Carnatica Brothers@Cleveland Thyagaraj Aradhana

sjm · Post by **sjm** » 21 Apr 2007, 06:26

Vocal:Carnatica Brothers(K.N.Shashikiran & Chitravina Ganesh)
Violin:Nagai Muralidharan
Mridangam:Srimushnam Rajarao & Tanjavore Murugabhupathi
Date:April 14th,2007
Time:4p.m(scheduled) but started @5p.m

Song List
1.Viriboni(Varnam)-Bhairavi-Khanda jati Ata talam-Pachmiriam Aadiappaiyer
2.SevikavEndummaiyya-Aandolika-Adi-Muthuthandavar
3.Hiranmayi LakshmIm-Lalita-Rupakam-Muthuswami Dhikshitar
4.Thyagarajayoga Vaibhavam-Anandabhairavi-Tishra jati Eka talam-Muthuswami Dhikshitar
5.BhogIndra ShAyinam-Kuntalavarali-Khandachapu-Swati Tirunal
6.Tulasibhilwa-Kedaragowla-Adi-Thyagarajar
7.Maithreem Bhajata-Ragamalika-Adi-Shankaracharya

Last week's Carnatica Brothers' concert in the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradana festival was one of the few good concerts I got to attend. Inspite of major glitches in the sound system,a brilliant performance by the vocal duo Sri K.N. Shashikiran & Sri Chitravina P.Ganesh.Nagai Muralidharan's support on the violin was elegant.The double mridangam support by Srimushnam Rajarao & Tanjavore Murugabhupati was spectacular.
Sri Shashikiran rendered a soulful raga alapanai in Lalita while Sri Ganesh rendered an elaborate alapanai in kedaragowla.I guess it was due to the time constraints imposed on them by the organisers,that they could not sing any RTP.Being brilliant exponents in Pallavi rendition,they would have definitely planned for a special RTP for this occassion.Too bad,we all missed out on it.
I must say the brothers do possess unbelievably good temperament.First of all their concert was behind schedule by one hour & worst of all the mike arrangement was goofed up.Is it a coincidence that even last year the sound system was messed up during their concert?Atleast last year their concert was longer & complete.I remember they rendered an elaborate RTP.
The audio team & organisers need to be better prepared to prevent such fiascos in future.It bothered us a great deal as we had driven a long distance in bad weather to attend their concert.Hats off to the Carnatica brothers that they did not allow the audio commotion affect their performance.
Overall a short & sweet concert.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 21 Apr 2007, 06:42

I find Shashikiran and Ganesh affable and easy going. They don't come across as being temperamental or 'uppitty'. From what you say, it seems as if they don't get upset over unavoidable things...

hsuvarna · Post by **hsuvarna** » 23 Apr 2007, 20:53

We had them here in SIFA, Sanjose yesterday. The artists flew all the way from east
getting up at 3.30am and reaching san jose around 1pm to start the concert exactly at 2pm. What a concert they gave. Contray to some other reviews during this US tour, they were simply magnificent. They did a RTP in chakravakam, baaguga...muruga... with raagamalika, which was quite quite elaborate. People were just mesmerised. The main piece was a mukhari (emani varnintu shabari ..).
Superb aalapana, swarakalpana and sang with bhaava. It just pierced into the hearts. They are quite prime time artists. They finished with Maitrim.. They sang a couple of tamil songs, I don't remember the lyrics.
But the listening experience was great. Me being non-technical listener, found melody, rythm and soothing in their music.
Muruga Bhhopathy was good and the mridangam did not sound excessively and blended well. Nagai Sriram, seemed a young violinist, played remarkably well to match the brothers.

The body language was very interesting with Ganesh indicating the path (ups, downs, slides...) of song with his fingers during aalapana. Shashi Kiran was posing so well even if he is not singing, as if singing. This gives a very good picture of picking up from the partner or joing the partner as though not discontinued.

Being a simple rasika, I was greatly satisfied.

ramakriya · Post by **ramakriya** » 23 Apr 2007, 21:34

hsuvarna wrote:They did a RTP in chakravakam, baaguga...muruga... with raagamalika, which was quite quite elaborate.

The text for pallavi was

vA guha muruga ShanmugA vallI manALanE

It was set to khanDa tripuTa, starting after 5 counts.

The rAgamAlika swaras were in ratnAngi, dhEnuka, gourI manOhari and nAgAnandini.

I went in during the tAna, and missed whaterver they sang earlier. After pallavi, they sang a pada in bEgaDe, velli tAmarai (?) in abhEri, tillAna in bindumAlini, ( Is it LalguDi's?) and concluded with maitrIm bhajata.

-Ramakriya

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 23 Apr 2007, 21:36

hsuvarna wrote:The main piece was a mukhari (emani varnintu shabari ..).

Very likely it should be entani nE varNintunu shabarI - mukhAri -ThyagarAja

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 23 Apr 2007, 21:46

ramakriya wrote:After pallavi, they sang a pada in bEgaDe,

which padam? by chance, did they sing 'yAlA padarE'???

ramakriya · Post by **ramakriya** » 23 Apr 2007, 22:03

rbharath wrote:
ramakriya wrote:After pallavi, they sang a pada in bEgaDe,
which padam? by chance, did they sing 'yAlA padarE'???

No, I forget the beginning words, but definitely not the one you are mentioning.

Shashikiran said it is a bit of both a pada and a jAvaLi.

-Ramakriya

nivedita · Post by **nivedita** » 23 Apr 2007, 22:12

rbharath, ramakriya,

I believe it was idi nIku in behAg.

ramakriya · Post by **ramakriya** » 23 Apr 2007, 22:19

nivedita wrote:rbharath, ramakriya,

I believe it was idi nIku in behAg.

No no! Fortunately

I hope, I can distinguish a bEgaDe from a bEhAg

Just in jest!

-Ramakriya

nivedita · Post by **nivedita** » 23 Apr 2007, 22:30

Oops, I meant begaDa. Was half asleep when I typed that, I'm sorry!

It was idi nIku in bEgaDa.

Suji Ram · Post by **Suji Ram** » 23 Apr 2007, 22:42

ramakriya wrote:velli tAmarai (?) in abhEri,
-Ramakriya

veLLai tAmarai is Subramania Bharati 's in bhImpalAs

nivedita · Post by **nivedita** » 23 Apr 2007, 23:09

Here's the song list for their CMANA concert in NJ on 21st:

1. sarasijanAbha (varnam) â€“ kAmbhOji â€“ aTa - Vadivelu
2. jaya jaya â€“ nATTai â€“ khaNDa cApu â€“ Purandaradasa
3. jaya jaya padmanAbhAnujEsha â€“ maNirang â€“ Adi â€“ Swati Tirunal (S)
4. sEshAcala nAyakam â€“ varALi â€“ rUpakam â€“ Muthuswamy Dikshithar (R, N, S)
5. janani ninnuvinA â€“ rItigauLa â€“ misra cApu â€“ Subbaraya Shastri
6. varuvArO varam taruvArO â€“ sAma â€“ Adi â€“ Gopalakrishna Bharathi
7. rAvE himagiri kumAri (svarajati) â€“ tODi - Adi â€“ Shyama Shastri
8. eTiyOcanalu â€“ kiranAvaLi â€“ Adi â€“ Tyagaraja (S)
9. RTP â€“ â€œvaibhavam - yOga vaibhavam â€“ rAja yOga vaibhavam â€“ tyAgarAja yOga â€“ â€œ â€“ pUrvikalyANi â€“ srothovaha yathi pallavi, set to khaNDa tripuTa
(ragamalika swarams â€“ valaji (Shashikiran), brindAvani (Sriram) and behAg (Ganesh) )
10. parulanna mATa (jAvaLi) â€“ kApi â€“ rUpakam â€“ Dharmapuri Subbarayar
11. venkaTAcala nilayam â€“ sindubhairavi â€“ Adi - Purandaradasa
12. ranjani mAlA â€“ Adi â€“ Tanjavur Shankara Iyer
13. gOvardana giridara â€“ darbAri kAnaDa â€“ Adi â€“ Narayana Theertha
14. Tillana â€“ senjurutti â€“ Adi â€“ Krishnarajendra Wodeyar

ramakriya · Post by **ramakriya** » 23 Apr 2007, 23:27

nivedita wrote:14. Tillana â€“ senjurutti â€“ Adi â€“ Krishnarajendra Wodeyar

Prob'ly vINe SeShaNNa's dhiranA tana dhIMta diranA ?

-Ramakriya

nivedita · Post by **nivedita** » 23 Apr 2007, 23:31

Yes, it was dhiranA tana dhImta dirana, but according to the vocalists, it is a composition of Krishnarajendra Wodeyar.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 23 Apr 2007, 23:46

nivedita wrote:Yes, it was dhiranA tana dhImta dirana, but according to the vocalists, it is a composition of Krishnarajendra Wodeyar.

Been here before. This is a composition of SEShaNNa only. kRShNarAja oDeyar, the patron finds mention, and is actually being addressed here as (vinara suguNasAndra SrIkRShNarAjEndra)

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 24 Apr 2007, 01:18

drshrikaanth wrote:
nivedita wrote:Yes, it was dhiranA tana dhImta dirana, but according to the vocalists, it is a composition of Krishnarajendra Wodeyar.
Been here before. This is a composition of SEShaNNa only. kRShNarAja oDeyar, the patron finds mention, and is actually being addressed here as (vinara suguNasAndra SrIkRShNarAjEndra)

DRS,
This is one of the few tillAnAs Smt MSS has sung, right? If I got that right, you are a good teacher - If I got that wrong, I obviously did not pay enough attention!

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 24 Apr 2007, 02:17

rshankar wrote:DRS,
This is one of the few tillAnAs Smt MSS has sung, right? If I got that right, you are a good teacher - If I got that wrong, I obviously did not pay enough attention!

Set your doubts aside. You have paid rapt attention

msureshh · Post by **msureshh** » 06 May 2007, 21:52

Here is the full list of what they sang in San Jose, CA - SIFA. Please feel free to make corrections if there are any.

1. vanajaksha - Reetigowla ata thala varnam
2. pranavakaram - Arabhi (S)
3. Ne jesina - Purnachandrika - (S)
4. Enta ninne - Mukhari (R, N, S)
5. Hari narayana - Kedaram
6. Samukhana - Kokilavarali (S)
7. Chakravagam RTP - Lyrics: va guha muruga shanmuga valli devyanai manala
Swaram in: Chakravagam, Ratnangi, Dhenuka, Gowrimanohari, Naganandini (the pattern was that one ragam was taking from each of the first 6 chakrams)
8. Idhi neeku - Begada
9. Vellai thamarai - Bhimplas

Special recognition must be made for the RTP, Enta ninne, and swarams in Kokilavarali