smt. Mala Mohan - vocal support
Smt. Ranjani Arun - violin
Shri Mannarkudi Easwaran - Mridangam
Shri Vinod Seetharaman - Mridangam
Shri Karthik Venkataraman - Khanjira

1. Ninne Bhajana - Nattai - Adi - Tyagaraja
2. Samukhana Nilva - Kokilavaraali - Adi - Tyagaraja
3. Paruvam Parkka - Dhanyasi - Rupakam - Anai Ayya Brothers
4. Ennadunee - vachaspati - Adi - Patnam Subramania Iyer
5. Shrivanchanatham - surati- adi - Muthuswamy Dikshitar
6. NeevAdane - sAranga - khanda chapu - Tyagaraja
7. NeepAdamule - Bhairavi - Adi - Patnam Subramania Iyer
8. Ragam Tanam Pallavi - Kamboji - chatushra jhampa talam, mishra nadai, eduppu at 2/14 from samam
"tiruvadi sharanam , o' rangashayee"
ragamalika
saaveri - muruga muruga un tiruvadi sharanam
mohanam - mohanaraama un tiruvadi sharanam
todi - kaarthikeyagangeya un tiruvadi sharanam
madhyamavati - saravanabhava un tiruvadi sharanam

9. Tillana - Adi - Srimushnam Raja Rao

One of the best concerts I've heard in Cleveland. It was a pognant moment at the end of the concert when the maami was given a standing ovation, many members of the audience in tears as the claps took a long time to subside.

Smt. Suguna's voice took a couple of songs to settle down after which it was clear and rich in all sthayis.

Bhairavi was easily the high point of the concert. She developed the raga along well-established classical lines, embellishing it with many creative variations. The neraval was really superb. The slower neravals in the panchama, madhyama and rishaba region of the madhya sthayi fulfilled all my nereval expectations. It was refreshing to see bhairavi (or for that matter any raga) neraval not being shouted out in the taara sthayi. Then there was the mel-kaala nereval, and then the keezh kaala swarams (some very clever landings) and then mel-kaala swarams. Superb.

Then there was Kamboji, again the raaga was developed very nicely in the madhya sthayi, some really beautiful pidis in the lower S R G M region, instead of quickly accelerating to mel Sa and belting out pidi after pidi in the PDSRGMG region. Regarding taanam, the tempo and meter of the taanam is oddly unfulfilling in contemporary Carnatic music - the kaalapramanam seems to be constantly varied giving a very jittery feel to it and then it is interspersed with long alapana-like passages! Not so with this lady. Her taanam evolved in beautiful sarvalaghu candences, reminiscent of MMI and other old stalwarts. Such a taanam has sowkhyam and is the kind which appeals to me. Then followed the pallavi in chaturashra jaathi jhampa talam mishra nadai.- quite complex but flawlessly executed (including in the half and double speed! ) without any loss of sowkhyam or kaalapramanam. Whew!

I also recall the surati raga alapana leaving a strong impression.

Violinist Ranjani Arun was excellent. Her answers in alapanas and swaras were very good but what really impressed me was her mastery over the pallavi. I wonder if the maami shared it with her. Even so, it was very impressive.

Veteran mridangist Mannarkudi Easwaran, with whom I drove to the airport, was a last minute addition to the team and informed me had no clue about what the maami was going to sing. Now you wouldn't have been able to tell that listening to him playing the pallavi ! Certainly one of the sharpest minds in the mridangam world. Vinod Seetharaman is an excellent mridangist and no stranger to Cleveland. What was impressive was his ability to blend his very different school of mridangam playing with shri Easwaran's style. Karthik Venkataraman plays the khanjira with great sowkhyam and gets better every time I listen to him. For some reason, I am blacking out on the tani, perhaps because of the bhairavi that preceded it !

Vocalist Mala Mohan lent good vocal support bolstering the maami with kaarvais at key places, especially in the upper octave.

What I don't mention is the emotive intensity , aka bhava, that puctuated the entire concert that left many in tears.

yours_truly · Post by **yours_truly** » 31 Mar 2008, 10:20

Just to complete the Pallavi line, it was "Thiruvadi Sharanam Endru Naan Nambi Vandhen, O' Rangasayee Un (Thiruvadi Sharanam)".

Thanks for a comprehensive review

cienu · Post by **cienu** » 31 Mar 2008, 11:36

Great Review Uday,

I almost felt I was part of the concert audience. Must have been a treat to hear the RTP in a wonderful Ragamalika with the lyrics being so thoughfully chosen

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 31 Mar 2008, 14:15

Thanks Uday...can't believe I've been in Chennai all these years and never heard her...but I did hear her son (BHarath?) once....coming from such an discerning (and difficult to please!) connoiseur, this is the next to-do on my musical journey!

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 31 Mar 2008, 15:06

Wonderful review Uday - Suguna Mami's music is pristine and beautiful and I am sure this must have been a great experience. I heard her music the first time at Shanmukhananda last year and was simply blown away by the depth and richness in her music. A fantastic rAmapriyA she sang during last years' season at MFAC is fresh in my memory even today.

vidya · Post by **vidya** » 31 Mar 2008, 17:38

http://www.thehindu.com/fr/2007/05/18/s ... 880400.htm

(This link would help folks with perspective on her music and her vidwat)

I have heard some excellent swara passages when she sang along with Smt.Mani krishnaswami and Suguna Purushottaman, in the Academy morning concerts. It's nice to see both Sugunas establishing their individuality in concert performance today! And I am glad to see Mannargudi Easwaran's addition here - because it has always bothered me (atleast in the Chennai Concert scene in the late 90's) that these vidushis given their strength in layam and vidwat always get a raw deal with repect to good/senior accompanists. More so when musicians half their age and a fraction of their vidwat gets to sing with senior accompanists!!

Vocalist · Post by **Vocalist** » 31 Mar 2008, 17:44

Very nice indeed. RTP based on compositions of Gopalakrishna Bharathi, Thyagaraja, Periyaswami Thooran and Papanasam Sivan.

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 31 Mar 2008, 17:51

I had no idea that Srimushnam Raja Rao has composed thillanas! What ragam was it in?

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 31 Mar 2008, 19:47

Srimushnam Raja Rao has composed a large number of songs but he is reluctant to part with any information about them. He is also a pretty good singer.

ajit · Post by **ajit** » 31 Mar 2008, 20:54

The one mami sang was in Hamsanandhi.

ajit.

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 31 Mar 2008, 21:03

thanks, Ajit.

L-ji, I knew Sri Raja Rao could sing well, but I had no idea that he is a composer. Well, you learn new things everyday....

shadjam · Post by **shadjam** » 31 Mar 2008, 21:36

Lji,

In his interview to The Hindu (this interview was reproduced in their book "The Hindu Speaks on Music"), Sri Raja Rao has mentioned that he once showed his compositions to Kanchi Maha periyavaa who in turn advised him not to compose any krithis but only thillanas. This could very well be the reason for him not sharing his compositions with others. I will try to scan the interview and post it here.

mri_fan · Post by **mri_fan** » 31 Mar 2008, 21:39

Sikkil Gurucharan sang a thillana of Raja Rao's (when he was playing) at Cleveland 2005

uday_shankar · Post by **uday_shankar** » 31 Mar 2008, 21:46

vidya
thanks for the link.

After the concert I overheard Shri RK Srinkantan tell maami :"romba romba osatheeyaana sangeetham" (very very superior music). The next day I saw a re-enactment of the scene at the Comfort Inn where all the musicians stay. Suguna maami was in the lobby and RKS walked out of the elevator, saw her and the first thing he said was "romba romba osateeyaana sangeetham".. Deja vu and very gratifying !

shadjam,
why don't you start a separate thread on Shri Raja Rao's compositions including the interview ?

arunk · Post by **arunk** » 01 Apr 2008, 04:19

This was easily the best concert among the ones I attended. The surutti alapana was superb. Of course the bhairavi and the pallavi were also phenomenal.

Arun

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 01 Apr 2008, 10:46

awesome list. no doubt suguna mami must have been amazing.. [:)]

i m all the more excited about her next week's iit concert now.. [:)]

naadam · Post by **naadam** » 02 Apr 2008, 08:38

Looking forward to the IIT concert

s_hari · Post by **s_hari** » 04 Apr 2008, 21:33

What an RTP!! Was their any tishram, anulomam etc? And to top it, double mridangam...

-hari

uday_shankar · Post by **uday_shankar** » 04 Apr 2008, 22:30

s_hari, the terms anuloma, pratiloma, viloma, trikaalam, etc.. seem to mean different things to different people, so so I'll stick to descriptions of what I heard (and was able to comprehend

)....

As far as I can recall, the maami did the following:
a) keeping the taala constant, sang the pallavi in half the speed
b) keeping the taala constant, sang the pallavi in double the speed
c) keeping the taala constant, did other interesting manipulations including thrishram if I recall correctly
d) keeping the taala constant, nereval in 2 speeds
e) keeping the taala constant, mel-kaala swarams in all ragas

Hope that helps. Others with a better understanding may pitch in.

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 05 Apr 2008, 10:48

Uday_Shankar wrote:s_hari, the terms anuloma, pratiloma, viloma, trikaalam, etc.. seem to mean different things to different people, so so I'll stick to descriptions of what I heard (and was able to comprehend )....

As far as I can recall, the maami did the following:
a) keeping the taala constant, sang the pallavi in half the speed
b) keeping the taala constant, sang the pallavi in double the speed
c) keeping the taala constant, did other interesting manipulations including thrishram if I recall correctly
d) keeping the taala constant, nereval in 2 speeds
e) keeping the taala constant, mel-kaala swarams in all ragas

Hope that helps. Others with a better understanding may pitch in.

i think all this is anulOmam.

pratilOmam is changing the speed of the tALam, keeping the speed of pallavi constant...

or so i think.