Parassala Ponnammal, Sri Krishna Gana Sabha

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 25 May 2008, 00:16

Parassala B Ponnammal - Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi - Trivandrum Vaidhyanathan - Pudukkottai Ramachandran

Sri Krishna Gana Sabha.
Veteran's Day. Concert with emphasis on Swathi Tirunal Kritis
24th May 2008. 6:30 pm

sarasija nAbhA - nATTai - Adi - PB (S)
srI maha gaNapati - gauLa - misra cApu - MD (short sketch, S)
narasimha mAmava - Arabhi - kaNDa cApu - ST (RS)
rAvE himagiri kumAri - tODi - Adi - SS (R)
jnAna mosagarAdA - pUrvikalyANi - rUpakam - T (RNS, neraval at "paramAtmuDu...")
AnjanEyA raghurAma dUtA - sAvEri - Adi - ST (RNST, neraval at "janakasutAti vimOcana lOla jambU mAlidara nicicara jAla")
kaLakaNTi kAdam - nIlAmabari - misra cApu - ST
bhAvayAmi raghurAmam - rAgamAlikA - rUpakam - ST
enna solli azhaittAl - kAnaDA - Adi - Ambujam Krishna
iLa taLir sayanE - punnAgavarALi - misra cApu - ST
tillAnA - danAsrI - Adi - ST
adata dhAnIm vismitOyam - sindhubhairavi - rUpakam - ST (short sketch)
bhujaga sAyinO - yadukula kAmbhOji - rUpakam - ST

What a concert that was!
I am short of words to describe each piece. Each piece was better than the other. The AlApanais were all awesome. The svarams were just too much to take. The clever neraval for the main, for a rather wordy line was incredible.

The pick of the evening was the svarajati.

i m short of words...

I need more time to get back to ground state to able to write anything more. others who attended are requested to write elaborate stuff.

s_hari · Post by **s_hari** » 25 May 2008, 05:23

Here is my version.. I typed my report, and when i logged in, saw bharat's review.... So, enjoy double treat...

Smt Parassala B Ponnamaal - Vocal
Smt Bhama Krishnan - vocal support
Smt Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi - violin
Sri Trivandrum Vaidhyanathan - Mridangam
Sri Pudukkottai Ramachandran - Ghatam
Venue - Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, 24th May 2008

1. Sarasijanabha - naatai varnam - ST - Aadi
Swara @
2. Sri maha ganapathi - gowlai - MD - Misra chapu
Raga outline and swaras @ sri mahaganapathi
3. Narasimha Mamava - Arabhi - ST - Kanda chapu
Raga, Swara @ Narasimha mamava
4. Rave himagirikumari - Todi - SS - Aadi 2 kalai
Raga alapana
5. Gyanam Osagarada - Poorvi kalyani - Thyagaraja - Aadi 2 kalai
Raga alapana, Neraval & Swaram at paramathmudu jeevathmudu
6. Anjaneya Raghurama - Saveri - ST - Aadi 2 kalai
Raga alapana, Neraval & Swarama at Janakasudhadi vimochana lola & Thani
7. - Neelambari - ?
8. Bhavayami Raghuramam - Ragamalika - ST - Rupaka
9. - Punnagavarali -
10. Enna solli azhitaal - Kanada - Ambujam krishna
11. Bujaga sayino - Yadukula kambhoji - ST Mangalam

Note: There are one or two more pieces, and I donâ€™t remember correct songs, and also percussion artist names. I am typing this report from train, and will come and update this later in the day

What a great concert.. This is the second time i heard her singing live and i was thoroughly impressed again. The trip from Bangalore to chennai is all worth every paise.
All raga alapana were is right proportion, never the concert sagged. After naatai and when gowlai started, i felt Smt Ponnamaal is going to sing ghana panchaka raagas in first 5 keerthanas, and arabhi raagam also confirmed this. But, after that she started todi, dashing my hopes for another dream concert - like what SSI did in Music Academy in 1964.

All songs are my favorite ones..Amma does listen to her rasikas and include their
requests in her concert planning. I had called her last week and spoke to her personally after divine experience i had on May 4th in a chamber concert. I requested her to sing
Narasimha Mamava & Bhavayami Raghuramam... I had listened to her recording of
poorvi kalyani alapana (though not Gyanam Osagarada), and Anjaneya Raghurama in Saveri â€“ but both ragas were both different in presentation this time, very refreshing.

Couple of newbies in tukkada section proved her vast repertore. The crowd was not
that great, in big krishna gana sabha.

The concert was to celebrate swathi tirunaal day and hence most of the songs were of this royal composer from travencore.

Organizers announced that she is being awarded Acharya Choodamani in coming gokulashtami season

I wish she travel more frequently to chennai and bangalore and continue giving such wonderful concerts for rasikas like us. May god give her a long and healthy life.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 25 May 2008, 09:56

I wish that I had been able to come to this concert: I was enjoying the music of Swathi Tirunal's descendant.

madhavan · Post by **madhavan** » 25 May 2008, 12:30

I was fortunate to attend the concert. I have no words as my friend said. There were many super senior vidwans and vidhushis but only a very few junior artists and students. It was sad to notice and I was wondering the reason "why the 'so called' senior and junior artists did not attend the rare concert. Or, perhaps they are of the reason that have learn t everything and nothing to learn from!

kmrasika · Post by **kmrasika** » 25 May 2008, 17:10

sarasija nAbhA - nATTai - Adi - ST (S)

This varNa is known to be a composition of nUrani paramEShvara bhAgavatar, but is often credited to svAti tirunAL. Nice writeup on the grand dame's concert!

s_hari · Post by **s_hari** » 25 May 2008, 17:45

madhavan wrote:It was sad to notice and I was wondering the reason "why the 'so called' senior and junior artists did not attend the rare concert. Or, perhaps they are of the reason that have learn t everything and nothing to learn from!

Lalgudi G Jayaraman Sir attend the concert - for about 1 hour 15 minutes..

-hari

s_hari · Post by **s_hari** » 25 May 2008, 18:02

Here is a picture from concert.. Sorry about bad quality... taken from my mobile...

s_hari · Post by **s_hari** » 25 May 2008, 18:06

After the concert, i went to dias to meet her. She said, she sang the songs i requested.. I thanked her for the same, and asked her autograph on a book - authored by Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sri T.K.Govinda Rao on compositions on Maharaja Swathi Tirunaal. She readily obliged and asked which language she should write, tamil, malayalam etc. I said, your choice. She thought, and then wrote in sanskrit - "sarva mangalani bhavantu" and then autographed. I am going to preserve the book for long long time and pass to future generations..

SKGS committee announced that Acharya Choodamani award will be conferred on amma this gokulashtami season...A fitting tribute indeed. Amma also told me this news on May 4th during her chamber music

=hari

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 25 May 2008, 18:08

A lovely picture Hari! I like the way the artists were seated.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 25 May 2008, 18:42

It's a very good pic, for a phone camera; a lot better than the ones I've taken at my last two concerts!

Interesting seating arrangement. She has a chair, but, cleverly, the levels have been maintained, which could not have been done on one platform.

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 25 May 2008, 19:03

Glad to see this senior vidushi from Kerala finally getting the recognition she deserves.

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 25 May 2008, 21:55

Thanks for the reports and photos! It is time someone released a commercial album given the buzz the Vidushi has generated this year. I am sure Carnatica will take the lead.

Nick, that is a standard Hariprasad Chaurasia arrangement!

gundakriya · Post by **gundakriya** » 25 May 2008, 23:26

vijay, Carnatica already released an album of Smt. Ponnamal earlier this year. It should be avbl on their website.

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 25 May 2008, 23:27

kmrasika wrote:
sarasija nAbhA - nATTai - Adi - ST (S)
This varNa is known to be a composition of nUrani paramEShvara bhAgavatar, but is often credited to svAti tirunAL. Nice writeup on the grand dame's concert!

i am aware of this. my typo to call it a swathi thirunal composition. it stands corrected.

I am told Smt Ponnammal is going to sing a few (atleast 2 defly) concerts in madras during the last week of july - first week of august.

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 27 May 2008, 13:22

OK thanks - missed that - will certainly pick it up...

nivedita · Post by **nivedita** » 27 May 2008, 14:21

s_hari,

Were you the one in the white shirt, who moved to the first row for a while to take a pic?

s_hari · Post by **s_hari** » 28 May 2008, 09:54

I am not sure what color shirt i wore that day!! Certainly a T-Shirt, might be predominantly white color(;- I did observe that while traveling in train that night, the T-Shirt was very dirty and was commenting to my wife about chennai weather, that T-Shirt got dirty in less than 7 hours!

I was sitting in 4th row, in the center. While main keerthana was going on, i moved to first row, and took few pictures.

-hari

nivedita · Post by **nivedita** » 29 May 2008, 19:36

s_hari,

From what you've said, it _was_ you!

Was seated a couple of rows behind you.

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 29 May 2008, 23:45

i did notice a person moving to the front for taking photos on his mobile, during the main...

Sathej · Post by **Sathej** » 31 May 2008, 08:47

Lalgudi G Jayaraman Sir attend the concert - for about 1 hour 15 minutes..
-hari

Thats very nice. I had to miss the concert as I was not in town

The accompanists would have done a nice job too, I presume.

Sathej

s_hari · Post by **s_hari** » 31 May 2008, 10:49

Sathej - Right. Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi playing was very good. It blended well with amma's music

-hari