Vishnudev's musical expertise came to the fore in his recent concert
He began with 'Siddhi Vinayakam' (Shanmukhapriya also known as Chamaram, Muthuswami Dikshitar). The artiste chose the line 'Prasiddha gana nayakam' for swaraprastara.
Next, the singer took up a Tyagaraja kriti 'Rama ninne namminanu' in raga Husseni, where the saint-composer pleads for Rama's grace. Following this, the vocalist presented a splendidly wrought 'Janani ninnuvina' (Ritigowla, Subbaraya Sastri). This kriti has a beautiful swara-sahitya.
A filler 'Sarasa sama dana' (Kapinarayani, Tyagaraja) breezed in before the ragam tanam pallavi. The pallavi is an example of a palindrome in the sahitya, in the notes and in the tala. The tala was in a complex pattern: 3,4,5 beats and followed by 5,4,3 in reverse order. Before the pallavi 'Sarasa nayana sarasa sarathara ratharasa', the singer and the violinist came up with a well-etched Sarasangi alapana and tanam. After niraval and trikala in the pallavi, Vishnudev rounded it off with kalpanaswaras.
Violinist Varadarajan essays were soaked in melody. The tani that followed showcased the skill of young mridangist Advaith Ilavajhala in his arangetram performance. A disciple of mridangam vidwan Patri Satish Kumar, he tried to rise up to challenges even as senior kanjira artiste Nerkunam Sankar handled with finesse complex rhythms.
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The Hindu
6 days ago
- The Hindu
Vishnudev's musical expertise came to the fore in his recent concert
K.S. Vishnudev exhibits stage dynamics along with a fine display of vidwat and aesthetics — by aesthetics I mean his excellent judgement of how and to what extent to present a raga or a kriti. This applies to his RTPs too. He recently performed a concert for the Patri School of Percussion at Srinivasa Sastri Hall. He began with 'Siddhi Vinayakam' (Shanmukhapriya also known as Chamaram, Muthuswami Dikshitar). The artiste chose the line 'Prasiddha gana nayakam' for swaraprastara. Next, the singer took up a Tyagaraja kriti 'Rama ninne namminanu' in raga Husseni, where the saint-composer pleads for Rama's grace. Following this, the vocalist presented a splendidly wrought 'Janani ninnuvina' (Ritigowla, Subbaraya Sastri). This kriti has a beautiful swara-sahitya. A filler 'Sarasa sama dana' (Kapinarayani, Tyagaraja) breezed in before the ragam tanam pallavi. The pallavi is an example of a palindrome in the sahitya, in the notes and in the tala. The tala was in a complex pattern: 3,4,5 beats and followed by 5,4,3 in reverse order. Before the pallavi 'Sarasa nayana sarasa sarathara ratharasa', the singer and the violinist came up with a well-etched Sarasangi alapana and tanam. After niraval and trikala in the pallavi, Vishnudev rounded it off with kalpanaswaras. Violinist Varadarajan essays were soaked in melody. The tani that followed showcased the skill of young mridangist Advaith Ilavajhala in his arangetram performance. A disciple of mridangam vidwan Patri Satish Kumar, he tried to rise up to challenges even as senior kanjira artiste Nerkunam Sankar handled with finesse complex rhythms.
The Hindu
31-07-2025
- The Hindu
A Semmangudi tribute concert highlighted the distinct features of his bani
Not all legacies are loud. Some settle in silence, in the grain of a raga, in the pause before a swara. It's hard to describe what Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer's music felt like unless you have sat in front of him and listened. For those of us who have heard him through recordings and anecdotes, tribute concerts are the closest we can get to his art. This month at the Music Academy, yet another such evening marked his 117th birth anniversary, featuring Aishwarya Vidya Raghunath. She was accompanied by R.K. Shriramkumar on the violin, Arun Prakash on the mridangam and Guruprasad on the ghatam. The choice to open the evening with 'Merusamana' in Mayamalavagowla was not surprising. This Tyagaraja kriti, which compares Rama to the immovable Mount Meru, was one of Semmangudi's well-recognised openers, rendered in the chowka kala. For Semmangudi, Mayamalavagowla was never just a beginner's raga. In 'Merusamana', he demonstrated how a foundational raga could carry immense musical authority. His rendition of the piece was known for its deliberate pacing, especially the notable silence between pallavi and anupallavi. This moment, a breath of space before the percussion joined was observed in this concert too. Shriramkumar's violin paused and so did the percussion, only to re-start as the anupallavi began, creating a space that many rasikas would instantly recognise as Semmangudi's signature style. The niraval and kalpanaswara at 'Gala munanu sobhillu' followed. There was a clear transition from keezh kala to mel kala swaras, separated by a precise, short pause and the percussion elevating it. The second piece, 'Nenendu vedakudura' in Karnataka Behag, a composition seldom heard in recent times, especially after Semmangudi's era, brought a gentle lift to the concert's momentum. It's hard to think of a Semmangudi concert without Karaharapriya. The raga was almost second nature to him and true to the tradition, it unfolded with an alapana that brought out its innate karuna rasa, with the singer and accompanists totally engrossed in the music. When most in the audience expected Neelakanta Sivan's 'Navasiddhi peruvaalume', the musicians pleasantly surprised them by rendering Tyagaraja's 'Rama nee samanamevaru'.The niraval at 'paluku paluku teneloka' was seeped in melody. After a run of Tyagaraja compositions, Muthuswami Dikshitar's 'Amba nilayadakshi' in Nilambari was presented and offered a moment of contrast. The chowka kāla tempo brought out the raga's gentle sway and the percussionists responded with thoughtful strokes. A segment of kalpanaswaras followed. Semmangudi's contributions to Carnatic music are many, but his role in bringing Swati Tirunal's compositions into mainstream concert repertoire stands out in particular. His deep sense of devotion and musical insight gave these kritis a strong footing on the concert stage. Echoing that lineage, the concert next featured the lively 'Gopanandana valarippu' in Bhooshanavali. Thodi, for many rasikas, is strongly linked with the voice of Semmangudi, a raga that he returned to often, each time with a new intensity. 'Rave himagiri', the swarajati by Syama Sastri, was presented next. The alapana was carved through Thodi's maze of curves and layered intricacies. A special touch came during the kalpanaswara, where the inspiration drawn from the original chittaswara structure created a sense of continuity between the composer and the performer. Encompassing all the trikalams, starting from the keezh kala and ending with the mel kala, the tani avartanam elevated the mood of the entire concert. Arun's clarity and precision on the mridangam was meticulously followed by Guruprasad on the ghatam. The simple yet aesthetic korvais, embedded with variations in a simple thathikitathom phrase — were a treat to laya admirers. The 'Peru lenna mata' in Kapi, a rakti raga, was taken up next. Semmangudi's fondness for rakti rāgas is well-known. He made this javali, composed by Dharmapuri Subbaraya Aiyyar, his own. 'Sapashya kausalya' in Jhonpuri arrived like a familiar face in the crowd. With the switch to madhyama śruti, the Chenchurutti thillana brought in the sparkle of laya and melody that Semmangudi himself relished in closing moments. The mangalam 'Rama chandraya janaka rajaja manohara', wrapped up the evening.
The Hindu
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Kedaram celebrated its 10th anniversary with a series of music concerts. The inaugural performance was by a group of four up-and-coming musicians. One felt skeptical initially about the idea of bringing together a young team belonging to different schools. However, the quartet rose up to the challenge with their well-synchronised rendition. Nandhita Kannan, Shakthi Muralidharan, Dhanush Anantharaman and Niranjan Dindodi ensured the basic structure of a classical concert was not compromised with. There was ample opportunity for each to showcase their individual manodharma and competence in alapanas and swaraprastaras. Aptly commencing with 'Guruleka eduvanti' in Gowrimanohari (Khanda cChapu) by Tyagaraja, they took turns to render the kalpanaswaras. This was followed by the Kalyani alapana, led by Sakthi. The ensemble uniquely included the veena (played by C. Charulatha) instead of the usual violin accompaniment. It added to the melody. Her Kalyani raga essay was enjoyable. 'Birana varalicci brovumu' (Adi tala, tisra nadai), by Syama Sastri, was the chosen kriti. The musicians took turns to render niraval and swaras at 'Puraani madhuravaani'. Dikshitar's rare composition, the sixth Guruguha Vibhakti kriti in Purvi raga, was a pleasure to listen to. It was followed by Papanasam Sivan's bhakti-laden kriti in raga Marga Hindolam, 'Thunai purintharul karunai madhava'. The pièce de résistance of the concert was Tyagaraja's masterpiece 'O, rangasayi' in Kamboji. The raga alapana, led by Nandita, was a nice blend of long and short phrases. Charulatha's adherence to tradition came through in her response on the veena. She effectively conveyed the essence of the raga. The quartet's synchronised rendition drew up picture of the Bhoolaka Vaikuntam — Srirangam. Each came up with their distinct approach to the niraval and swaras. Aduthurai Guruprasad on the mridangam and Sriman Raghu Krishnan on the ghatam showed their command over laya during the thani. After the Virutham, the group sang Sringeri Acharya Sri Bharati Thirtha Mahaswami's 'Bhajare lokagurum' in Khamas. Thayumanavar's 'Angai lodumalar thoovi' was rendered in ragas Chenjurutti and Nadanamakriya set to a rare Chanda tala. The concert concluded with Samartha Ramadasa's Abhang.
