Usually atleast to me CM concerts should be distinctively centered in submain, main and RTP . Preferably if any artist gives a splash of rAga bhAvam in detailed fashion , they made my day. Also coupled with 4 brilliant performers in a fashion where each of them motivate the other three it is a double treat .Incidentally the three numbers can be traced to different nostalgic periods in the last few centuries(can I say ancient, medieval and modern) where each rAgam became more and more popular in that period in CM concerts.
The medieval submain was in a rAgam that is always outstanding , more so if the singer sings in a fairly high pitched tone with minimal breath cycles . The entire krithi rendition was brilliant particularly the neraval and the 9 minute rAga alApanai. The swaras were short and had more kanakku orientation and the percussionists gave lovely support
The sub main was paahi jagajjanani(R N S) - ST with neraval in "saarasakrutanilayE paramasadayE"
The main was an ancient rAgA , perhaps a very standard one . The krithi certainly from a great trinity , but musically not as great as perhaps the way musicians have handled in other krithis of other two trinities . More than the krithi , I liked the detailed neraval in both speeds for about 10 minutes and a very detailed alApanai for about 16 minutes with excellent return by the violinist for 8 minutes . The swaras were outstanding , that too when suryaprakAsh sang in high speed he avoided trespassing into another overlapping rAga . The main was for 50 minutes with addtional 18 minutes an outstanding tani.
The main was sarOjadaLa nEtri (R N S T)- shankarAbharanam -SS with neraval in "kori vaccina vArikellanu"
If submain had a little avoidable kanakku swaras (I dont like kanakku that much) and perhaps a little too sobre shyamA sAstri shankarAbharanam , the RTP was modern . Modern simply because atleast only Smt MLV and Shri TVS were the first to try this RTP in this splendid rAgam. SuryaprakAsh was outstanding through out for the 45 minute RTP. Especially the tAnam was top classs with atleast 4 rounds of applause for both violinist and the vocalist. I love tAnam especially when mridangist are passive for a long time and then start playing (in total the tAnam was for 9 minutes) and was absolute bliss . Special mention of swara kalpANa has to made in pallavi , singing behAg and revati swaras is perhaps not unique , but for the first time I heard a very detailed long swara kalpana manOdharmam in kedaragowlai , that was sung as much as a kApi or a sindhubhairavi . The pallavi line was in "mAmava sadA janani mAnini shri mAthangi"
THe other numbers (no time to review that) were all exceptionally good.
1A.vakruthundA mahAkAya (slOkham) - begadA -??
1B. vallabhA nAyakasyA (S)- bEgaDA -MD
2. evarani nee - devamruthavarshini - T
4. kAna vendAmO - shreeranjani -psivan
5. ksheerasAgara sayanA (R) - devagAndhAri -T
6. yOcana kamala(S) - darbAr - T
9. nAlaiyendru Oru nAl varumA - sindhubhairavi - madurai sOmu
10A. agalithilE thiuvenkatathAnE?? - mishrayaman? + miyAn malhar + sahAnA + shuruTTi + mOhanam - divyaprabhandham ??
10B. vara mantrAlayA - mOhanam - vittala(Anandha) dAsA??
11. note -shankarAbharanam -hmb
12. pavamAnA
The violinist a carbon copy type was excellent to outstanding , he played exceptionally well especially in hamsAnandi and revati, he could not cope up that much in speed during the dazzling speed of the percussionist and suryaprakAsh in darbAr swaras.
This is one concert which can be showcased as how much mridangist can lift the concert with their energetic play. Every stroke had nAdham , usually this mridangist can turn out little loud but certainly not today. Of particular mention is his play for the devamruthavarshi and during the madurai somu no he almost sang . The tani was top notch ,and there was atleast 3 rouds of long applauses .THe ghatam artist was top class and he played a very energetic tani . Overall there was excellent chemistry in the stage for the 2 hour 50 minute concert.
Overall the only dip in suryaprakAsh rendition was a repetition of western note in shankArabharanam after that detailed main in shankarAbharanam(despite even though the western note is not truly a clean shankarAbharanam) and may be one more rAga in swara rAgamaliga , perhaps because of that it is little short of a truly outstanding concert. Of special mention is this new sabha in T nAgar, certainly I had a personal miracle , I had parked the car in T Nagar and there was atleast perhaps the only one big plus in the newly constructed usman road bridge that helped me to reach the sabha on time.
BTW ,the accompanist to suryaprakAsh were KumbakOnama M R GopinAth in violin , the stunning srimushnam Raja Rao - mridangam and SV ramani in ghatam.