Malladi Brothers in Cleveland Aradhana April 01,2015

[Sundara Rajan]

Sticking to the title Thyagaraja Aradhana the brothers rendered mostly Thyagaraja compositions.
I am not sure if the first one in AtaNa "Sita lakshmana sahitam mAnasa chinthaya" is also Thyagaraja's.
2. DarithApulEka vEtithE-sAveri
3. virAhathurAha rAjarAjEswarA-bAlahamsa. AlApana & swara
4. SandEhamu nI theerpavayyA-rAmapriyA
5. yEmAnathichEvO yEmincchnAvO- sahAnA. Although they did sing well, I was personally somewhat disappointed at the short presentation. I have heard their guru NEdunEri gAru's elaborate presentation of this krithi in one of my favorite rAgAs- sahAna many times and was expecting a simila treatment from the disciples !
6. Sri nArasimha mAm pAhi- palamanjari
7. Main piece: DanyAsi alApana followed by nI chithamO nirmalmO. Neraval and swara at guruvE uthama gathi, GuruvE neevanukOnti
Brief 8 minutes Thani
8. pAhi parama dyALO- kApi
9. UdyAla savithalO- hamIr kalyANI
10. Mangalam in Surati.
With my fading memory, all except one or two of the above krithis appeared new to me !

I will leave the review to more knowledgeable rasikas.

I do look forward to their program in Tampa, FL on April 11, 2015.

[rajeshnat]

Shri Sundararajan
Thank you for your review . I just saw you joining arasi in the main thread and it looked arasi has a great company to report . This concert is for 2 hours and 45 minutes and the title is guru vandanam to their guru nedanuri. Nedanuri has sung too less RTP's so I guess not singing RTP is in line with their usual guru delivery.

Keep it coming sir . Tomorrow you have a big day at the same time when another artist is singing for another 15 minutes extra for 3 hours , have a lot of tropicana juice and indeed do report.

[bhakthim dehi]

Few years back Sri Nedunuri Krishnamurthy released an album ( I don't remember the name) containing unpublished songs of Sri Thyagaraja. The album featured 8-10 songs and Sita lakshmana sahitham and Mudyala (hamirkalyani) find its presence there. But unfortunately, we were able to get only the sahityam of those songs and the songs were tuned by Nedunuri itself. If I am not wrong the ragam of these songs were also changed (from what mentioned in the manuscripts). Mudyala was actually set to an unknown ragam Gowrikalyani.

[music1]

Shri Sundararajan
Thank you for your review . I just saw you joining arasi in the main thread and it looked arasi has a great company to report . This concert is for 2 hours and 45 minutes and the title is guru vandanam to their guru nedanuri. Nedanuri has sung too less RTP's so I guess not singing RTP is in line with their usual guru delivery.

Keep it coming sir . Tomorrow you have a big day at the same time when another artist is singing for another 15 minutes extra for 3 hours , have a lot of tropicana juice and indeed do report.

I think this concert series of the Malladis is to pay respects to their reverred Guru and that in such occasions singing an RTP may not be really necessary / required. RTP in all its trues essence is to showcase ones virtuosity more than the bhakti element (my opinion).

And for your information Sri Nedunuri has sung many many finest and complex RTPs and was a regular feature.

[arasi]

I not only appreciated their singing a lovely composition in suraTi at the end about their guru, but also was touched by their neraval at guruvE in dhanyAsi.

I am afraid I see an RTP differently. Yes, it showcases one's learning, but so do other pieces--one's ability to sing a rAgA as a main, a cascade of svarAs, even rAgA sketches can showcase their talent no end.

if you mean it in the sense that the RTP can be riddled kaNakku vazakku, I agree, it can find its way to the opposite pole of bhakthi. Yet, if one seeks only bhakthi without the accompanying vistA of rAga bhAvA and a tAnam which can be meditative, I don't know.

To me, a concert (especially a three hour evening concert ) is more complete than the one without it. I missed it more so because preceding their concert, Madurai Sundar sang a compact pallavi in shaNmukhapriyA and even a short one like that (not a hurried one though) somehow was satisfying. The Malladi brothers concert was so good, an RTP would have been the crowning glory, that's all.

[music1]

The song list a typical Voleti/Nedunuri fare.

The Dhanyasi kriti has been handled extensively by both Sri Voleti and Sri Nedunuri as main pieces in several concerts. I have atleast 3 concerts where the dhanyasi is sung as the main by both Voleti and Nedunuri.

Should have had been a great experience

[Sundara Rajan]

A minor correction: I did not mention anything about the lack of an RTP in their concert !
My only grievance was about the brevity of their Shana piece; I would have enjoyed it more if they had made a longer presentation of the raga and the kriti, which I was used to from their guru.
On an aside, as Arasi says, a three hour concert would be more rounded if it included an RTP .

[arasi]

They may sing one for you in Florida, I hope