Sudha Ragunathan and TMK @ Music Academy, 18/3/2011

[namrutha.srini]

Vocal: TMK and Sudha Ragunathan
Violin: RK Shriramkumar and Embar Kannan
Mridangam: T Vaidyanathan
Kanjira: B Sundarkumar
Ghatam: Giridhar Uduppa
Tambura: Rithvik Raja and Narayanan

It has been more than a week since Aikya organised this concert at the Music Academy. Sorry for the delay as was tied up with some personal work. When this concert was announced, I was really looking forward to the concert, considering both of them are really aggressive as artist. Secondly, the theme really excited me. Both TMK and Sudha Ragunathan did full justice to theme and to the concert. Both of them ensured that they didn't move away from their bhani, and didn't enter into each others territories. Each and every song was aptly chosen and well executed.

Theme of Dualities ..

The one Source
1) A mangala sloka from Abhigyana Shakuntalam by Poet Kalidasa - Ya srishtihi (Started by Smt. SR and then followed by Sri. TMK)
2) Shobillu Saptaswara - Raga Jaganmohini - Thyagarajar (Sung by Both)

Dualities in the Physical

1) Ardhanarishwaram - Raga: Kumudakriya - By Muthuswami Dikshitar (Sung by both)
2) Confluence of Charanya Shringara Rahitha Pathanjali sthothram followed by Yaadu maagi nindrai in Ragamalika ( Bimplas, nalinakanthi , sindhubhairavi and Tilang) by Poet Subramania Bharathi (Patham sung by TMK and the song by Smt. SR)

Dualities in Nature

Musical interpretation of nature's Dualities

Day and Night - Raga Delineation Bhoopalam (Sung by Smt. SR) followed by Neelambari (First by TMK and by Both) back to Neelambari (Smt. SR) and Boopalam (Smt. SR)
1st Stanza Pozhudhu Pularndadhu (Meaning Morning has dawn) - Ragam Boopalam - By Subramania Bharathi
Omana Thnigal - Ragam Neelambari (TMK) It has been composed for putting to sleep the young Swathi Thirunal by the famous poet lyricist Iravi Varman
Thuhidale Ranganna - Ragam Neelambari (Smt. SR)

Fire And Water -

Raga Delineation - Revathy - A verse from Vedhas for Agni (Agni Melea Purohitam) Sung by Smt. SR followed by
Rain - Aanandhamruthavarshini - Ragam : Amruthavarshini .. this ragam when sung with proper bhava it has been proved that it will rain.

List of Swaras in Mayamalavagowlai - Sung beautilly by both the artistes The dualities here may be the aarohanam and avarahonam (Up and Down)..Folllowed by Madhyamavathi ragam and then the charanam lines as virutham ..Annai yodu tandai ni vazhvinil anithum ni yendru nambinene Akhila lokanayaka vallidaivanaimanala mayilvahana muru gane from the krithi Saravana bhava guhane shan mukhane dayaparane by Papanasam Sivan .. This is to talk about the duality annai, thanthai ..(Mom and Dad)

Tani Aavarathanam

Emotional Dualities

happiness sorrow
hope despair
jealousy trust
like dislike

Story of rama and sita, perhaps has best of all. It is a poignant love story of two souls that was brutally tested by circumstances and by choice till their hearts are united .. Why should there be so much suffering as they were born for happiness ...who is really responsible if the actions are all mine .?.

A Kabir Bhajan - Na mein dharmi in the raga Darbari Kaanada (Sung by both the artistes without any accompaniments) ..In the poetry by Kabir he demysitifies d enigma of being and doing

Meaning of this song:

All Actions are Really My Actions
But Yet I am Distinct From the Actions
This Truth Only A Rare Exceptional One Realizes
Such A Person Sits in Quiescence
Oh Kabir Don't Bring? Forth Any Creation
And Don't Efface Anything Either.


Where dualities converge

1. Vadavarayai Mathaki - a Ragamalika by Ilango Adigal from the epic Silapathikaram
( duality here is the eyes that saw cannot speak and the mouth that can speak cannot see ..) also talks about the total surrender to god ..(Sung by both)

2. Bhare Panduranga -- An abhang in the raag maand by Saint tukaram ..he talks about offereing his body to his feet [another way of extreme devotional offering of self to the lord]
(Sung By both)

Search and Surrender

Sloka from Srimad Bagawad Gita Chapter 12 ( Rendered by both)
Sama Shakthroucha mitrecha ..

Bhaja Govindam - Ragamalika - Composition of adi Sankara

[squims]

Sounds really interesting. As artistes with distinctly different styles of singing, it looks like they managed to make it work. Would love it if a recording were made available. But guess that's out of the question!

[rshankar]

This was at the MA, so a recording is not totally out of the q!
namrutha - thank you for reviewing the concert. I am sure it must have been great. Were the accompanists selective for the artist? For instance, did Sri RKSK play for Sri TMK, and Sri Embar Kannan play for Smt. SR, and so on? I assume the two violins were tuned differently - how did they sound when they played together?

A few corrections:
The Slokam for physical dualities is caraNa (kAl) SRnga (kombu) rahita (illAda) SlOkam composed by the Saint patanjali...discussed in the thread on Smt. Priya Govind's bharatanATyam performance.
The composer of OmaNa tingaL kiDAvO is Raja Irayavarman Tampi

[PUNARVASU]

The BG slokam is:(18&19)

Samah Shatrau Cha Mitre Cha Thathaa Maanaapa-maana-yoho
Sheetho-shna Sukha-duhkheshu Samah Sanga Vivarjitaha
Thulya Nindaa Sthuthir Mounee Santhushto Yena Kena Chith
Aniketah Sthirah Mathir Bhakthi-maan Me Priyo Naraha


Meaning: He who is the same to foe and friend and also in honor and dishonor, who is the same in cold and heat, in pleasure and pain, who is free from attachment...
To whom blame and praise are equal, who is silent, content with anything, free of selfish attachment, steady-minded and full of devotion-such a one is dear to Me.

If we can attain that stat of equanimity, life will be a BLISS.
Seems to have been a nice thematic concert.
Thanks for the review.

[vgovindan]

'na main dharmi' - Please see the complete song of kabir here - http://cms.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Cont ... cSongID=20

[squims]

Samah Shatrau Cha Mitre Cha Thathaa Maanaapa-maana-yoho
Sheetho-shna Sukha-duhkheshu Samah Sanga Vivarjitaha
Thulya Nindaa Sthuthir Mounee Santhushto Yena Kena Chith
Aniketah Sthirah Mathir Bhakthi-maan Me Priyo Naraha

I just love that verse. Actually I love all the verses from the 12th chapter of the Gita. Reminds me of the time in Sanskrit class in school when we used to recite the entire 12th chapter every day! It gives out amazing vibrations.

[namrutha.srini]

Both the artistes were in perfect unison in all aspects..and I wud like to share a sample video of this concert which runs for few minutes ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKhRrT8zmY4

Thanks

[natakapriyan]

Though they were from different school ,they home worked a lot to bring perfect balance and co ordination.it was a great musical evening.

[jeyaar]

It was a wonderful experience to hear SR & TMK sing with such coordination and the atmosphere was serene.They blended so well. The swaraprasthara in Madhyamavathi brought out the duality in their schools too!!!Never was an effort to upstage the other .The entire programme was conceived and presented very well. Complements to the organisers & all the artistes .Lot of work has gone behind the successful presentation.I am happy i could attend this concert.

[arasi]

For someone who feels that many so-called thematic concerts do not add anything more to the content of a regular concert, this one sounds very impressive. A lot of work undoubtedly has gone into it. Two distinguished vocalists (and accompanists and others too, when it comes to ideas?) have put their heads together to pull this off, it seems. Sudha is a super woman as a performer and when it comes to ideas and presentations and TMK is always looking for ways to add novelty and new meaning to performances.

Great to see that Bharati was featured too.

Namrutha,
Thanks for the review. corrections: yAdumAgi (yAdum+ Agi=being all) ninRAi
annaiyODu (along with mother) tandai nI

[gaya3guru]

Listening to Sudha amma is always a great treat for the rasikas and that too when it is for a noble cause and given a theme she never missess to treat her rasikas a little more extra.........and this time TMK was also there........From the write up we cud understand the amount of homework both the artistes hav put in inspite of their pre-occupied schedule.........Bows to them....and Hats off to namrutha to present it so very well that we almost heard them singing while reading the write up.....

[namrutha.srini]

@Arasi Madam, Thanks for correcting me on those two krithis ... point well taken ..

[rshankar]

It was interesting to note that this was a benefit concert:

Recently, I did a recital with T.M. Krishna in Chennai which was a fundraising concert to help retired artistes. The theme was the duality of life, be it in nature, human beings, emotions or aspects of music itself, like the bani (style), pitch or ideology.

[Ranganayaki]

I wondered why the "made-for-a-duality-concert" song Dwaitamu Sukhama representing philosophy was not included

[Sivaramakrishnan]

Could anyone tell what sruti (pitch) the singers select?