Amrutha Venkatesh @ NGS mini 15/02/'20

[sureshvv]

Saraswathi Vaggeyakara Trust conducts with missionary zeal concerts to celebrate carnatic composers of all shades and hues, the Trinity residing on the top of the heap. Over the years I have attended many of these concerts, some of which featured exclusively Utsava sampradaya and Divya nama kritis of Thyagaraja. While this particular concert may have been intended as another along the same lines, never have I heard an artiste so focused on the poetry of Thyagaraja and then laying it out for lay rasikas to enjoy as much as Amrutha did in this concert.

Acompanists
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B.Ananthakrishnan
Arjun Ganesh

Song list
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1. Vinata suta ra, husseini
2. Rara ma inti daka, asaveri
3. Divyanama keerthana in kkp
4. Devagandhari, Palaya sree raghu veera
5. Balamu kulamu ela rama, Saveri
6. Nattaikurinji, Kuvalaya dala nayana, nst @ deva sironmani
7. Gandamu poyyaruga
8. Shobhaney
9. Vara leela gana lola, Major scale

Observations
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1. Item 1 and 2 were from Prahlada Bhakthi Vijayam. It seems neither Hiranyakashypu nor Narasimha feature in this opera. Instead Samudra raja plays an important role who sings Item #1.

2. Palaya Raghu Veera has some very interesting play of words.

http://thyagaraja-vaibhavam.blogspot.co ... veera.html

Every charanam is a couplet of lines where the same words are used/split differently to provide contrasting meanings.

3. Balamu kulamu, the kriti in Saveri is full of sarcasm with abundant similes.

http://thyagaraja-vaibhavam.blogspot.co ... -raga.html

It did leave me a little uncomfortable with the human hubris in the content.

4. Devagandhari & Nattaikurinji ragas were elaborated with such originality in presentation that left the audience wishing for more. Nattaikurinji swaras included a rocking sarva laghu session with some brilliant accompaniment by Arjun Ganesh.

5. Post main pieces were all gems. Along with its striking nadai changes Gandamu poyyaruga, from Nauka Charitram, featured some plain note sections that brought out a whole other unheard side of Punnagavarali. Shobaney had a Sanjay-esque start hinting at CM influence in popular music.

6. Dr. Nalli Chettiar, who supports most CM organizations in the city spoke at the beginning of the concert both from his heart and from a prepared text about Thyagaraja. Wish he had stayed to listen to the concert, as it underscored many things he said about the joy of Carnatic music.

7. Prince Rama Verma was seated in the first row taking in the concert. Most of the time he seemed in such awe of the "monster" he has helped create

[Sachi_R]

Beautiful report, Suresh.
Nowadays I don't attend too many live concerts but I try to make it to Amrutha's concerts because they offer so much new and exciting. Especially the repertoire presented each time is so different.

Thank you for drawing attention to the lyrical specialities of Saint Thyagaraja's songs presented.
In Samskrita this alankara where there is a repetition of the same words or set of syllables that actually mean different things especially when split differently is called Yamakam. This is shabdalankara. Then there is an arthalankara where the same word with no repetition means different things when read differently - a double entendre.

[sureshvv]

In Samskrita this alankara where there is a repetition of the same words or set of syllables that actually mean different things especially when split differently is called Yamakam. This is shabdalankara.

Interesting. In the 6th charanam he refers to Yama. Wonder if that is an indirect overloaded reference to this alankara,

[HarishankarK]

Pahi rama rama enuchu bhajana sevaye
- Karaharapriya