Concert Reviews

[viggop]

1-1-2006 at Tamizisai- ANNAMALAI MANRAM

The year started gloriously with the Pasurams of Mudalazvars. TNS usually gives thematic concerts in Tamizisai every year. He has given conceerts on Kambha Ramayana, Thayumanavar padalgal, Arutpa of Vallalar and Tiruppugaz in the last few years and several other compositons earlier. This year he chose the pasurams of poigai Azvar, Bhoothathazvar and Peyazvar, who were the first among the azvars and hence were called Mudhalaazvars. The story goes that all the three were taking shelter in a small place where the Lord Himself came and gave them His darsan. TNS brought this out before our eyes through his music.
TNS, after an inspiring short speech on the devotional aspect of the compositions started with’ Pallandu pallandu ‘ in a traditional manner and then sang the invocatory verses on the three azvars by Mudaliyandan and then proceeded to sing the first pasuram of each of the three, all set in nattai raga, thus setting the scene for devotional fervour. The first pasurams are really beautiful in their meaning which was vividly portrayed by the music and one could feel the emotional content. We had a glimpse of the Lord in the lamp lit by the music in keeping with the words of the azvars, ‘Vaiyam thagaliya.varkadale neyyaga veyyakkadiron vilakkaga etc. and felt the meaning of the words thirukkanden, ponmeni kanden.
He selected sets of three pasurams, consisting of the compositions of all the three, set in ragas various ragas which included the piece in Ahiri, ‘Parkadalum venkatamum’ which is one of the favourites of his rasikas. After leading the audience gradually into the sanctum sanctorum through the pasurams steeped in devotion and soaked in the essence of the beautiful ragas TNS brought everybody to the divine presence of the Lord , the glimpse of whom was obtained earlier, in the pasuram’namam pala solli narayana’ which was sung in Bhairavi with niraval svaram . We witnessed the whole thirumanjanam of the Lord performed with the raga alapana and svaraprasthara , the madhyamakala svara serving as the sahasranama archana. The pasuram ‘adivannam thamarai’ sung as a viruththam before ‘Namam pala solli’ which was set to thala, presented the scene of the lotus rising from its roots and blossoming out and the Pasuram ended aptly with the word ‘azagu’ The beauty of the music depicted in the pasuram was in keeping with that of the lyric and was a fitting prologue to the niraval at ‘karumamugilvannan.’ The audience had the elated feeling of having visited the temple and witnessed the thirumanjanam of the Lord. What an experience on the first day of the year!


31-12-2005- Nadhabrahmam- Bharathiyavidyabhavan
The concertbegan with varnam in Mohanam followed by ‘ragaratnamaloikache’ in raga Reethigoula.Next was ‘Nayakanai ninra ‘, tiruppavai in the raga Nayaki. The main piece was ‘Sarojadalanethtri’ in Snkarabharanam which was preceded by ‘Samajavaragamana’ in raga Hindolam which was beautiful .The Sankarabharanam had all the usual embellishments in which TNS was ably aided by TNASKrishna. The concert was short and sweet and ended with ashtapadi ‘chandanacharchitha’ in Behag preceded by a padham in Saveri by Kshethrajna.

30-12-2005 at woodlands – felicitation of Thiruchi Sankaran.- MORNING
TNS gave a concert after the felicitation function. The speech of TNS felicitating Thiruchi Sankaran and the other awardees, one of them being his own disciple Madurai Sundar, was as excellent as his music that followed. A lunch was announced after the concert but the rasikas felt ‘Do we need food after this?’ as they were filled with the delicious music. It was short but sweet.
Beginning with Sriragvarnam TNS launched on to ‘Telisirama ‘ Poornachandrika and ‘Nenarunchinanu’ in Malavi. I say ‘launched’; because they were forceful like rockets.
Next came a big surprise. TNS sang ‘Nadhathanumanisam’ in Chittharanjani raga, with suddhanishadham, as janya of19th melakartaraga Jankaradwani instead of the usual form, sung as janya of Kharaharapriya. He said that it was the old tradition and later it was changed, may be due to the fact that the song is about Lord Siva who is kharaharapriya, dear to Rama , the killer of khara and because it contains the words samavedasaram , and the samaveda consists of the notes of Kharaharapriya. However the raga as sung by him was indeed chiththaranjani when listened with an open mind.
The Hamsanadham that followed was also quaint because it was the version found in old patantharam like that of Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavathar in which it is sung as a janya of Neethimathi with shatsruthi dhaivatham. TNS sang the kriti composed in this form of the raga by Muthiah Bhagavathar.knowmn as Sivasthothrakriti,’ Krpanidhe krpajaladhe.’
TNS then sang ‘Karunajuchuninu in Sriragam a Shyamasasthri kriti and svaraprasthara was, as to be expected with such audience, layapradhana and the thani by Guruvayur Durai was also suited to the mood of the day. When Guruvayur Durai was about to finish his korvai TNS joined with him and sang it together which elicited the appreciative comment from Durai that the korvai which he prepared specially for the day was understood by TNS in a split-second and he sang it and he said that there can be one and only Seshagopalan who can do that.
TNS finished the concert with the thillana in Huseni, his own composition and tiruppugaz.
It is said of the Sanskrit work ‘Kadhambhari’ of Bhattabhana that ’Kadhambhari rasajnanaam aharopi na rochathe.’ It means that those who have tasted the Kadhambhari do not care for food even . This exactly described the mood of the rasikas on that day.
30-12-2005 – at Valayappatti ‘s Nadhalaya – EVENING
The concert started with ‘Vallabhanayakasya in Begada, followed by ‘Kanchadhalaayathaakshi’ in Kamalamanohari. Then came Natakapriya raga with the song ‘Thaye undhan,’ followed by ‘Rajarajarajithe’ in raga Niroshta by Muthiah Bhagavathar. So far it has been an unusual fare consisting of quaint ragas. Then came Bhairavi in all its grandeur. Which made the rasikas exclaim’what a Bhairavi.’ In fact one musician cum rasika from the audience went to TNS after the alapana and said that no one can sing such a Bhairavi except TNS. The song was ‘Kamakshi ambha’ of Shyamasasthri during the end part of which Valayappatti walked in and after finishing the song TNS left it to the percussionists to play Thaniavarthanam. Manjeri Esvaran was on mridangam and K.V.Gopalakrishnan on kanjira. Of course MChandrasekharan played on the violin both in the morning and the evening. The Thani was well appreciated especially by Valayappatti and the young Gopala Krishnan drew admiration from the other artistes on the stage by his excellent and enthusiastic performance. It was a delight to watch him. Some of the rasikas may have wondered why TNS left it for Thani without singing neraval svaram. But no! He started the neraval after the Thani He weaved a canopy for Goddess Kamakshi with his svaras which was laya pradhana as in the morning and seated Her on the throne erected earlier with his alapana . TNS sang Bhairavi earlier in his concert in Tarangini on 25th which was a treasure for the rasikas and Bhairavi on this day was a bounty , a bonanza which made the rasikas feel like billionaires.
The concert ended with the viruttham ‘pullinvai pilandhittai’ a ragamalika