S Aishwarya and S Saundarya SRSM 27th April 2022

[s.harinie]

Date 27th April 2022
6 45 pm to 9 45 pm
Sree Rama Seva Mandali
Fort High School Grounds
Bangalore

S Aishwarya Vocal
S Saundarya Vocal
Vishwajith Mattur - Violin
Phanindra Bhaskara - Mridangam
Bhagyalakshmi M Krishna - Morching
Shiva Shankar Anekal - Tambura
Hulikal Prasad - Tambura

Concert list :

1. Parama Karuna - Varnam (Garudadwani) - Adi - Lalgudi G Jayaram
2. Ninuvina Namadendu - Navarasa Kannada - Rupakam - Thyagaraja
3. Sompaina - Ahiri - Misra Chapu - Thyagaraja
4. Ennaganu Rama Bhajana - Pantuvarali - Rupakam - Bhadrachalam Ramadasar
(Ragam Neraval Swaram)
5. Bhogindra Shayinam - Kuntalavarali - Khanda Chapu - Maharaja Swati Tirumal
6. Sree Venkatesan Bhajami - Kalyanavasantam - Rupakam - Ambi Dikshitar (Ragam by Saundarya)
7. Sobillu - Jaganmohini - Rupakam - Thyagaraja
8. Amba Kamakshi - Bhairavi - Syama Sastri - Misra Chapu (Ragam Neraval Swaram and Thaniavartanam)
9. Jagadhodharana - Kapi - Adi - Purandaradasa
10 Ramanai Bhajitha - Mand - Adi - Papanasam Sivan
11. Srinivasa Mangalam - Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna

As one of the organisers mentioned it was an electrifying concert starting with the Garudadwani Varnam. Ninuvina in Navarasa Kanada had all the trademark brigas of MS Amma and executed to perfection. These two songs had the complete attention of the audience and then came a serene Sompaina in Ahiri.
Aishwarya sang a brilliant Pantuvarali and the Neraval was outstanding. Bhogindra Shayinam was sung with a lot of gusto supported well by Phanindra. Kalayana Vasantam ragam by Saundarya was presented in a leisurely manner and full of confidence drawing a lot of Sabash and Bhale from the rasikas. Venkatesan Bhajami was a surprise. Sobillu was a perfect choice after this song and the chittaswarams were superb. Then came the main ragam of the day , Bhairavi which Aishwarya handled magnificently. The rendition of Amba Kamakshi in high and low octaves immediately brought to mind the perfection of the MS Radha combination. Jagadhodharana and Ramanai Bhajitha were the tailend pieces and aptly concluded with Srinivasa Mangalam. Viswajith followed wonderfully on violin. Phanindra and Bhagyalakshmi gave magnificent support. A superb concert overall.

[rajeshnat]

6. Sree Venkatesan Bhajami - Kalyanavasantam - Rupakam - Ambi Dikshitar (Ragam by Saundarya)

shree venkatesham bhajAmi sathatham - kalyana vasantham - Authorship in dispute (Ambi dikshitar 0r JCWodeyar)

Thankyou for your great review s.harinie. I dont know if this number was sung by ms amma or Smt Radha. This i am assuming is a not MS school krithi. IT was popularized by maharajapuram santhanam . For many many decades many inclusive of me used to think as Muttuswami dikshitar because in the casette sleeve it was just put as dikshitar.

By any chance was there a speech also in the 3 hour concert . content looks may be 15 mins truncated with possible speech. All said hurray it went upto 09 45 pm

[arasi]

Harini,
Thanks for the review.
Rajesh,
Yes, FYI, I haven't heard Sri venkatESam from anyone else but Maharajapuram V, and that too in more than one concert.

Great to hear about an excellent concert by the sisters. What an interesting variety of items! Yes, some mainstay family traditional ones but such a varied fare on top of it. The garuDa dhwani opener would have really signaled a flight of a beginning to this interesting songs-filled concert. Aishwarya is capable of handling the heavies effortlessly. Wish I had heard Saundarya sing kalyANa vasantham (this student of the one of a kind wizard Neela Ramgopal).

Heritage is a big plus, but how the family tries to continue it with a lot of care is something which only a few musical families can take credit for. Nurturers are a vital part of it, to be sure...

[s.harinie]

6. Sree Venkatesan Bhajami - Kalyanavasantam - Rupakam - Ambi Dikshitar (Ragam by Saundarya)

shree venkatesham bhajAmi sathatham - kalyana vasantham - Authorship in dispute (Ambi dikshitar 0r JCWodeyar)

Thankyou for your great review s.harinie. I dont know if this number was sung by ms amma or Smt Radha. This i am assuming is a not MS school krithi. IT was popularized by maharajapuram santhanam . For many many decades many inclusive of me used to think as Muttuswami dikshitar because in the casette sleeve it was just put as dikshitar.

By any chance was there a speech also in the 3 hour concert . content looks may be 15 mins truncated with possible speech. All said hurray it went upto 09 45 pm

Thank you Rajeshnat. There was a break after Thaniavartanam with a speech by host. All artists were also honored by the sponsor. This was for around 15 minutes.
The concert which was supposed to start at 6 30 was delayed for sometime due to technical issues.
Just before the conclusion there were a few more requests from the audience. However the organizer had requested to conclude as Mangala Arati had to performed to Lord Anjaneya.
Sree Venkatesam Bhajami is not sung by MS and Radha Amma. Aishwarya mentioned after the concert that Saundarya learnt this composition from her Guru Smt Neela Ramgopal

[cienu]

Thank you S.Harinie for your review and also to Rajesh and Arasi for their comments. Please find below a few pictures from the concert. Picture credit Amarnath Ammu

A view of all the artists on the stage of Sree Ramaseva Mandali

A picture of the sisters

A picture of S Saundarya

A picture from the side of Aishwarya and Saundarya

A black and white picture of the concert

Violin Vidwan Sri Vishwajith Mattur

Mridangam Vidwan Sri Phanindra Bhaskara

Bhagyalakshmi M Krishna on the Morsing

[rajeshnat]

6. Sree Venkatesan Bhajami - Kalyanavasantam - Rupakam - Ambi Dikshitar (Ragam by Saundarya)

shree venkatesham bhajAmi sathatham - kalyana vasantham - Authorship in dispute (Ambi dikshitar 0r JCWodeyar)

Thank you Rajeshnat. There was a break after Thaniavartanam with a speech by host. All artists were also honored by the sponsor. This was for around 15 minutes.
The concert which was supposed to start at 6 30 was delayed for sometime due to technical issues.
Just before the conclusion there were a few more requests from the audience. However the organizer had requested to conclude as Mangala Arati had to performed to Lord Anjaneya.
Sree Venkatesam Bhajami is not sung by MS and Radha Amma. Aishwarya mentioned after the concert that Saundarya learnt this composition from her Guru Smt Neela Ramgopal

@RaviSri or others
May be Neela mami learnt this rare kalyanavasantham composition when she was was there in kumbakonam .
I am wondering apart from Santhanam who else has sung this composition in that era of singers .

[rajeshnat]

8. Amba Kamakshi - Bhairavi - Syama Sastri - Misra Chapu (Ragam Neraval Swaram and Thaniavartanam)

Semmangudi must have been the first vidwan to try to sing neraval to this masterpiece . There is also a doordarshan recording where the supernova doyen says i sang neraval because there is so much of bhairavi . Trend setter in many ways for sure without a compromise of sampradaya.

Ms Amma has sung all 3 swarajathis , i am wondering if MS amma has also sung the neraval to this bhairavi swarajati - my memory recollects only without neraval from ms amma. Correct me if i am wrong @cienu if ms amma has sung neraval for bhairavi swarajathi

Kudos to the sisters to take up this swarajati and sung neraval

Also is the original poster harinie the same harini who wrote the biography of Neela Ramgopal maami.

[s.harinie]

The person who wrote the
biography on Smt Neela Ramgopal - A Musical Journey, is Smt Harini Raghavan. She is a different person

[arasi]

Rajesh,
Vidushi Neela Ramgopal: being such a seasoned senior vidushi doesn't stop her from singing anything that appeals to her while she listens to other artistes. Just as her classicism is rich in content, her creativity motivates her to learn even more. While her scholarship is rich, so is her repertoire--not by its own merit alone but by singing those songs which appeal to her when she hears them from even younger musicians. That's why I think she must have picked up SrI venkateSam--by listening to Maharajapuram S. I used to wonder--with all the rich source of pATAntaram she has, how open-minded she is to sing something which she heard and liked, whichever school the musician might belong to. This spirit in her is something which keeps her music fresh.

[cienu]

8. Amba Kamakshi - Bhairavi - Syama Sastri - Misra Chapu (Ragam Neraval Swaram and Thaniavartanam)

Correct me if i am wrong @cienu if ms amma has sung neraval for bhairavi swarajathi

On very rare occasions she has sung a brief Neraval . Otherwise MS Amma has refrained from singing Neraval and Swarams for Bhairavi Swarajati.