Veena Cocert by Smt Geetha Bennet in Los Angeles on Oct 23

[veeyens3]

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Smt. Geetha Bennet, accompanied by Sri Sriram Brahmanandam on Mrudangam and Sri Ravi Balasubramanian on Ghatam, gave a a sedate satisfying concert on Oct 23 2010 under the banner of S.I.M.A in Los Angeles. Since all the artists are residents of U.S.A, the hassels of sponsorship, visa, and local travel arrangements were rendered unneccessary. The song list is as follows:

1. Sri Raga Varnam A text book presentation in three kalams
2. A Raghunayaka clone in Tamil by Papanasam Sivan 3
3. Sogasuga Sri Ranjani
4. Hescharika Yadukula Kambodhi
5. NaadaNilai Kanduruga Gayakapriya Koteeswara Iyer
6. A thevaram in Pann Thakkasi
7. Pankaja Lochana Kalyani Swathi Tirunal Main Ragam
followed by Thani by the percussion artists
8. Bavapriye Bavani Dr. S.Ramanathan
9. Ragam Thanam Pallavi Sindhu Bairavi, Kuntalavarali ,Ranjani and Kaanada
Pallavi “Pankaja Netram Parama Pavithram Venkatadri Nilayam Gopala”
10. Brahmam Okade Sri Annamachari
11. Ragamalika Bageswari, hamsanandi desh followed by Purandaradas Devarnama
12. Ever Popular Kurai Onrom Illai Raga Malika
13. Tillan by Dr Vinjamuri Varada Raja Iyengar in raga Sankari S G2 PN2 (according to my understanding, subject to correction by more qualified)
14. Mangalam

I left the concert with a feeling of Sowkyam the nearest english equivalent I could think of is is contentment, peace, static equibilirium. A special mention must be made of
the accompanying artists who complimented the main artiste without competing with her. I should also mention about the Nadam of the Ghatam which was more like “Tirchur Vengalam” a kind of bronze. I was told that the special clay found near Virudhunagar, in Tamil Nadu, which is the raw material for making Ghatam contains some metals in microscopic quantities and in case of Sri Balasubramanian”s ghatam, it might contain some tin and zinc also. May Sri Rama bless the artists

[arasi]

Veeyens,
Happy to know you could make it to such a good concert and would write a review too (putting the young ones to shame!).
Yes, it was a 'dESi' concert--as it used to be in the good old days, when you went to hear concerts of the locals (some of them giants), all without any complicated arrangements or hoopla. The nearest thing today is NAda Inbam concerts?
About the iron incorporated ghaTam: I like their emphatic nAdam. Even an expertly played ghaTam, if it is mild sounding, loses its full effect on me (personal? hard of hearing?).
I am glad there are more vINA concerts these days. Geetha is continuing her father's tradition and I hope she plays in many other places too!

[veeyens3]

I am being informed that the correct pann for the thevaram is
pandalam The error is regretted