Ranjani and Gayatri,Kalasagaram,Hyderabad,2-12-10

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The duo gave a scintillating performance in Hyderabad, for the Kalasagaram's 43rd Annual Cultural Festival. From the beginning till the end, the concert was extremely enjoyable! The duo performed in Hyderabad literally after two years. They enthralled the audience with their versatility. The way their voices synced and the support the accompaniments provided made the show a super hit. In all the concerts I heard this time, this was the best one.

Ranjani and Gayatri
Violin-Sri H N Bhaskar
Mridangam-Sri Delhi S Sairam
Ghatam-Sri K V Gopalakrishnan

1.Saranga Varnam
2.Vande Vasudevam-Sri-Annamacharya[S]
3.Akhilandeswari-Dwijavanthi-Dikshitar
4.Ninne Nera-Panthuvarali-Thyagaraja[R,N,S]
5.Vazhi marai-Nata kurinji-Gopala Krishna bharathi
6.Lalithey Sri-Bhairavi-Thyagaraja[R,S,T]
7.Mara vairi-Nasikabhushani-Thyagaraja
8.RTP-Khamas
"Brochevarevarura Ninu vina raghuvamsa deepa oo rama nannu"
Swarakalpana in Bowli,Ranjani,Des and Sindhu bhairavi
9.Virutham-Simhendra madhyamam, Hamsanandhi, Hindolam
Nambi Kettavar-Hindolam-Papanasam Sivan
10.Abhang-Bhatiyar-Tukaram

The concert began with the Saranga varnam which was rendered it two speeds. A short outline of Sri Raagam was followed by the famous krithi of Annamacharya "Vande Vasudevam" It was rendered neatly and a round of swarams in madhyama kaalam was done at the line "Saraseeruhananam" Then they sang the evergreen composition of Dikshitar in Dwijavanthi, "Akhilandeswari Rakshamam" which was rendered very beautifully and the Hindusthani shades of the raga was highlighted in the composition. They were simply perfect when they sang this composition

The sub main piece of the concert was Panthuvarali. The alapana was taken up by Ranjani and it was simply outstanding. The alapana went for a long while and Ranjani was applauded very well by the audience for her alapana. Then they switched over to the krithi "Ninnu nera namminanu ra" of Thyagaraja. They did a detail neraval for the lines "Veda Sastra" followed by a round of brisk swarams. It was a treat to listen to this song. The next piece was the krithi of Gopala krishna bharathi in Nata kurinji. Before singing this song, they narrated the story of Nandanar's encounter with the Nandi blocking the view of Shiva Ling at Tirupungur. The rendition was slow and beautiful. Few lines of the song were sung in a manner where Ranjani sung at a lower level of her voice while Gayatri touched the peaks of her voice, beautifying the rendition even more.

The main piece was Bhairavi. The alapana was initiated by Gayatri. It went for a long amount of time and was not very special when compared to the way Panthuvarali was rendered. It was not bad either. They sang the krithi and did a round of swarams at the pallavi. It was followed by thaniavarthanam which was really good! The filler was in Nasikabhooshani, "Mara Vairi Ramani" which was simply superb. Nasika bhooshani is one of my favorite ragas and the way they rendered it was superb! The sangathis they sang were seriously captivating.

The Ragam thanam Pallavi was the high light of the concert. Its been quite a while since Hyderabad rasikas got to listen to a Ragam Thanam Pallavi. It was the best part of the concert. They choose the well known raga, and the raga loved by all, Khamas. The pallavi was set to Kanda Triputa. The pallavi line was extracted from the well known "Brochevarevarura" of Mysore Vasudevchar. The ragam and thanam rounds were entertaining. The support provided by the violinist was really wonderful. The swarakalpana was interesting, They kept changing the nadais and the swarakalpana was done in a real beautiful manner. I never heard an elaborate rendition of Khamas in a live concert. So I enjoyed it thoroughly. The swarakalpana in ragamalika was done later. Bowli and Des were sung by Ranjani and the other two ragas by Gayatri.

The virutham was "Katra Kalviyum" sung in Simhendra madhyamam, Hamsanandhi and Hindolam. Followed by the very enjoyable piece of Papanasam Sivan. The concert concluded with an abhang in Bhatiyar, which was a request from the audience. They explained the meaning of the beautiful abhang. The abhang was "Bolava Vittala" I hear them sing this song but every time they elevate one to a different level. The short outline of the raga they did was outstanding, wish they did it for a longer while. I am a big fan of this raga. The abhang was seriously a wonderful piece. I heard that it was tuned by them. That shows their mastery in music, dealing with a Hindusthani raga! Felt really enthralled listening to this song.

The Hyderabad sisters were present at the concert and I overheard them talking to Ranjani and Gayatri. The duo of Hyderabad showered encomiums on Ranjani and Gayatri. It feels good to see artistes appreciating each other. Hyderabad sisters are one of my favorite duo! The way they sing simply mesmerizes me! I wish someone gives their Chennai concert reviews in this season, for they always have a wonderful song list. Coming back to the concert. The concert was very much enjoyable. If I am not exaggerating, I can say I did not enjoy any concert like this in recent times.