TNS at Sruti, Philadelphia - May 29, 2011

[musicapriya]

TN Seshagopalan - Vocal
Jayashankar Balan - Violin
Vinod Seetharaman - Mridangam

TNS performed for the 25th anniversary of Sruti, the India music and dance society at the Great Valley High School, Malvern, Pa on May 29, 2011.

1. ata tALa varNam - kalyANi with kalpanaswarams
2. dasa shreshta dayAnidhim vandEham - malahari - rUpakam- A, N at Shristidagana, KS with phrases from the gItam
3. telisirAma cintanatO - purnacandrikA - Adi - rAmAyeni capalA - neraval
4. mInAkSi mE mudam dEhi- gamakakriyA - Adi - with shlokam to start, KS at madhumadamOdita with tisram
5. abhayAmbAyAM bhaktiM karOmi - sahAnA - misra cApu - MD
6. mAyammA yani nE- Ahiri - Adi - SS
7. pAlaya mAm srI - nAyakI - rUpakam - ST
8. enduku dayarAdurA - tOdi - misra capu, niraval at tArakacaritra, tani
9. giripriyam - kadanakuthuhalam - Adi - HMB

10. RTP - brindAvana sArangA - khanda triputa - 2 kalai - after 1 1/2 beats - brindavana sArangan, bhUlOka vaikuntan, srIrangan with Ragam and Thanam lasting for a half hour. rAgamAlika ragams - kEdaram, nAttai, gowLai, Arabhi, varALi, hamsanAdam, dEsh, hindOLam, darbAr, sAmA, rItigowLai, AbhOgi, bAgeSri, bindumAlinI, kalyANavasantham, Anandabhairavi, usEni, kuntalavarALi, bEhAg, candrakauns, nIlAmbarI, bauLi, kApI, then did the anulOma, pratilOma and other variations.

11. thillAnA - bilaharI - ariyakkudi rAmAnuja iyengAr

Sorry for the long one. Please read at leisure.

TNS was in full form during this concert. The concert started with the kalyANi ata tALa varnam for which he sang kalpanaswarams which we don't hear often these days in concerts. Jayasankar Balan gave excellent support right from this piece. The malahari composition was his own that I gather was a tribute to PurandaradAsA. Very beautiful composition that had references to gAnabhyAsam. He generously sprinkled swara sancharas from the malahari gItams that gave the audience a feeling of familiarity.

Then came the classic telisirAmA in his usual inimitable speed. His neraval and kalpanaswarams were reminiscent of his early renderings and Vinod actually shone wonderfully in this piece with excellent anticipation where he tracked the chittaswaram just beautifully.

A beautiful AlApanA in gamakakriyA with a focus on the tAra sthAyI led to a shlokam and the MD kriti - mInAkshi mE mudam dEhI. After the sAhAna and Ahiri, TNS rendered a melodious nAyaki.

Since you cannot have a TNS concert without a graha bEdham AlApanA, a grand tOdi AlApanA followed with graha bedham that included mOhanam (and another rAgam). ThyAgarAja's enduku dayarAdura was delivered with a niraval at tArakacaritra and an elaborate kalapanaswaram session that showed TNS's class. Vinod also excelled both during the kalpanaswarams and also in the tani that followed.

After HMB's giripriyam, TNS embarked on an RTP in brindAvanasArangA (by popular request). The AlApanA was absolutely fabulous with TNS's mastery that shone where he easily traversed to the tArasthAyi Sa. A graha bedham with hindOLam also featured in this absolute classic AlApanA and tAnA that lasted about 30 minutes.

TNS then sang his signature - brindAvana sArangan, bhulOka vaikuntan, srirangan in khanda triputa after 1.5 beats. Then followed a rain of ragamalika swarams after which TNS did the speed variations that I am sure others who were present can shed more light on. The RTP started at 9:22 pm and ended at 10:15 pm. I was thinking to myself - sitting at a high school auditorium at 10 pm on a Sunday night of a Memorial Day weekend listening to TNS's BrindAvanasArangA - could it be any closer to heaven?

Ariyakkudi's bilaharI thillAnA concluded the concert and everyone was looking at each other with big grins on their faces after a memorable musical experience. Clearly TNS not only elevated the level of his accompanists but also the mood of the audience.

DS

[mahavishnu]

Thanks for your review, Musicapriya.

Wonderful! I am really happy to see the maestro in top form on this Spring tour.
He always delivers a solid telisirAma and I can only imagine what gamakakriyA, sahAnA, Ahiri and nAyaki were like back to back. And then a grand tOdi. How fortunate for the Philadelphians (?).

[rajeshnat]

2. dasa shreshta dayAnidhim vandEham - malahari - rUpakam- A, N at Shristidagana, KS with phrases from the gItam
..
The malahari composition was his own that I gather was a tribute to PurandaradAsA. Very beautiful composition that had references to gAnabhyAsam. He generously sprinkled swara sancharas from the malahari gItams that gave the audience a feeling of familiarity.

I am assuming this is a very recent composition of shri TNS. What is gAnabhyAsam? The brindavana sarangA RTP should have been a greatest treat along with this malahari. Tx for your review.

[musicapriya]

gAnabhyAsam - i took it to be practice of music - referring to PurandaradAsa's contribution to early music learning. I wish I could get a hold of the lyrics.

Cheers

[mahesh3]

What a brilliant concert! High time we replaced what "Pithamaha" means in the carnatic music world....the Malahari chittaiswarams, the shlokham from Minakshi pancharatnam in Purvikalyani was "nAnA yOgi munIndra", he also did a graha bedham, if I am not mistaken with rishabam to go into Mohanakalyani. TNS closed with "Sriya kAnthaya"....just the way he elucidated the Sri raga in a split second showed his elevated genius...finally, it was heartwarming that his voice was in amazing form. During the season, there were a couple concerts where he was hoarse right from the start, but here, he was clearly heard at all ranges for the entire duration of the concert, and he seemed so happy and content to be performing...wonderful sunday!

[mahesh3]

The Malahari must be the best elucidation I have heard...and TNS's brilliance in composing chittaiswarams in ragams like this and Niroshta just shows the depth of his learning....Must also offer kudos to Sruti for conducting such a harmonious, musical and wonderful event over the weekend...the announcers were soft, short and dignified, the audience appreciative, supportive and overall, things were as close to perfect....