Priya Sisters in Pennsylvania: 9th April '11.

[Ranganayaki]

Priya Sisters, Haripriya and Shanmukhapriya, in Eastern PA.
Violin: BV Raghavendraa Rao on the violin and
Mridangam: Neyveli Skanda Subramaniam

This concert was organized by “Sruti”, in PA, but I went with my cousin and his family, and cannot tell you where exactly it was held. :$

BVR was introduced as a shishya of TNKrishnan with concert experience and training with Dr. Balamurali Krishna. The mridangist is said to have studied under Tiruvayur Gurumurthi and Bhaktavatsalam. :$

With too much talking (by me) on this site on other topics, I am not in much of a writing mood today, so I’m just going to give you a song list and may be a few memories.

1. Varnam: Behag, Adi Taala, Vanajaksha ninne nammiti na mida kripa judara Composed by their guru Sri T.R.Subramaniam

2. Gajavadana Karuna Sadana – Sri Ranjani, Adi Taala, by Papanasam Sivan, with swarams “Gajavadana”.

3. Ranganayakam – Nayaki, Adi Taala, by Muthuswami Dikshitar

4. Naada Loludai – Kalyanavasantam, Adi Taala, by Thyagaraja – Swarams were sung, the culmination of these were very enjoyable.

5. Kaa Vaa Vaa – Varali, Adi Taala, by Papanasam Sivan.

6. O Rangashayee – Kambhoji, Adi Taala by Thyagaraja Swamy – this was the main piece with neraval on Bhuloka vaikuntha, swarams, and tani avartanam.

7. Vanchatonuna Vagaludelpave – Karnaranjani, Adi taalam (tisra nadai) – Harikesanallur Muthaiah Bhagavathar

8. RTP in ragam Hemavathi. Khanda jaati, Triputa Taala, Khanda Nadai. A composition of T.R. Subramaniam.

9. Virutham in Hindolam, followed by Nigama Nigamantha Mano. – Hindolam, Adi Tala by Annamacharya.

10. Malai Meethu Vazhum Sri Srinivasa in Shivaranjani – Adi Tala, by S. Bharati Ganesh.

11. Dharma Shravanamedakke, Murkhage – Shudda Saveri – Adi – Purandara Dasa

12. Dolaloogumu Sayee Gopala Bala – Yamuna Kalyani – Adi, possibly khanda nadai.

I came out of the concert full of joy, having felt I had thoroughly enjoyed myself. But it was later during our discussion in the car that I remembered that the first half was very mundane, hardly worth remembering.

The Varnam was very interesting, but the next five songs, starting with Sri Ranjani all the way through the main piece were extremely ordinary. I remember thinking of my enjoyment in my own room in my house growing up and my father and my Guru (Vaigal Gnanaskandan, with his powerful voice) together singing all these songs so touchingly and the Priya Sisters just didn’t measure up to my expectations.

I am embarrassed not to have noticed what my cousin noticed – that one of the sisters, possibly Shanmukhapriya was slightly off in her sruti. I really ought to have caught that, but somehow it seems I hadn’t paid close enough attention!!

A second concert seemed to begin with the RTP, a very interesting one sung in khanda nadai khanda triputa. The composer - none other than their own Guru, and they certainly did not fail him. The sahitya goes as follows:

Namamyaham Hemavatheem Haripriyaam
Navayuvatheem Gunavatheem Sumatheem Sateem.

Variations of the pallavi and swarams were sung in Rupavathi, Revathi, Kalavathi, which they sang in two versions: Hindustani Kalavathi and Carnatic Kalavathi and Madhuvanti. All the “vathi” ragas, with a little liberty taken on that note with “Madhuvanti” at the end. I’ve noted down that there was a very nice ending on the Pallavi with Madhuvanti, this probably meant some very interesting korvais. At the end of the piece, Haripriya explained to the audience that the pallavi was written solely in praise of Sri Mahalakshmi and added to audience laughter that “Haripriyaam” in the lyrics was not a reference to her. She mentioned prasa in the choice of “Haripriyaam” - the poets among us can comment on this alliterative use of the “H”. Obviously, with every change in the raga, the sahitya changed to reflect the raga change, and “Hemavatheem” was substituted by the new raga’s name.

The Virutham they sang in Hindola used two verses from the Sri Venkatesha Stotra (Kamalaakucha choochuka) : “Vina Venkatesam na natho Na nathah..” and the final verse, “Agnani naamaya Doshaan”

The rest of the singing was very nice, easy and soulful and my brother tells me that the shruti problems they had showed seemed to have gone away. There was a moment of inattention during the RTP and Shanmukhapriya happened to get out of step. She probably sang a different ragam from the carnatic Kalavathi that she was supposed to sing before she corrected herself. But I was not expecting the carnatic Kalavathi and did not realize at once that she’d made a mistake. May be someone else who attended the concert can elaborate on that. It was possibly a moment of inattention for me.

I told my brother that it was as though I had heard two different concerts, one at the beginning and another one at the end, and his joking response was that he’d heard three different concerts: one by HP, one by SP, and the third by both together starting from the RTP. By the time I left, the RTP had been so interesting and stimulating and the rest so enjoyable that I had completely forgotten about my lukewarm response to the first half of the concert.

[appu]

Ranganayaki wrote "A second concert seemed to begin with the RTP, a very interesting one sung in khanda nadai khanda triputa. "

Ranganayaki,

The talam is Khanda jathi triputa talam, Khanda Nadai not the other way around as you wrote. This talam has 9 beats subdivided into 5 pulses per beat for a total of 45 pulses. Was this a single kallai or double kallai talam. Was each beat counted once or twice?


Appu

[Ranganayaki]

Appu, I stand corrected. I have written it correctly in the song list, though. I do usually say it the correct way, but I didn't know that it mattered.Thank you so much! But I'm curious to know if it changes the meaning if you change the order. Pl. explain.

It was single kalai. Taka-takita nine times made one avartanam.

[Ranganayaki]

I'm sorry my memory of this concert is fading, but there were moments when the violinist delighted me. I felt the shruti on the violin was too high and it was not a pleasing sound upwards of dha, especially in the tara sthayee. I really wished he would play as much as possible in the lower octave, but that did not happen. My brother enjoyed the moments that I enjoyed too, but he added that while he was constant in his alignment to the shruti, he was adding gamaka and shaking up his notes a little too much to no purpose here and there. I'm adding his comment for what it is worth. I will be attending more concerts this weekend, and if I do decide to write about any of them, I promise to try to remember better.

[rajeshnat]

3. Ranganayakam – Nayaki, Adi Taala, by Muthuswami Dikshitar
...
...
I remember thinking of my enjoyment in my own room in my house growing up and my father and my Guru (Vaigal Gnanaskandan, with his powerful voice) together singing all these songs so touchingly and the Priya Sisters just didn’t measure up to my expectations.

RanganAyaki got ranganAyakam in nAyaki ,that must have been your special.

So your guru is vaigal gnanaskandan who has atleast trained 3 sishyas to my knowledge Gayatri Girish, Gurucharan and V ShankaranArayanan, have you given any concerts ranganAyaki??

[Ranganayaki]

Haha! You make me laugh! Have I ever said a THING that would make you think that? I am bad at talam, and in this concert, I didn't notice any shruti problems! You think I would give a concert? I normally notice shruti problems, but it has always been recorded music, and I am amazed that they happen, but may be it was the live-ness, the loudness of it that made me not notice. As I may have said before elsewhere, I am a long-time rasika, but haven't been attending concerts till recently. I listen to a lot of recorded music.

I'm one of Sri Gnanaskandan's older students. Gayatri Girish was a little girl in the neighborhood when he started with her, and I had moved on in life and was not his student whenever he taught the others (I believe). After those days, it was just me and my recorded music, sessions with my dad, and so on. Those music sessions were a most enjoyable part of my life, then, but how I look back with regret now and wish I could have all those days back. Those of us who grew up in the IIT campus must definitely share my nostalgia.. We just cannot go back to that precious place in all our lives - our childhood home!! And our beloved neighborhood. Shankar, you would agree?

Ranganayakam is definitely a favorite of mine, but as you grow up, you learn not to blush when your name comes up. I rather think this might be a special song to a tiny number of people who know CM and and might have some good feelings about me . But at this concert, my thoughts were filled with those old days, when my brother and sister in law both turned and looked smilingly at me and I was startled and did end up blushing .

[shreedarshan]

Dharmashravana videtake is usually sung in Raag Durge by Priya sis. [They had sung the same kriti of Purandaradasa in one of the concerts i attended in India. I did enquire abt the raaga at the end of the concert]

[arasi]

Ranganayaki,
Welcome to the Rasikas.org group of reviewers. We are getting to know you and of your talents more and more!
The resident reviewer of note has responded (he is intense about his work and is also known for his encouraging other reviewers). All this after a business trip abroad which kept him away from home for close to two months?

Rajesh,
Hope you will get some sleep...

[Ranganayaki]

Arasi, thanks for your kind words..

Yes, Rajeshnat is definitely encouraging! Thank you, Rajesh! If you are just back, then welcome back!!

@Shreedarshan: I will check this raag and get back to you. I was not comfortable with it myself, but I'll check. I doubt that they'll have changed their version of the song.

[Ranganayaki]

Shreedarshan, I did check and the swaras for the raga Durga (HM) and those of Shudda Saveri are exactly the same. There must be some bhava difference that makes it Durga and which made me uncomfortable, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

[mahavishnu]

Ranganayaki: I liked your review.

Here is a demo of the Durga/Suddha saveri difference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hrKdesADi0 by Ranjani-Gayatri.
The raga lakshanas are different, given the hindustani origin of Durga.

Here is Bhimsen singing Durga: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9j399wXc68; there is a suddha saveri hiding in there somewhere, but the bhavam is very different.

There is a (relatively new) lovely Lalgudi tillana in Durga, which features a very classical carnatic treatment of the ragam.

[CM-Fan]

This was the first time I got to hear Priya sisters live and enjoyed it.I came in after 3 songs and left before the last 3 songs.Guess I was there for the cream of the concert.I felt the violin rendition was mellifluous and soul-stirring.I loved this song by HMB 'Vanchatonuna Vagaludelpave' in Karnaranjani.Hadn't heard it ever before.
Nice candid review by Ranganayaki.

[rshankar]

Those of us who grew up in the IIT campus must definitely share my nostalgia.. We just cannot go back to that precious place in all our lives - our childhood home!! And our beloved neighborhood. Shankar, you would agree?

Absolutely, with all my heart!

[Ranganayaki]

Mahavishnu,
Thanks so much for the links. I certainly understand the difference as portrayed by by R-G and hear its lakshanas and the feel in HM, but somehow, I don't get that strength in the song the sisters sang. It is strongly carnaticky for me, if you see what I mean.

Can you tell me which album I can hear Lalgudi's Durga tillana in? I haven't heard that one yet. Is there a sample available anywhere?

I did speak to my brother and he does agree with what you said, and does think that the song can be classified under Durga. I just don't hear that aspect at all. I guess i am not sensitive enough, or I need to really get a feel for it over time. I can't wait to hear the Durga tillana - not only to keep up with Lalgudi's tillanas, but also to see the carnatic treatment of this raga and the correspondence with this song.

[mahavishnu]

Ranganayaki: Here's a good recording of Lalgudi's Durga tillana, but you can only get a sampler at the site for free. You can download the full track for 49cents. It is probably available on iTunes also. It is from GJR Krishnan/Vijayalakshmi/Srimushnam Raja Rao@ MMA 2006.

http://www.emusic.com/album/Lalgudi-GJR ... 40638.html

I found a full version of the tillana (vocal) in the series that Raghukumar posts on this forum. http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15545 Post Number 9. Alternatively you can get the whole concert at http://mycarnatic.org/concerts/?title=11