Hyderabad Sisters at BGS, 8 Jan. 2012

[SabashBale]

Hyderabad Sisters Lalitha and Haripriya at Bangalore Gayana Samaj 5.00 pm, 8 Jan. 2012Dr Jyothsna Srikanth – Violin
A V Anand – Mridangam
G. Omkar Rao - Ghatam

1. Varavallabha (Hamsadwani) - S
2. Mayamma Nannu Broba (Nattakurinji)
3. Palimparava (Arabhi)
4. Mamava Karunaya (Shanmughapriya) - RNS
5. Not Sadamathim (Sinduramakriya)
6. Mari Mari Varchuna (Kamboji) - RNS
7. RTP (Varamu) Tisra Triputa Talam – Ragamalika Swaras in Saveri, Bahudari, Bagesri(?), Brindavana Saranga(?)
8. Purandara Dasa Devarnama (Dwijavanti?)
9. Tillana (Sumanesa Ranjani)

Well, I just created an account just to write about this, for having listened to their rare recordings for over 15 years (I must have listened to their Samayam Ippudu in Shadvitamarghini available in Sangeethapriya for over a 100 times!) and reading reviews of their concerts, listening to them live got into my 100-things-to-do-before-I-die list.

The concert started about 10 mins late since the mridangam vidwan spent quite some time tuning the instrument, which is probably why they decided to skip the varnam and went straight to the invocative piece in Hamsadwani. The swarams were very well done. Then came the Alathur school compulsion in Nattakurinji and the rare Arabhi kriti, both of which were well sung.

The alapana for the sub-main in Shanmughapriya by Haripiya, although lacking in the clichéd phrases of the raga created a good effect. Since they announced that the composition was going to be Swati Tirunal’s, I expected Mamava Karunaya and Lo and Behold! Personally, for this song, I like neraval in ‘Pankaja Naabha Showre’ where the ‘Kuruma’ is offered for the music-epicurean’s palate (which I have heard only the Bombay Sisters do) but they neravalled at the usual ‘Kamita gana lola’. However, much to my disappointment, the neraval lasted only two rounds, after which the swaras were quickly sung up to the point of the Kuraippu. One of the interesting aspects of dual singing is when the artists engage in the kuraiipu-duel and this becomes particularly interesting if the violin does not butt in to break the exchanges (which unfortunately is usually the case  ). Although the duel was not in the manner of exorcising fat ghosts, it, for me, was the first highlight of the concert and was immensely satisfying.

The filler was in Sinduramakriya after which came the Kamboji main with Lalita doing the alapana. Looked to me like her voice was not in all that fine a fettle as her sister had to chip in once when she lost it. The violinist’s response (also to the Shanmugapriya alapana) was excellent! The song was rendered in the usual pace with again a truncated neraval of only two rounds. The slow-kala swaras lasted only about two rounds and then they were sung in fast-kala. While I was fearing the cruel-truel kuraippu, Lalita grabbed it all to herself and completed it. There was about a 15 minute Tani which created a good effect without any orgasmic flourish in the end.

Well, the short neravals and swaras made me smell the RTP-rat and although they announced that it was going to be short, it turned out to be quite the ‘peruchali’ – head, tails and all! The shared alapana and tanam were brilliant and the pallavi singing had the anulomam?/pratilomam?/tisram? (I am a carnatic music novice with no training and only about 3 years of intense listening experience). The highlight of the RTP was the ragamalika swaras, which very interestingly and brilliantly were started with tanam singing that later morphed into the swaras. The ‘short’ RTP lasted at least 35 mins!!!

Then came the feared ‘bhashan’ by one of the organizers and although he spoke interestingly for about 10 minutes, the elderly lady behind me kept on thumba-maathadufying about how this person always thumba-maathadufies whenever asked to speak. This probably robbed us of at least one tukkada number. The Dwijavanti(?) Devarnama and the Sumanesaranjani Tillana were both new to me and so was the Mangalam.

The violin accompaniment was excellent. As for the mridangist, between tuning the instrument and actually playing it, there were many occasions when he kept us on the edge of our seats trying to figure out which he was doing when. The ghatam was good though.

An immensely satisfying concert for me which will last in my memory for a very long time and I left with feelings echoing the write-up of the ‘The Hindu’ review of their Dec. 2010 Chennai Music Season concert “If music is what feelings sound like ….” . Damn - I have to redo my To-die list!

[sivakami]

5. Not Sadamathim (Sinduramakriya)

was it "sudhA mAdhurya bhASaNa" by Thaygarajaa?

[SabashBale]

Yes it was! Thanks (I was struggling to remember!).

[rajeshnat]

sabashbale
Great start keep it coming. I have heard malladi brothers rendering this mari mari vachuna -kAmbOdhi about 4 or 5 years back in rAgasudhA. I was just curious after a possible "hear heavy" Shanmughapriya and Kambodhi RNS, it was nice for them to take up varamu and the swara rAgamaliga cluster of 4 ragas that you mentioned . Also that dwijAvanti and sumanesaranjani tail is a lovely choice too, I guess being a "peruchAli" theme they kept up well with the m(o)use . Hoping to hear these sisters soon...

[arasi]

Sabashbale,
Very nice review! Welcome to Rasikas.org and to reviewing!

Coming under the new coinage of words category is your 'neravaling'. Who knows? It may enter the English language to mean, trying to convince one with different arguments

Rajesh,
Bandicoot? Come on!

[bilahari]

Sabashbale, great start and welcome to the forum! I'm going to dig up this samayam ippuDu on S'priya.

[srikant1987]

Sabash! Bale! Great review!

Welcome to the forum!

[SabashBale]

Thanks for the more-than-warm welcome . With profound apologies, a few corrections and fillings-in of the blanks:

1. Mayamma Nannu Brova (Nattakurinji)

2. Palimpa Rava Melara (Arabhi)

3. One of the tukkada pieces was 'Gummana Kareyadire' in SalagaVarali. It was extremely beautifully sung. Is the raga in any way allied to Dwijavanti?

4. The Sumanesha Ranjani Tillana was composed by Madurai Srinivasan and had the lines 'Karunai mazhai pozhiyum kalaimagale, aaru kalaikkellam thalaimagale ..'.

5. The pallavi was 'Mahamaye Jaganmate Ananda Rahite, Mahalakshmi Namostute' and was set to Misra Chapu Triputa Talam. I checked with my wife about the ragamalika swarams - the third and fourth WERE in Bagesri and Brindavana Saranga - Hoo! I am improving!

[khanjirachavana]

SabashBhale,

Nice to see your comment that it was a very nice concert. But I felt a little confused about your comments on the senior mridangist Vid. A.V. Anand. Are you trying to say that he wasted the time of the concert? Considering his age (75+), his experience, his contribution in the field, I seriously feel there should have been a little more respectful comment from a rasika.
Sorry I couldnt help writing this comment as I am a huge fan of his playing.

[SabashBale]

@khanjirachavana: I didn't mean any disrespect, but just pointed out in a lighter vein that considerable time was lost due to the vidwan taking time to tune the instrument a number of times. While in many concerts, the artists come with the instruments almost pre-tuned and they pretty much stay put at sruti throughout the concert, in this case, close to 10 mins was lost to tuning before the concert began and then additional time was lost on a few other occasions. So, the bigger question is: When does a mrudangam or for that matter, any other musical instrument keep losing sruthi?