NZCMS Day 3 - 3/6/19 RaGa

[MV]

Vocal - Ranjani Gayatri
Violin - Vittal Rangan
Mridangam - KV Prasad

1) RAmachandram Vasantha Roopakam MD (KS @ kAkustham)
2) DayamAdO RangA Reethigowla PD
3) SItapati Khamas Thyagaraja (R, N, KS@ PrEmajoochi)
4) Endraikku Siva krupai Mukhari N. Sivan (R)
5) Saravana bhavA Pasupatipriya Adhi HKM
6) RTP in Chatusra Triputa (Adhi )Shubha Pantuvarali
SatyA GnAnA Nanda Mayam - Sarvam Vishnu Mayam
Ragamalika swaras in Anandhabhairavi, Grahabedam from Jog to Brindavani, Behag
7)Viruttam PAdi Adi in Thodi, and KarnatakaDevagandhari for Eppadi PAdinarO
8) Pag Gungroo bAndh in Shudh Sarang tuned by RaGa for Meera Bhajan
9) Bolava Vittala Tukaram Abhang
10) Villinai Otha Kavadi Chindu
11) Eppo VaruvArO Jonpuri
12) Thillana in Madhuvanti LGJ

[MV]

Aha... Eppadi pAdinArO!!! You know they are superstars and you have heard many pieces down the list on CDs, Tv and so on. But there is something about sitting in a Live Concert and watch them in prayer, in emotion, in joy. It was a joy. Specially 'Kandrin Kuralai Kettu' has its own poignancy when it is sung in your presence.
It is superfluous to talk of the depth and revelations in their manodharmam. The RTP alapana started on a pensive and emotional note before becoming vibrant and playful in their expert hands culminating in that thunderous thanam. I particularly liked Gayatri's arrival back to the base line by pushing every word by 1 matra in the talam-'Satyam-GnAna -Ananda-Mayam' Vittal was no slouch in the ragamalika play. After that Jog-Brindavani outing by Gayatri, we thought, hmm Now what. Vittal went right back to Anandabhairavi and played albeit a brief but still clear Jog-Brindavani. Full marks.
It was a concert of high expectations, a lot of hype and ofcourse a full hall. And they failed nobody. PD song-tick, Abhang-tick, Viruttam-tick, RTP-tick. And all sung to near-perfection that we have come to expect from them.
I thought the mridangam shone that evening. From the desperate plea in Mukhari to the delirious dance in Pag Gungroo to that devotional Abhang, Shri KV Prasad laid out all the variety you could produce in that little instrument.
All in all a very satisfying 3 days and a big Thank you to all artistes and ofcourse NZCMS from bringing them down.

[rajeshnat]

Malathi
Thank you for writing all the concerts in auckland. Atleast 12 or 15 years back once my mother who is a big RAgA paithiyam went gA gA once with rAgA subhapantuvarali RTP .These sisters then sang a subhapantuvarali RTP in kalarasana - rani seethai hall. I am assuming it is the same one .

I am not sure if these rAgA sisters ever sing LGJ thillana. I am assuming that there is some connection to lalgudi and organizers . This haunting madhuvanti tillana of LGJ is one of the finest and my favourite LGJ thillana.

How long was the concert ?

[MV]

Rajesh

No connection to Lalgudis and organisers at all. But it may very well have been a request which they didn't announce. Lovely Madhuvanti though !

[rajeshnat]

MV - how long was the concert excluding speeches ?

[arasi]

MV,
Apart from the fact that your reviews are always refreshing, I agree with you totally about what you say of a live concert. Nothing can take its place. After missing Ra-GA's live concert for a while, I heard them in February in Bengaluru, and it was an enjoyable experience. They seem to be replenishing their music with more uruppaDis, zeal and hard work, and it shows. A pity, they sang not too far from where I am last month, and I had to miss them. No ride to the venue, I'm afraid...

I have heard daya mADO ranga, daya mADO only in Kalyani. Something in kannaDa language as an opener (outside Karnataka) is a welcome thing (instead of its being a quickie tukkaDa at the end).

[rshankar]

You actually got both and abhang and a tillAnA!! Very luck! And, thank you for that brief, but vibrant review! eppaDi pADinarO, appaDi kETka nAn Asai koNDEn!

[arasi]

anu pallavi
ranjaniyum, gAyatriyum, viTTala Ranganum,
KEvi prasAdum pakkamirundolithiDa--eppaDi

[MV]

Sorry Rajesh, forgot to reply to your time question. I would say it was between 3-3.5 hours. Someone tipped the artistes off about the wonderful 4+ hour concerts we get in Auckland, so we were deprived

Arasi, I agree - nothing like a Live concert. Specially when you can sit up front and enjoy it even more

[shankarank]

RTP in Chatusra Triputa (Adhi )

As per old timers - AIR announcements always went catuSra (caturasRa ) tripuTA when it comes to RTP. I guess the vidvans compose them - what - on the spot - and don't have the need to conform to some notated tALam name of a composer's production! Also they have to more cognizant of laghus and dRtams - so they have to say it exactly - you know!