Rama Ravi @ PSP Gurupuja Day, Chennai (08 June 2007)

ram · Post by **ram** » 08 Jun 2007, 19:55

Venue: Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall, TTK Road, Chennai

Date: 08 June 2007

Occasion: Sri Palani Subramaniam Pillai Gurupuja Day

Vocal: Vid Rama Ravi

Vocal Support: Vid Nandita Ravi

Violin: Vid M.R. Gopinath

Mrudangam: Vid Thanjavur Subramaniam

List of songs:

1) graha balam Emi - rEvagupti - Adi - tyAgarAja

2) manasu karuga - hamsadhwani - rUpakam - paTTaNam subramaNya iyer (S)

3) paripAhimAm shrI dAsharatE - shubapantuvarALi - Adi - mysore vAsudEvAcAr (NS)

4) kAppaduvE unadu bhAram - Anandabhairavi - rUpakam - vaDivElu (A)

5) paripUrNa kAma - pUrvikalyANi - rUpakam - tyAgarAja (ANS)

6) saundara rAjam - brindAvana sArangA - tisra Ekam (2 kaLai) - muthuswAmi dIkshitar

7) ninnE nammi nAnu - tODi - misra cApu - shyAma sAstri (ANST)

8 ) nArimaNi (jAvaLi) - khamAs - Adi - dharmapuri subbarAyar

9) padari varugudu (padam) - kAmbOji - tisra Ekam (2 kaLai) - vaidIshwarankoil subbarAmayyar

10) vandE mAtaram ambikAm bhagavati (viruttam) - sAvEri, kalyANi, madyamAvati

11) uruvAi aruvAi (tiruppugazh) - madyamAvati - kanDa cApu - aruNagirinAthar

12) karpagamE - madyamAvati - Adi - pApanAsam sivan

13) nI nAma rUpa mulaku (mangaLam) - saurAshTram - Adi - tyAgarAja

(Key: O=raga outline, A=raga alapana, N=neraval, S=kalpana swaram, T=taniavartanam)

I couldn't have probably asked for a better start to this concert. "graha balam Emi", the way it was sung by Vid Rama Ravi, sounded just perfect and served as an indicator of the quality concert that was in store for the rasikas. I could just go ga-ga about whatever Vid Rama Ravi sang. The kriti renditions that completely floored me were "graha balam Emi" and "saundara rAjam", which is one of my personal favorites.

Vid M.R. Gopinath accompanied well on the violin. Vid. Tanjore Subramaniam's mrudangam playing was filled with copious amount of "arai chAppus". Taniavartanam had the chatusra and tisra naDais.

This was one concert where musicians themselves formed about half of the assembled audience. Many of them also participated in the individual short performances that were scheduled before the concert began.

Rasikas got nice food for their stomach too, apart from their ears, in the form of prasadam that was given after the concert got over.

Source: http://ramsabode.wordpress.com/2007/06/ ... y-chennai/

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 08 Jun 2007, 19:59

#4 is kAppaduvE unadu bhAram. It is a composition of Vadivelu (of TQ).

ram · Post by **ram** » 08 Jun 2007, 21:11

Thank you Lji for the composer's name. Have added it.

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 08 Jun 2007, 22:20

It was a bright morning concert, one got to listen today. And the start couldnt get better. Smt Rama began the concert with a stunning rendition of the rEvagupti piece that just made the madras morning brighter. It was indeed rendered in a very moving fashion. The hamsadvani kriti which followed was rendered nicely with a nice round of kalpanai svarams at the 'marachitivO'. The shubapantuvarALi piece was rendered in a soulful fashion with elaborate neraval and svarams at 'dharaNi suta mAnasa vihAra' in the anuppallavi.

The first elaborate AlApanai of the concert was Anandabhairavi. The AlApanai, and the kriti with its charecterestic ciTTai svaram were rendered very nicely. As Smt Rama began elaborating pUrvikalyANi, one couldn't help, but, expect pari pUrNa kAmA. The AlApanai was nice. The kriti was rendered with a Brinda School touch, with elaborate neraval and svarams at 'sAkEtadhIpa nI mukha sarasIruhamu jUpi'.

The brindAvana sArangA kriti was rendered very movingly. Each sangati one after another just made everybody sitting spell bound. The main tODi AlApanai was done in a nice fashion. The kriti was rendered with elaborate neraval at 'kannatalli gAdA biDDayanikanikaramintaina lEdA' and kalpanai svarams which ended with korappU a nice kOrvai.

The khamAs jAvaLi was beautiful. The tamil padam in kAmbhOji was moving and was very enjoyable. The rAgamAlikA slOkam, and the double madhyamAvati which followed were all very good also.

Smt Rama gave a really touching concert. It was indeed a truly heartfelt tribute to Palani Sri Pillai, who was being remember on the occasion. She was supported on the vocal by Smt Nanditha Ravi who gelled well with the main aritst. Her essays during neraval and svarams were very good and the kriti rendition were in tandem with what the main artist sang.

Sri Gopinath on the violin was very good. All his rAga essays were good and were fitting replies to what Smt Rama sang. His kriti renditions were following the main artists. His neraval and svarams were all good as well.

Sri Subramanian on the mrudangam was unobtrusive and played according to the compositions. His tani was good as well.

Earlier, before this concert, there were individual renditions of kritis by leading, upcoming and veteran artists as a tribute to Palani. Sri Gurumurthy, a disciple of Palani, sang a couple of saivite hymns in sankarAbaraNam and nIlAmbari. Sri R K Shriram Kumar sang 'lalitE srI pravridda srImati' in bhairavi. Sri V Bharath Kumar sang a GKB composition in yadukula kAmbhOji. Sri K L Kaushik sang 'E pApamu jEsE' in aTANA. I am told, Smt Jayalakshmi Santanam presented 'paradEvatA bruhatkuchAmbA' in danyAsi. I guess there were others also, whom i have missed.

bharath
http://me-and-music.blogspot.com

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 08 Jun 2007, 22:26

Ram, bunked office?!! Wish I were there - heard 2 of my best concerts last season from Rama Ravi one of which (at the Academy) included a fantastic Rakshabettare

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 08 Jun 2007, 22:38

I must also appreciate ram for having come to the concert braving high fever and cold and cough and sitting thro' it and also, writing about it. It is understandable that he wrote a rather short review about the amazing concert.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 09 Jun 2007, 03:10

bharath,
Get well quick and attend more concerts in good health...

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 09 Jun 2007, 03:31

Arasi,
It was Ram who was sick...not Bharath...

rbharath wrote:I must also appreciate ram for having come to the concert braving high fever and cold and cough and sitting thro' it and also, writing about it.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 09 Jun 2007, 06:48

Thanks, Ravi! I wish that both of them stay well.
"rAmanukku vandadu thanakkE vandadu pOl eNNuvan bharathan. mElum, thanakkE vandAl, rAman thuyar uRa vENDAmE enRum eNNuvAn-- The legendary bharathA would wish for rAmA's illness upon himself, to spare rAmA the pain.
Our reviewers are a great team. They are good friends. No one upmanship there. What more can you expect in kali kAlam?

adOdu rAja vijayanum SErndAl?!--add to it rAj(esh)and vijay

Sathej · Post by **Sathej** » 09 Jun 2007, 23:55

All the kriti renditions were very precise.
I got to hear a back to back Javali and a Padam after a long time.
Nice detailed review.
Sathej

ram · Post by **ram** » 10 Jun 2007, 00:53

Vijay,

Bunked office for the good I guess

Bharath,

Thanks for dropping me back home. It really helped.

Arasi madam,

Saw your snap on one of the CD releases of Rajalakshmi Audio (sung by Sumitra Nitin). Do you look now exactly as you do in the snap? Was just trying to form a picture of yours in the mind.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 10 Jun 2007, 03:54

Mr. Ram, If you say you don't care about the way I look, I can blame it on the photographer. If you liked my face, then, no problem! You have to ask some of our friends on the forum who have seen me. They better be polite, though

rajagopal · Post by **rajagopal** » 11 Jun 2007, 15:14

It would be nice if someone could identify the "saivaite hymns" and the "GKB composition" sung.

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 11 Jun 2007, 20:07

Is the GKB composition sung, "nIsanAyp piRandAlum pOdum"? or "baktigaL seydArE"? (in yadukula kAmbhOji)