Sikkil Gurucharan @ NGS, 22/Dec/2011

[sankark]

Sikkal Gurucharan - Vocal
Mysore Srikanth - Violin
Karaikudi Mani - Mridangam
Suresh - Ghatam

Sikkal Singaravela (Varnam) - Ritigowlai - Adi - Sikkal Neela & Kunjumani
Mahaganapate - Hamsadhwani - Adi - Indira Natesan? (S). Didn't enliven the concert after the fantastic start of the varnam. The lyrics didn't seem to have a flow and so the song overall suffered.
Seeta manohara - Ramamanohari/Ramapriya - Adi - Thyagaraja (RS)
Sri sankara guruvaram - Nagaswarali - Rupakam - Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan
Sarasa sama mridu - Gowrimanohari - Adi - Swati Tirunal (RNST). I thought of Gowrimanohari only because it sounded karaharapriya/kiravnish. Lengthy alapana and violin return altogether about 25 - 30 mins. When the RNS part concluded it was already about 55 mins and then the tani started. Was there till the first 15 mins of Tani and then had to leave for Sanjay @ MA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXr-nnBgQ9Q this one is for Sanjay singing this song. Have to check later how it sounds there. Has any one else sung this one?

[arunk]

I was there for about 1.5 - and was glad to catch the relatively uncommon ramamanohari and gaurimanohari in detailed forms. This was easily the most detailed gaurimanohari that i have heard. I loved the swarakshara on the opening line (... mrdu pada nitinilaya)

BTW, Ramamanohari is not the same as ramapriya although I guess like vegavahini and cakravaham, there have been erosion of differences (e.g. I learned smarAmyaham in rAmapriya). Ramamanohari does not have ni in arohana - and thus is s r g m p d s | s n d p m g r s as opposed to the srgmpdns|sndpmgrs of ramaoriya. Yesterday, Sikkil Gurucharan stuck faithfully to ramamanohari" s pds in both alapana and swaras.

Arun

[carnatricks]

i have heard a couple of sgc concerts before. wasn't too impressed. it did not have the wow factor for me. his real plus is his pleasant voice which makes everything he sings sound nice to the ears which is what everyone looks for first. so he definitely scores in that department. this concert was better than his other 2 concerts i heard. the one thing i am not fond of is his raga and keerthanam selection. just a personal opinion. i felt a begada or a sahana with this list with a dikshitar keerthanam would have done a world of justice to raise the concert to another level. ramamanohari and gowrimanohari in the same concert and elaboration for both, considering both are merely scales did not add a contrast for me. his delivery was fine and krm on the mridangam was brilliant. mysore srikanth was much better than the vocalist in my opinion. suresh was apt with his responses and his camaraderie with sri krm is known to all. looking fwd to hear a more well listed sgc concert in the near future.