Ranjani Gayatri @BGS 15th Dec

[musi]

Duration - 200 mins
Violin Charumathi Raghuraman
Mridangam Delhi Sairam
Kanjira Anirudh Athreya

1. Reethigowlai Ata Tala Varnam
2. Tandarulvai Sri Gananathane - Malavi - Adi - K.S Raghu. (Interesting swara patterns at differet eduppus Tandarulavai, varam tandarulvai, piravavaram tandarulvai and then a fancy korvai by Ranjani that was exactly reproduced by Charumathi that received a thunderous applause)
3. Paraloka Sadaname - Purvi kalyani - Adi - thyagaraja (6 min Raga by Ranjani - 4 min Charu return - Swaras @ Pallavi)
4. Brova Vamma - Maanji - Misra Chapu - Shyama Sastri
5. Muthukumarayyane - Sankarabharanam - Chatusra Roopakam (2nd kalai)- Sri Ramaswamy Sivan
(14 min brilliant elaborate Raga Alapana by Gayatri- 7 min Charumathi return- neraval at the pallavi line - swaras - korappu - 20 min thani)
6. Vijayambike - Vijayanagari - Adhi -Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavathar
7. RTP in Kalyanavasantham - Chatur Kala (Tri kala and Thisram in same pallavi) in Misra Jathi Thriputha Talam - Kalyana Vasantham

a) Ragam Ranjani - 6 min Charu return 4 min - Gayatri 8 min
b) Tanam - (short 7 min Tanam)
c) Pallavi

Words :- Nadaloludai Brahmanandamandave Swara Raga Nijaya Sahitha Kalyana Vasantha..

Nadaloludai was in 1st kalam
Brahmanandamandave was in 2nd kalam
Swara Raga Nijaya Sahitha in Thisram
Kalyana Vasantha - 3rd kalam

This was a pallavi like the ones in pallavi darbars...
They did so many things with it starting with neraval according to aasu by progressively increasing the speed in the same line, then they interchanged the speeds of the syllables, neraval in thisram and mel kala thisram neraval . Ranjani concluded by showing all these things that drew a deafening applause.

For Swarams they sang in all 5 speeds , different eduppus, progressively changes speeds within an avarthanam, had a lot of poruthams etc.

Ragamalika swarams - Ranjani sang Vasantha, Gayatri sang Vaghadheeshwari with graha bedam to kurunji (She sang all 5 speeds) and Ranjani sang Shaam Kalyan..Gayatri concluded it with a smashing korvai with all speeds

This was TBH and very objective a brilliant pallavi. They did all these complicated things and never compromised on aesthetics. Only a connoisseur will understand they did a lot of fancy things and the lay rasika would have enjoyed it as any other normal adi thala melodious and energitic pallavi

I remember Suguna Purushothaman madam saying that you can do complicated things to a pallavi but if you are going to exert or make mistakes its better to not do it because aesthetics is the most important in pallavi.. Even when they were changing speeds in neravals and singing in mel kaala thisram neraval it was so seemless , melodious and pleasing to the ear.


Also they were competing wth each other in every exchange and special mention to the violinist for handling it so well.


8a. Shanmukhapriya Brindavani and Sama Virutham
8b. "Chidambaram Poi Varum Ayya"- Sama - Adi- Gopalakrishna Bharati.

9. Abhang in desh

They announced that the abhang and many other songs in the concert were new additions to their repertoire and that its the first time they were presenting. Kudos to the effort. I am glad that it was a house full concert and all their effort fructified.

[musi]

One nice thing about the concert was the planning. Diversity in compositions, composers, ragas, talas and kaala pramanas of subsequent songs. I recently attended a Sandeep Narayanan concert in Meenakshi Sundararajan fine arts where he sang Kalyani and Mohanam as the two main ragas. though he was really really good, I couldnt enjoy his mahanam alapana so much because he had already sung an elaborate kalyani. The connoisseur's may disagree but this is my view.

[rajeshnat]

Musi
Ideally 3 hours and 20 to 30 mins that way you get everything with submain, main, RTP and slokham/viruththam . Very nice songlist with clean planning. Thank you and please do write more with even other artists. If you can squeeze your memory or refer with some one else do let us know the viruththam lines of shanmughapriya, brindavani and shyama

[gajaa]

This easily turned out to be the best concert ii attended in the 4 days I stayed in chennai. I’m still not out of the Out-of the-world experience. I havent seen such aggression, passion, verithanam, marana mass (as is the new norm in Tamil pop cultures) concert so far. Sankarabaranam and the RTP were too good. So glad I didn’t miss this. The sisters are ruling and will do so for many years to come. Esplly the vagadeeswari and the griha bedam to kurinji by Gayathri in the middle of that complicated pallavi!!! They got a standing ovation right after the pallavi itself!