Musicians,events,anecdotes and tid-bits

[RR]

Nithyashree Mahadevan in a way represents the basic postulate of Carnatic music — Sruthi Matha and Layam Pitha. For, her mother Lalitha Sivakumar, daughter of Palghat Mani Iyer, is an accomplished vocalist and father I. Sivakumar, son of D.K.Pattammal, is a talented mridanga vidwan. A casual interaction with the high energy performer.

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/03/14/s...1451080200.htm

[V.Annasamy]

Following are my Carnatic Vocal Concerts at Chennai. Request my Chennai based friends to make it convenient to attend:

1) 6.45 pm to 9 pm at Music Club, IIT Madras (Management Studies Deptt) on 26/03/08.

2) 5.00 pm to 6.30 pm at Raga Sudha Hall, Mylapore on 06/04/08.

- V.Annasamy -

[RR]

Language is no barrier

Earnest rasikas of Carnatic music tend to be moved by the songs of Tyagaraja, Dikshitar or Purandaradasa even if they don’t know Telugu, Sanskrit or Kannada.

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/06/13/s...1351130400.htm

[gaddeswarup]

Rare video of Sarojini Naidu's introduction of M.S. subbulakshmi to North Indian audience:

[wrap07]

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/09/12/s...1251180100.htm

Flowing in graceful lines

PHOTO: C. RATHEESH KUMAR

REVERED: The steps of the Padmanabhaswamy temple on which people sit to enjoy the recitals.



The Navaratri kritis composed by Maharaja Swati Tirunal are celebrated for their prosodic beauty. Of the nine kritis in praise of Devi, the first six are dedicated to Saraswati and the last three to Parvati.

The simple, elegant lyrics flow in graceful lines that employ time-honoured poetic devices such as prasa (rhyme), dvitiakshara prasa (alliteration in the second letter of each line) and adhyapada prasa (alliteration in the first segment) highlighted by the use of upama (simile), roopaka (metaphor) and utpreksha (fancy).
Praise for deity


The content encompasses praise for the deity (sthuti), a description of the goddess’ attributes and a plea for unwavering devotion towards Devi (bhakti). The kritis are styled in the ‘Pahimam’ mode, seeking divine protection from trials and tribulations, with the composer using the sambodhana vibhakthi (vocative case) and the prathama vibhakthi (nominative case).

Each kriti has a short pallavi and anupallavi followed by multiple charanams. The first kriti has four charanams while the rest have three charanams each. The first six kritis have lengthy charanams while the last three kritis have charanams with a simpler, compact structure.

The first six kritis are set to chowka kala (slow tempo) although madhyamakala passages feature at the close of the anupallavi or the charanams from the second kriti onwards. The last three kritis are set in madhyama kala (medium tempo). The middle three kritis are distinguished by the use of solkattu (rhythmic syllables) in the anupallavi.

The compositions bring out the inherent grandeur, majesty and luminosity of the ragas in which they have been set — Sankarabharanam, Kalyani, Saveri, Thodi, Bhairavi, Pantuvarali, Suddhasaveri, Nattakurinji and Arabhi, through their gait and melodic structure. Among them, the Arabhi kriti is most favoured by musicians, possibly on account of the easy, effortless flow of lyric. A noteworthy aspect of the Kalyani kriti is the incorporation of characteristic features of Sopana Sangeetham. Both the Kalyani and the Pantuvarali kritis are marked by the absence of mandhra sthayi (lower octave) sancharas.

[wrap07]

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/09/12/s...1251190100.htm

What it is all about


The concerts begin exactly at 6 pm and conclude at 8.30 pm. A bell is rung at 8.30 p.m. No person is allowed to arrive late or leave early. Before the main kriti, a raga alapana is rendered and thaanam is sung/played to mridangam accompaniment.

The mangalam is sung only at the end of the concert on the concluding day.

The wall behind the artist is decorated with a large beautiful mural of goddess Durga, seated on her simhavahana (lion mount) and flanked by female attendants.

Applause is forbidden.

Hundreds of listeners sit on the steps outside the Padmanabhaswami temple, enjoying the music relayed through loudspeakers for their benefit.

On one evening, a dance recital featuring a noted dancer is scheduled, after the concert and evening puja.

The Mandapam is adjacent to the Padmanabhaswami temple premises and becomes a place of worship for nine days. Hence, certain restrictions are in place — only Hindus are allowed entry, no mobile phones, no photography or private audio/video recordings, the listeners within the Mandapam must sit on the floor and the dress code for males is mundu/veshti/dhoti and no shirts though an upper garment (angavastram) is allowed.

The festival is conducted by the Navarathri Trust. Donations are exempt from income tax under Section 80G.

The schedule


September 30 — T.M. Krishna

October 1 — Master Balamuralikrishna

October 2 — Parassala Ponnammal

October 3 — Sankaran Namboothiri

October 4 — T.V. Gopalakrishnan

October 5 — Prince Rama Varma

October 6 — Trichur Ramachandran, Deepthi Omcherry Bhalla (Mohiniyattom)

October 7 — Amrutha Venkatesh

October 8 — Thamarakkad Govindan Namboothiri

[padmanabha]

Swathi Sangeethotsavam at Kuthiramalika. Jan 6 to 15, 2009.

the Swathi Sangeethotsavam at Kuthiramalika Palace, Trivandrum, have ten concerts as opposed to the usual seven. So the dates would be from the 6th till the 15th of January. As always, the concerts are not ticketed and as always, music lovers are most welcome....the more the merrier.
Mobile phones and children would have to be kept in the silent mode though, thank you very much
The concerts start at 6:00 pm sharp, God willing and go on till whenever the artists feel like winding
up. (Usually till a bit after 9:00 pm though we Have had concerts that finished at 10:45 pm too.)

Here is the schedule.

Tuesday, January 6th. 6:00 pm onwards.

Sri Sanjay Subrahmanyan - Carnatic Vocal
Sri S.Varadarajan - Violin
Mannargudi Sri.A.Easwaran - Mridangam
Dr.S.Karthick - Ghatam
Payyannur Govindaprasad - Morsing



Wednesday, January 7th. 6:00 pm onwards.

Malladi Sri Suribabu - Carnatic Vocal
Sri S.Varadarajan - Violin
Sri P.Satheeshkumar - Mridangam
Dr.S.Karthick - Ghatam
Payyannur Govindaprasad - Morsing



Thursday, January 8th. 6:00 pm onwards.

Prof.M.Venkateshkumar and party - Hindusthani Vocal




Friday, January 9th. 6:00 pm onwards.

Sri.Prasanna Venkataraman - Carnatic Vocal
Sri S.R.Vinu - Violin
Cherthala Sri Ananthakrishnan - Mridangam
Adichanalloor Sri Anil Kumar - Ghatam



Saturday, January 10th. 6:00 pm onwards.

Smt.Parassala B.Ponnammal - Carnatic Vocal
Dr.Hemalatha - Violin
Kallekulangara Sri Unnikrishnan - Mridangam
kannur Shri Santhosh - Morsingh




Sunday, January 11th. 6:00 pm onwards.

Prince Rama Varma - Veena
Sri B.Harikumar - Mridangam
Manjoor Shri Unnikrishnan - Ghatam
Kottayam Murali - Morsing




Monday, January 12th. 6:00 pm onwards.

Ms.Amrutha Venkatesh - Carnatic Vocal
Shri Madhavan - Violin
Nanjil Shri A.R.Arul - Mridangam
Manjoor Shri Unnikrishnan - Ghatam



Tuesday, January 13th. 6:00 pm onwards.



Kunnakudi Shri M.Balamuralikrishna - Carnatic Vocal
Shri S.R.Mahadeva Sharma - Violin
Palakkad Shri K.S. Mahesh - Mridangam
Shri P.L.Sudhir - Ghatam




Wednesday, January 14th. 6:00 pm onwards.



Thamarakkad Shri Govindan Namboothiri - Carnatic Vocal
Edappalli Shri Ajith - Violin
Cherthala Shri S.Dinesh - Mridangam
Udippi Shri S.Srikanth



Thursday, January 15th. 6:00 pm onwards.

Smt.Ranjini and Gayatri - Carnatic Vocal
Mysore Sri Srikanth - Violin
Shri Arun Prakash - Mridangam
Udippi Sri Sridhar - Ghatam





Please contact kuthiramalika@gmail.com for enquiries and feedback.





Please read the review of the 2002 series in The Music Magazine
http://www.themusicmagazine.com/swathifete02.html
Please read the review of the 2003 series
Carnatica.net http://www.carnatica.net/kudiramalika03.htm
A Royal gift of Music (Kuthiramalika Concerts)
http://www.kuwaitsamachar.com/ks/news/music.htm

Best wishes in advance for a very happy 2009.

[R.Latha]

1. Melodic statements on the violin
The concert by Lalgudi GJR Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi brimmed with musical intensity. And Sriranjani’s rendition displayed her confidence.

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/01/30/s...3050560300.htm


2. Deft handling of ragas
The mega festival was given whole-hearted support by the audience as eminent artists performed.

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/01/30/s...3050570300.htm


3.Rich repertoire
Total commitment, involved articulation and elegance characterised the vocal concert of T.M. Krishna at the Pongal music festival of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Coimbatore.
He enthralled the audience with a stirring ...

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/01/30/s...3050590300.htm

4.Majesty of the elephant
It was no ordinary East-meets-West kind of performance.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/01/30/s...3051250300.htm


5. NARADA GANA SABHA
Spotlight on Kerala composers
Neela Ramgopal presented glimpses of the works of a few.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/01/30/s...3051230300.htm


6. When the strings sing
Sriram Parasuram enlightened listeners with details of various bowing techniques and their varying bhava.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/01/30/s...3051270300.htm


7. Aggression prevailed
Gottuvadyam was left far behind as the flute and violin dominated.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/01/30/s...3051320400.htm

[R.Latha]

[tscii]1.On the bhakti trip

Nagamani Srinath has a new achievement up her sleeve. She has recorded 101 Haridasa songs, which come in different styles
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/01/30/s...3050760200.htm

2. Dulcet notes

Gayatri and Sangeeta’s performances were marked by clarity of expression
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/01/30/s...3050780300.htm

3. Love meets music

Ruhaniyat, the Sufi Music Festival, brought mesmerising poetry set to soulful music
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/01/30/s...3050810300.htm

4.Tradition renewed

Ananya brings concerts in the guru-shishya parampara this weekend in Bangalore

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/01/30/s...3050830400.htm

[R.Latha]

1. Hearing with the mind’s eye
Apart from the usual concerts, the serial on the Ramayan is a listener’s delight.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/f...0/deliindx.htm