Swanubhoga....

2011-11-25T22:43:00.001+05:30

BTM Cultural Academy @ 25th June, 2011

2011-06-28T08:21:00.002+05:30

This was a very special day for me as I was getting to perform with one of my personal favorite Mridangam Vidwans of today - Sri Arun Prakash. I especially admire his approach towards playing for Kritis and his deceptively simple Korvais.
I thoroughly enjoyed the outing - more so because I got to sing all the favorites of Semmangudi Mama.
Despite a rainy evening, the hall at BTM Cultural Academy was packed to full and the audience was extremely receptive.
Here goes the list:

entho prema - surutti - adi - varnam

deva deva kalayami - mayamalava gowla - rupakam - swati tirunal (N,S at jaata rupa)

ksheenamai - mukhari - adi - thyagaraja

hariharaputram - vasanta - khanda eka - muthuswami dikshitar (R,S at kaliyuga prathyaksham)

patti viduvaradu - manjari - adi - thyagaraja

o rangasayee - kambhoji - adi - thyagaraja (R,N,S)

thani avarathanam

parulanna mata - kapi - rupakam - dharmapuri subbarayar

jagadeesa - nadanamakriya - adi - swati tirunal

tillana - purna chandrika - poochi srinivasa iyengar

mangalam

Hindu Review

2011-05-15T21:38:00.003+05:30

Hi Folks,

Back after a long hiatus!!!

Please click here for the review of my concert at Irinjalakuda, Kerala.
Had learnt a couple of Swati Tirunal kritis exclusively for this concert - Sarasayatha Lochana (Athana) being one of them.

The highlight of the concert to me was the accompaniment of Vidwan Tanjore Ramadas mama - the moments spent in the room recollecting his days of learning under the legendary Palakkad Mani Iyer were a delight to listen to. Added to it was his matter of fact way of speaking...devoid of any sugar coating!!! An old world charm I must say!!
The link once again:
www.hindu.com/fr/2011/05/13/stories/2011051351040300.htm

Order and chaos

2010-09-27T07:43:00.001+05:30

The chaotic week and weekend also saw me performing two concerts back to back:

Saturday was at a book launch by a good friend and senior musician Dr Varadarangan on the science of music.
I chose to elaborate Nadopasana (Begada) as main piece - with Sri B Raghuram on the Violin and Sri V Krishna on the Mridangam.

Sunday was at Chennai for Nadasudha at Velachery at the serene Ganapati Sachidananda Ashram.
The main piece was Suruti (Geetarthamu) - with Sri B Ananthakrishnan on the Violin and Sri R Shankaranarayanan on the Mridangam.

More chaos coming up next weekend and ofcourse the Navaratri melee - predominantly focussed around Kerala.

Watch this space....

Article about Guruguhaamrta in the Indian Express

2010-07-10T17:34:00.000+05:30

Writeup about Guruguhaamrta in the Indian Express

Guruguhaamrta's Next Concert

2010-07-10T09:27:00.001+05:30

Invitation for Guruguhaamrta's Next Concert

2010-07-10T09:14:00.001+05:30

Review of my concert - Hindu, July 2nd, 2010

2010-07-02T08:10:00.001+05:30

Concert at Vijaya College of Music

2010-06-28T00:15:00.001+05:30

nera nammithi - kanada varnam - ata talam - poochi srinivasa iyengar
rama neevadu - kalyani - rupaka - thyagaraja (S)
brochevarevarura - kamach - adi - mysore vasudevacharya (S)
tulasi jagajjanani - saveri - rupaka - thyagaraja (R,N,S)
ksheera sagara sayana - devagandhari - adi - thyagaraja
chinna nadena - kalanidhi - adi - thyagaraja
e nati nomu phalamo - bhairavi - adi - thyagaraja
tukkudas

Violin: Vid. HK Venkatram

Mridangam: Vid. Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma

Khanjira: Vid. Guruprasanna

Concert at Malleswaram, Bengaluru

2010-06-28T00:12:00.001+05:30

chalamela - darbar varnam - adi
marubalka - sriranjini - adi - thyagaraja (S)
vinarada naa manavi - devagandhari - adi - thyagaraja
shankari neeve - begada - rupaka - subbaraya shastry (R,S)
challare rama - ahiri - misra chapu - thyagaraja
marivere dikkevarayya - shanmukhapriya - adi - patnam subramanya iyer (N,S)
sri guruguha tharayasumam - devakriya - rupaka - muttusvami dikshitar
saraguna palimpa - kedaragowla - adi - poochi srinivasa iyengar (R,N,S)
cheli nenetlu - paras - adi - javali
shloka (ratnakaroshti) + govardhana giridhara - adi - darbari kanada - narayana theerthar
muddugare yashoda - kuranji - adi - annamacharya
bhujaga sayino - mangalam - yadukula kambhoji - rupaka - swati tirunal

Violin: Vid. Nalina Mohan

Mridangam: Vid. BC Manjunath

Khanjira: Guruprasanna

Concert at Chandra Layout

2010-06-26T23:59:00.002+05:30

ninnu juchi - sourashtra - adi - patnam subramanya iyer (S)
evarikai - devamanohari - misra chapu - thyagaraja (S)
balakrishnan padamalar - dhanyasi - rupaka - papanasam sivan (R,N,S) at 'vyaakulam...'
tholi nenu jesina - kokiladhwani - adi - thyagaraja
parama pavana rama - purvikalyani - adi - poochi srinivasa iyengar (R,N,S)
tukkudas

Violin: CN Chandrashekhar
Mridangam: KU Jayachandra Rao

Gayana Samaj Concert

2010-06-25T23:54:00.000+05:30

Singing at this century old institution was always going be a special occasion for me.
On the violin was Charulatha Ramanujam, V Krishna was on the mridangam while Bharadwaj Sathawalli played the mohrsing.
The list goes thus:

sami ninne - pantuvarali - adi - varnam
entha vedukontu - saraswati manohari - adi - thyagaraja (S)
deva deva kalayami - maya malavagowla - rupaka - swati tirunal (N,S) at 'aashritha vibudha'
e papamu - athana - misra chapu - thyagaraja (R)
himagiri kumari - ravikriya - adi - dikshitar (R)
bhogindra sayinam - kuntalavarali - khandachapu - swati tirunal (S)
sri venkatesam - todi - rupakam - poochi srinivasa iyengar (R,N,S)
tukkudas

Deccan Chronicle - 23/June/2010

2010-06-23T17:27:00.001+05:30

Deccan Chronicle carried a write-up about me in their Bangalore Edition today (23/June).

Concert Invite - Bangalore Gayana Samaj, 25th June 2010

2010-06-20T15:56:00.003+05:30

Live at All India Radio

2010-06-16T12:30:00.002+05:30

After a rather long time (6 months at least), I was back at AIR for another live program - 8:30 am to 9:30 am on 100.1 FM.

I chose three compositions - each dear to me for different reasons:

1) entha vedukontu raghava - saraswati manohari - adi - thyagaraja

2) sharade veena vadana visharade - devagandhari - adi - papanasam sivan

3) ksheenamai tiruga - mukhari - adi - thyagaraja

Entha Vedukontu has always been a kriti which I wanted to begin a concert with - but never got around to do it. It happened this time around though - sang a few swarams for the anupallavi as well. Musuri's version is just too haunting - you need quite a bit of lung power to pull it off though!!

Sharade is one of my all time favorites in Devagandhari. One concert of my guru Sri TM Krishna is still etched in my mind. 1999, DKJ Foundation anniversary celebrations at Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall, Chennai. It was pouring cats and dogs and the entire team walked through the jam in the rain and reached the hall a few minutes late. But the Devagandhari that he sang that day and this kriti in particular is etched in my minds forever!!!

Mukhari and Ksheenamai is ofcourse one my top ten favorites!!! And each time you sing it, Semmangudi maama's passionate renditions just ring in my ears!!! What energy!! What verve!!! What a musician!!!

Chamber Concert Full Download

2010-06-01T17:22:00.002+05:30

Hi folks,

My recent concert for Rasayana, a chamber music organization is available for download at this location.

Hope you enjoy it!!

- Ravi.

Concert Excerpts

2010-05-30T01:01:00.002+05:30

Thanks to the excellent recording quality at a recently heard chamber concert at Chennai, I am able to share with you two tracks below:

Hope you enjoy listening to them.

There would be more coming up....

Special acknowledgements to Sri Shashidhar Kulkarni for his efforts in ensuring a great recording.

Chamber Concerts

2010-05-23T23:40:00.003+05:30

Had two back to back chamber concerts this weekend.

Saturday was at Chennai - for a gathering of folks from an online Carnatic Music portal called rasikas.org. I sang a rare Mysore Sadasiva Rao piece as part of a small elaboration - Pedda Devundani (Mohanam).

Apart from that, I chose to sing an RTP in Reetigowla as the main piece.

B Anantakrishnan was on the violin while Vidwan Mannarkoil J Balaji anna was on the Mridangam.

Sunday was a different ball game all together.

Sri Tiru Iyengar of ISKCON had specifically organized a Muthuswami Dikshitar memorial concert under the aegis of a Chamber Music Organization called Akshayaloka.

The gathering was more like a family affair but comprised serious listeners of music.

Being an exclusive Dikshitar concert, I tried to package different tempos and also tried different approaches - e.g. - I sang the memorable shlokam "Moulav Ganga" as a precursor to Ananda Natana Prakasam and the effect was pretty good I felt.

Another new thing I tried myself was to elaborate Ravikriya - offers quite a bit of scope I felt. Must work on it.

The main piece was Sri Rajagopala in Saveri with elaboration at atheetha graham ("Muraare...").

Concert Invite

2010-05-17T10:47:00.002+05:30

Hi Folks,

This is an invitation to a concert of mine on 23rd May 2010 at Rajajinagar.

The concert would be devoted to compositions of Muttusvami Dikshitar and I would be accompanied by Vid. Nalina Mohan on the violin and Vid. Tumkur B Ravi Shankar on the mridangam.

Looking forward to seeing you there,

Ravi.

Deccan Herald Review - May 17th, 2010

2010-05-17T10:45:00.001+05:30

Next Concert Of Guruguhaamrta

2010-04-29T18:23:00.002+05:30

Hi Folks,

My tribute to Muttusvami Dikshitar, 'Guruguhaamrta', is hosting its next concert this Saturday, May 1st at Ananya, Malleswaram at 6 pm.
It would be a recital of Vid. Amrutha Venkatesh with Vid. BK Raghu (Violin) and Vid. BC Manjunath (Mridangam).
The concert would feature rare Dikshitar Kritis in ragas such as Malavasri, Kanakambari, Sumadyuti, etc.
All of you all cordially welcome to the concert.
Please find the invitation below:

Guruguhaamrta Invite Amrita

Trichy Concert

2010-04-26T18:21:00.000+05:30

The concert at Trichy for the Rasika Ranjani Sabha was very well received.
I had Pudukkotai Ambika Prasad on the Violin and Sri Koppu Nagarajan on the Mridangam.
The list:
1) Anudinamunu - Begada - Rupakam - Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar (S)
2) Vinatasuta Vahana - Jayanta Sena - Adi - Thyagaraja
3) Amma Ravamma - Kalyani - Khanda Chapu - Thyagaraja (R,N,S)
4) Vazhi Maraittirukude - Todi - Adi - Gopalakrishna Bharati
5) Bhogindra Shayinam - Kuntala Varali - Khanda Chapu - Swati Tirunal (S)
6) Chakkani Rajamargamu - Kharaharapriya - Adi - Thyagaraja (R,N,S)
7) Tukkudas

It had been so many years since I had sung the magnum opus 'Chakkani...' in a concert.
I certainly enjoyed this outing!!!

Guruguhaamrta Workshop at Sringeri

2010-04-20T23:20:00.004+05:30

As part of Guruguhaamrta - my trust dedicated to Muttusvami Dikshitar - I had held a free workshop at Sringeri where I taught a bunch of 10 or so talented youngsters, few rare kritis of Dikshitar.
I had always been wanting to get this rolling because I believe that the only way you can propagate these kritis would be if you taught them in every corner of Carnatica!! (Carnatica includes any part of the world which patronizes Carnatic Music!!)
So the first in the series was at Sringeri - in the scenic surroundings of the Saradamba Temple under joint auspices of a local music school. This school at Sringeri is run by the enterprising Sri Prabhakar - a mridangam artist himself and a man singularly responsible for keeping the Carnatic flame burning in that part of Karnataka.
I had insisted that we open the workshop only to senior students of music because Dikshitar kritis are not easy to learn and one can do justice to it only after years of training. The bunch included a few really talented youngsters who learnt the kritis with utmost sincerity and dedication. It was heartwarming to see the kind of respect and dedication that they showed towards learning and practicing - truly inspiring.
The workshop itself comprised five intensive 3 hour sessions spanning two and a half days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) during the course of which I taught them five rare kritis in ragas such as Devamanohari (Venkatamakhin Version), Ravikriya, Devaranji, Mohana and Narayana Gowla.
On the last day, the group even presented a few of these kritis - I was happy to hear the bunch render the kritis exactly as I had taught and with utmost sincerity.

The school had also organized a concert of mine the last evening under their own auspices where I presented an exclusive Dikshitar kritis concert - in which I elaborated Mohanam, Varali and Shankarabharana (Sadasivam Upasmahe).

Below are a few photos from the workshop.

Coimbatore Concert Review in the Hindu

2010-04-06T12:32:00.002+05:30

It was sheer coincidence that two separate concerts of mine were reviewed by the Hindu and published the same day - in two different editions.
Incidentally, in typical newspaper style - they have picked a photo from their archives - and thus both the reviews carried the same photo!!!!

Here is the review of the Coimbatore concert:

Hindu Review April 2 2010 Coimbatore Concert

Hindu Review of my Fort High School Concert

2010-04-05T22:54:00.001+05:30

G Ravi Kiran in Hindu April 2 2010

Whirlwind....

2010-03-30T23:55:00.001+05:30

Today was the last concert in what was a hectic schedule with four concerts back to back - in different places.
After the Jayanagar concert which I wrote about in the previous entry, I performed at Ranipet in Tamilnadu.
The ever effervescent Arcot Raghu maama who is the man behind the Amritavarshini Sangeetha Sabha was at his cordial best and the concert went off smoothly - with a large dose of Tamizh kritis; the main piece being Tiruvadi Charanam in Kambhoji.
Interestingly, there was a lady who came up and requested for Sri Ramam Ravikulabdhi Somam after the tani avartanam which I had to oblige with. Turned out she was a big Dikshitar fan.
Vidwans MS Ananthakrishnan and Trivandrum Vaidyanathan played the violin and mridangam respectively.

The next day was at Mysore in a 120 year old temple called the Moole Rama Mandiram. The place is tiny and that is not an exaggeration but it has an old world charm to it.
Today it stands (literally) at the crossroads with traffic noise blaring outside but inside, the century old deity and the old world paintings have an electrifying effect when you sit down to perform.
Vidwans Mathur Srinidhi was on the violin, C Cheluvaraju on the mridangam while Shashishankar played the ghatam.
I sang Shanmugapriya (Marivere) and Mohanam (Evaruraa) in detail.

Today (30th) was a memorable concert at Sri Vani School, Basaveswara Nagar. The audience turned out large numbers and were very appreciative and encouraging.
I sang Sahana (Rama Ika Nannu) and Mukhari (Ksheenamai) in detail; and this is where it begins to get interesting.
Just as I finished the final korvai in the main piece (Mukhari), it started pouring cats and dogs!!!
The audience had to be relocated while the concert went on as usual....I had originally planned for an RTP too but the excessive rain made me change plans and I instead sang several tukkudas.
Vidushi Nalina Mohan was the violin while Vidwans Sudheendra and Swamy played the mridangam and khanjira respectively.
The mridangam support by Sri Sudheendra especially was excellent and definitely took the concert to a different level.

Singing concerts back to back has both its pros and cons.
On the cons side, you need to rest well both physically and mentally so as to be able to give you 100% on stage.
On the pros side, you begin to set into a rhythm and new ideas start pouring in on stage - and you keep trying to push yourself to the limit every time. A tremendous experience - both exhilarating and daunting at the same time.

As for me, I had a ball in all the concerts so far and that is what matters !!!!

Jayanagar Concert - 27th Mar 2010

2010-03-27T23:41:00.003+05:30

Just back from a concert at Jayarama Seva Mandali, Jayanagar as part of their Rama Navami celebrations.

The audience turn out was great and the concert went off smoothly despite very poor on-stage acoustics.

Very few people tend to appreciate the value of having good and qualified sound engineers to manage the on-stage amplification.

Most assume that if the volume levels and balance sound ok to the audience, they must be good for the artists - which is unfortunately not true.

Musicians rely extensively on feedback - one must be able to hear oneself without which it becomes very tough for the artists on stage to share their thoughts and ideas.

Anyway, the list that I sang today consisted of:

Sarasuda - Saveri Varnam - Adi
Dinamani Vamsha - Harikambhoji (S)
Aparadhamula - Lathangi (R,N,S)
Sree Ramam - Narayana Gowla
Enduku Dayaradura - Todi (R,N,S)
RTP Reetigowla - Khanda Triputa (Eduppu being 11 / 72)
Misc. Items

My good friend Amrita Murali played the Violin while the veteran Mannarkoil J Balaji accompanied me on the mridangam and B Rajashekhar was on the mohrsing.

Off to Arcot, Tamilnadu tomorrow.

Dikshitar Concert Video

2010-03-26T07:56:00.002+05:30

This is the video of the Dikshitar Kritis concert that I performed on 28th February, 2010 at Bharatiya Sangeeta Vaibhavam Trust, Chennai.
Hope you all enjoy it.

Three Concerts and an Invite

2010-03-22T06:26:00.000+05:30

There have been three concerts since my last post.
The first was at Perinthalmanna in Kerala which was eventful for more reasons than one. The biggest reason being that I overslept in the train and woke up only after my designated stop - Palakkad - had passed!!!
Eventually alighted at Trisur which is the next stop and took a taxi straight to the venue and started the concert after a quick shower backstage!!!

The second concert was at Malleswaram in Bengaluru for the Pu Thi Na trust.
This one was clearly the most memorable for me personally because it was the first time I was singing a concert without a single Thyagaraja, Dikshitar or Shyama Shastry kriti!!!
Instead, this concert was dedicated solely to the compositions of the poet Pu Thi Narasimhachar.
The first task was getting together a list of poems which appealed to me - this was done thanks to my cousin Surya who is a hardcore literary connoisseur.
The next was setting those to tune - now clearly that was a first time for me because I had always shied away from 'composiing' tunes.
But once I got down to it, it was rather enjoyable - so I set them to various ragas such as Athana, Mohana, Varali (my personal favorite), Kaanada and Todi.
Pu Thi Na himself is said to have prescribed tunes for some of his works, in collaboration with eminent vainika Doraiswamy Iyengar.
I included one such composition too.

The third concert and the last one to happen was at Coimbatore yesterday.
The occasion was 'Purandara Dasa' day and it was jointly held by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Coimbatore.
Sang Purandara Dasa compositions in the first half and some popular tukkudas in the second half.
The audience turnout was brilliant - considering there were three other programs in the vicinity.
The icing on the cake was a standing ovation at the end of the performance - thoroughly inspiring to work harder and harder.

Please find attached the concert invitation for my Ranipet concert the next Sunday (28th).

March Concert Schedule

2010-03-10T14:08:00.001+05:30

March Concert Schedule

2010-03-10T08:42:00.000+05:30

Mar 13th - Perinthalmanna (Kerala)
Mar 17th - Pu Thi Na Trust (Sevasadana, Malleswaram, Bangalore)
Mar 21st - Coimbatore (Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan)
Mar 27th - Jayarama Seva Mandali, Jayanagar, Bangalore
Mar 28th - Ranipet
Mar 29th - Mysore
Mar 30th - Vani School, Basaveswaranagar, Bangalore

Thank you...

2010-03-02T23:07:00.001+05:30

My heartfelt thanks to the rasikas who have emailed me since the Dikshitar Akhandam expressing your joy and appreciation.
I am glad that connoisseurs liked the concert and I am particularly thrilled that the Kambhoji magnum opus of Dikshitar's was liked by so many people out there.
Thank you..

Ravi.

Dikshitar Akhandam - Chennai (28th February, 2010)

2010-03-01T07:48:00.001+05:30

Back from a great outing at Chennai as part of Bharatiya Sangeeta Vaibhavam's Dikshitar Akhandam.
I had especially learnt Dikshitar's magnum opus in Kambhoji - 'Kashi Vishweshwara Ehi...' for this occassion.
A grand edifice in the intricate khanda jathi ata talam - wonderful lyrics, sweeping glides and ofcourse set in one of my all time favorite ragas kambhoji.
The crowds were overflowing and the Pettachi Auditorium was full - connoisseurs, cutting across age groups.
Quite a few of them sought me out after the program to express their sincere appreciation about my concert.
I elaborated two ragas - Dhaamavathi (in the Venkatamakhin tradition) and Kambhoji (with the kriti setup exactly as it is in the Pradarshini).
It helped that Dr Hemalatha played the violin - her Ph.D thesis is on the Pradarshini and since I sang a few ragas and kritis straight out of the Pradarshini, she was very supportive.
My good friend and senior vidwan Sri Mannarkoil J Balaji played the Mridangam.

Charsur has recorded the concert and it would soon be available for download at their website www.charsur.com
Here goes the list:
1. Sri Ganeshatparam - Ardra Desi - Misra Jhampa (R outline)
2. Bharathi Maddishana - Devamanohari - Rupaka (S) - raga lakshana based on the Venkatamakhin System which includes a 'p n n s' prayoga
3. Parandhaamavathi - Dhaamavathi - Rupaka (R)
4. Kashi Vishweshwara - Kambhoji - Khanda Jathi Ata Talam (R,S) at 'dakshina kashi...'
5. Mangala Devathe - Marga Deshi - Adi

Later the same evening, my guru Sri TM Krishna rendered a concert in which the focus was on the Mayamalava Gowla Kriti 'Sri Naathaadi Guruguho' - the very first kriti of Dikshitar.

The trust behind this Akhandam - Bharatiya Sangeetha Vaibhavam (Sureshkumar Bopparaju, et al) - needs to be complimented for their wonderful arrangements and efficient handling of the logistics.

Invite for Dikshitar Akhandam - Feb 28th, 2010

2010-02-23T14:19:00.002+05:30

I am performing in the Akhandam below at Chennai on the 28th of February, 2010 (Sunday).
I am planning to sing a few Dikshitar kritis which I have not sung so far in a concert - so watch this space!!!

Odakathur Matham Concert, Ulsoor, Feb 14th

2010-02-15T23:28:00.002+05:30

I remember attending so many concerts at this venue over the past 15 years that performing there was definitely a high point for me!!!
I had planned for a ragam thanam pallavi for this concert - a pallavi which I had conceived of in Trisra Triputa Talam with a tricky one matra eduppu.
Vidushi Charulatha Ramanujam was on the violin while Vidwan V Krishna and Vidwan Guruprasanna played the mridangam and khanjira respectively.
Here goes the list:

vanajakshi - ata talam - varnam - pallavi gopalayyar
alakalallaladaga gani - madhyamavati - rupakam - thyagaraja (S at 'samayamuna...')
sri parvati parameshwarau - bowli - adi - dikshitar
marubalka - sri ranjini - adi - thyagaraja (R,N,S) at 'doora bhaaramandhu....'
devadi deva sadasiva - sindhunamakriya - adi - thyagaraja
nadopasana - begada - adi - thyagaraja (R,N,S) at 'tantri laya swara...'
edayya gathi - chalanata - adi - koteeswara iyer
RTP Varali - trisra triputa - 'shiva shankara karunakara, shambho pahimam parama' ragamalika swarams in athana, mohana, megha ranjani and behag
shlokam 'kara charana kritham' in kedaragowla, hameer kalyani, saveri and revati
mahadeva shiva shambho - revati - adi - tanjore shankar iyer
sapashyat - jonpuri - adi
tiruppugazh
mangalam

February Concert Schedule

2010-02-04T17:02:00.001+05:30

Feb 2nd - Calicut Thyagaraja Aradhana, 5 pm
Feb 6th - Sri Rangam Thyagaraja Utsavam, Srirangam, 6 pm
Feb 7th - Nadopasana, Chennai - 6 pm
Feb 14th - Odakathur Matham Ramakrishna Bhajana Samaj - 6 pm
Feb 28th - Muttusvami Dikshitar Akhandam, Pettachi Auditorium, Chennai 11 am

Concert at Calicut - Feb 2nd

2010-02-04T17:00:00.001+05:30

The trip to Calicut was eventful in more ways than one.
First I missed my bus, then the bus journey was excruciating!!!!
Anyway, MD Rajamani maama's aradhana in Calicut was not to be missed and hence it was all worth the effort.
The concert was very well received by an overflowing audience - with some elite musicians also in attendance, including Sri Palai Ramachandran, Sri Parassala Ravi and others.
What was memorable for me was Vidwan Sri Tanjore Ramadas's accompaniment on the mridangam for me.
He is a direct disciple of Palakkad Mani Iyer and hence his playing is so full of energy and experience.
I told him before the concert that I was planning to sing the Atana kriti 'E papamu' and he immediately reminisced having played for it for DKJ, DKP, Semmangudi maama and others.
Unfortunately, I have only heard 'E Papamu' being rendered either by Alathur Brothers or by TK Rangachari and have no other recording.
It would be fascinating to hear Semmangudi Maama's version of this masterpiece.

The list I sang on that day:

Sugunamule - Chakravakam - Rupaka - S
E Papamu - Atana - Misra Chapu - R,S
Vaachaamagocharame - Kaikavashi - Adi
E naati nomu phalamo - Bhairavi - Adi - R,N,S + Thani
Sri Rama Jaya Rama - Yadukulakambhoji

Vidwan Viju S Anand played the violin while Vidwan Tanjavur Ramadas accompanied me on the Mridangam.

Madurai Concert - 24th January, 2010

2010-01-25T22:19:00.001+05:30

violin: Cherthalai Sivakumar
Mridangam: Mannarkoil J Balaji

1. chalamela - darbar - adi - varnam
2. seshachala nayakam - varali - rupakam - dikshitar (N,S)
3. nenarunchara - simhavahini - adi - thyagaraja
4. vaa murugaa vaa - begada - rupaka - spencer venugopala (R,S at 'subrahmanya')
5. samukhana nilva - kokilavarali - adi - thyagaraja (R)
6. bhogindra shayinam - kuntala varali - khanda chapu - swati tirunal (S)
7. pankaja lochana - kalyani - misra chapu - swati tirunal (R,N,S at 'vrindavanaantha kritha')
8. tukkudas

Hassan Concert - 22nd, January 2010

2010-01-25T22:14:00.001+05:30

Violin: MS Govindaswamy
Mridangam: VS Rajagopal
Ghatam: MA Krishnamurthy

1. odi baarayya - bhairavi - adi - purandara dasa (S at 'mangalaathmaka')
2. apa rama bhakthi - pantu varali - rupaka - thyagaraja (R,N,S at 'lakshmi devi')
3. ksheera sagara shayana - devagandhari - adi - thyagaraja (R)
4. bhogindra shayinam - kuntala varali - khanda chapu - swati tirunal (S at 'padmanabha')
5. mari vere dikkevarayya - shanmuga priya - adi - patnam (R,S at 'sannuthanga')
6. nagumomu - abheri - adi - thyagaraja
7. enduku dayaradura - todi - misra chapu - thyagaraja (R,N,S at 'thyagarajavinutha')
8. tukkudas

This trip was one heck of an adventure!!!
First of all, my accompanists had a TV recording earlier in the day and hence we could leave Bangalore only by 3 pm.
The drive to Hassan was pretty quick and we reached the hotel at Hassan at 6:30 pm.
I have sung many times in these surrounding Iyengar villages and hence I was pretty sure that the concert would only start by 8 pm.
But this one took the cake!!!
The concert began at 9:45 pm!!!!! Clearly a personal record for me.
I wrapped up the mangalam by 1 am!!!

Since I had to leave for Madurai the next night, we decided to drive back to Bangalore immediately following the concert and so began our trip back at 1:30 am.
The drive back was uneventful except when we entered the outskirts of Bangalore - there was a traffic jam awaiting us at Nelamangala and hence by the time we reached home it was 7 am!!!!

The drive was made interesting by the mridangist VS Rajagopal - a 74 year old veteran who regaled us with printable and unprintable anecdotes from Old Mysore.

January 2009 Concert Schedule

2010-01-21T16:11:00.002+05:30

22nd January - Hassan - MS Govindaswamy, VS Rajagopal, MA Krishnamurthy

24th January - Madurai - Sherthalai Shivakumar, Mannarkoil J Balaji

26th January - Vijaynagar, Bangalore - Charulatha Ramanujam, C Cheluvaraju

29th January - Raga Sudha, Chennai - SP Anantapadmanabha, B Sivaraman

Concert at Parthasarathy Swamy Sabha - Jan 2nd, 2010

2010-01-03T16:45:00.001+05:30

Violin: Kovai Chandran

Mridangam: Mannarkoil J Balaji

chelimi kori - gowla - adi - varnam
saraseeruhasana - nata - adi - doraiswamy ayya (S)
shloka 'kaveri viraja' + ille vaikunta - varali - khanda chapu - purandara dasa (N,S)
samukhana nilva - kokilavarali - adi - thyagaraja
o rangashayi - kambhoji - adi - thyagaraja (R,N,S, Thani)
cheli nenetlu - paras - adi - javali
ragamalika shlokam + shyama ghanabha - hamsanandi - adi - tulaseevanam

Concert at Mylapore Fine Arts Club - December 30th, 2009

2010-01-03T16:42:00.001+05:30

Violin: SP Anantapadmanabha

Mridangam: Tanjore Praveen Kumar

paraloka bhaya - mandari - adi - thyagaraja (S)
darini telusukonti - shudha saveri - adi - thyagaraja
aparadhamula - lathangi - adi - patnam subramanya iyer (R,N,S)
ksheenamai - mukhari - adi - thyagaraja (R,N,S, Thani)
tukkudas

Concert Photo - Dec 29th, Kalarasana

2010-01-03T15:30:00.000+05:30

aazhi mazhai kanna - varali - adi - pashuram (N,S)
vaa murugaa vaa - begada - rupaka - spencer venugopal
balakrishnan padamalar - dhanyasi - rupaka - papanasam sivan (R,N)
edhayya gathi - chalanata - adi - koteeswara iyer (R)
thiruvadi charanam - kambhoji - adi - gopalakrishna bharathi (R,N,S)
tukkudas

Article in Deccan Chronicle (Chennai) - Dec 19, 2009

2009-12-23T08:45:00.003+05:30

Brahma Gana Sabha - 4th December, 2009

2009-12-18T11:19:00.001+05:30

Photo Courtesy: Sri Hariharan Sankaran

December Season Schedule

2009-12-14T11:53:00.002+05:30

Here is my schedule for the Music Season 2009 at Chennai:

4th December - Brahma Gana Sabha - 2:15 pm
12th December - Narada Gana Sabha (Mini Hall) - 2 pm
16th December - Singing for a Lecture Demonstration on 'The Role of Upapakka vadyams in a concert' at the Music Academy Mini Hall - 8:30 am
29th December - Rani Seethai Hall (Kala Rasana) - 4 pm
30th December - Mylapore Fine Arts Club - 3 pm
2nd January - Parthasarathy Swami Sabha - 2 pm

Looking forward to seeing you all there.

Review of my Udupi Concert - Udayavani dated Nov 27th, 2009

2009-12-01T08:21:00.002+05:30

Guruguhaamrta report at the New Indian Express - November 25th, 2009

2009-11-30T09:22:00.001+05:30

Concert at Ananya - 15th November

2009-11-15T23:49:00.001+05:30

Ananya (www.ananyaculture.org) celebrated a festival called Kalotsav where several young musicians participated.
This year, the theme was "Composers of Karnataka".
The hall was jam packed and the audience was fabulous.
Vidushi Charulatha Ramanujam was on the violin, Tumkur B Ravishankar played the mridangam while G Omkar was on the ghatam.

Here is the list:

vanajaksha (varnam) - mandari - adi - musore vasudevacharya
vandisuvudaadiyali - nata - khanda chapu - purandara dasa (S)
vaachamagocharundani - athana - adi - mysore sadasiva rao (R,S)
shloka "kaaveri viraja seyam" followed by ille vaikunta - varali - khanda chapu - purandara dasa (R,N,S)
sudhamayi - amrita varshini - rupaka - muthiah bhagavathar
brochevarevarura - khamas - adi - mysore vasudevacharya (R,N,S) at "seethapathe"
shloka "ayi murali" in ragamalika (anandabhairavi, hameer kalyani, mukhari)
thoredu jeevisa bahude - mukhari - khanda chapu - kanaka dasa
tirupati venkataramana - sindhu bhairavi - adi - purandara dasa
mangalam

Youtube upload of Trichur Concert

2009-11-11T15:09:00.003+05:30

Hi Folks,

Here is a complete three-hour concert of mine performed Live at Trichur.

The video is courtesy of Grihavinika – the lovely chamber music sabha at Trichur.

You can also click here to see the video at the youtube site.

Hope you enjoy it!!!!

Ravi.

Concert at Udupi

2009-11-04T21:52:00.001+05:30

Just back from Udupi where I performed for the Kanakadasa Festival.
Even though the road to Udupi from Bengaluru is awful, the concert itself went off smoothly.
Sang 'pancha maathanga mukha' for the first time in a concert and also included a few compositions of kanaka dasa as well.
The list:

vanajakshi - kalyani - ata tala (S)
pancha mathanga - malahari - rupaka - dikshitar (S) at 'virinchi hari rudra...'
thoredu jeevisa bahude - mukhari - khanda chapu - kanaka dasa (R,N,S) at 'praana naayakanaadha aadi kesava raaya'
parvati ninnu ne - kalgada - adi tisra - shyama shastry
sarasa saama daana - kapi narayani - adi - thyagaraja
naa moraalagimpa vemo - devagandhari - rupaka - thyagaraja (R)
mohana rama - mohana - adi - thyagaraja (R,S)
yaake neenilli - desh - adi - kanaka dasa
nee maaye olago - kambhoji - khanda chapu kanaka dasa
mangalam

The Desh keerthana of Kanaka Dasa was tuned by one of my first Gurus - Vidushi Vasanta Ramanujam - a musician with a phenomenal voice!!!

Vidushi Charulatha Ramanujam was on the violin while Vidwan C Cheluvaraju accompanied me on the mridangam.

Guruguhaamrta

2009-10-26T08:26:00.001+05:30

The time has come finally!!!
For a long time now, I have been toying with the idea of setting up a trust exclusively dedicated to Sri Muttusvami Dikshitar.
Somehow, over the past few months, the idea finally took shape with the blessings of my Gurus!!!
The name of the organization would be 'Guruguhaamrta' - the nectar of 'Guruguha' which was the signature of Muttusvami Dikshitar.
It was suggested by Violin Vidwan Sri RK Sriramkumar who is one of the most scholarly musicians of the present generations.
The inauguration is slated for 1st November, 2009 and my Guru Sri RK Srikantan would be flagging it off.
What you see above is the invite that I have just mailed out to musicians and rasikas in Karnataka and outside.

I sincerely hope and pray that Guruguhaamrta would be encouraged by one and all.

- Ravi.

--
G Ravi Kiran
http://www.gravikiran.com
http://swanubhoga.blogspot.com

Concert Recording

2009-10-21T14:14:00.004+05:30

Hi Folks,

Here is the link to the Air Concert which i wrote about a few days ago.
You can download the concert using the links below:

1) O Jagadamba - Anandabhairavi - Adi - Shyama Shastry (~ 14 MB)
2) Parandhamavathi - Dhaamavathi - Rupaka - Dikshitar (~ 11 MB)
3) Giripai Nelakona - Sahana - Adi - Thyagaraja (~ 30 MB)

You can also visit my website where these files would be available for download.
They are also available on mediafire.

Cheers,
Ravi Kiran.

AIR Live

2009-10-14T13:57:00.000+05:30

Just back from a Live program at the All India Radio 100.1 FM station Amritha Varshini from 8:30 am to 9:30 am.

Radio programs come with their own set of challenges and this one was no less.

As is customary for me, I sang at least one kriti not sung hitherto by me in any concert…and it was Giripai the sahana masterpiece of Thyagaraja.

My guru Sri RK Srikantan had taught me this kriti with great passion nearly 8 years ago and I still cherish that class….

Some kritis just require time to age and settle in one’s mind – Giripai was one such kriti.

It was also a first time that I was singing Sahana as a main piece with neraval.

Sri TG Thyagarajan was on the violin while the suswara mridanga vidwan Sri Sainath played the mridangam.

The list:

1. O Jagadamba – Ananda Bhairavi – Adi – Shyama Shastry (S at ‘varasitha giri’)

2. Parandhamavathi – Dhamavathi – Rupaka – Dikshitar (R)

3. Giripai Nelakonna – Sahana – Adi – Thyagaraja (R,N,S) at “Gaacheydhananuchu….”

I was happy to have been able to sing one krithi each of the Trinity.

Mention must be made about Dhamavathi – it is a raga in the Venkatamakhin Sampradaya.

It is almost similar to present-day Dharmavathi but the main difference is that “p d n s” is never sung and neither is “s r g m”, instead “p d s”, “s g r”, etc. are preferred.

It is a pity that today, the ragas from the Venkatamakhin Sampradaya have been ignored and conveniently replaced with the Sampurna Melakartas.

It is high time all musicians revive the rich heritage of the Venkatamakhin Raga Padhathi.

Concert at Thrissur

2009-10-11T13:49:00.000+05:30

‘Griha vinika’ is a chamber music organization based out of Thrissur.

The nice thing about them is that all their concerts are held in the residences of their members.

I have always known that Carnatic music sounds best in chamber performances because one gets to sing and listen to kritis that are not always chosen while singing in a public stage.

My hosts Smt and Sri Brahmadathan were at their cordial best and their coffee (apparently sourced from Germany) was to die for!!!

Sri Palakkad Swaminathan was on the violin while Sri Palakkad Mahesh Kumar played the mridangam.

The list:

1. Sami nine – shankarabharanam – adi – varnam along with the anu bandha sahitya “nenarunchi goodi….”

2. Surya murthey – souwrashtra – chathurasra dhruva – Dikshitar (S) at ‘sourashtraarna manthraathmaney”

3. E papamu – athana – misra chapu – thyagaraja (R,N,S) at “raja shekhara sannuthanga…”

4. Parandhamavathi – dhaamavathi – rupaka – Dikshitar (R)

5. Atu kaaradani – manoranjani – adi – thyagaraja

6. Rave himagiri kumari – todi – adi – swarajathi – shyama shastry (R,Thanam, N,S) at “shyama Krishna nutha…”

7. Miscellaneous Tukkudas

In retrospect, I am surprised that there were only six items till the thani avarthanam!!!

The concert lasted a good three and half hours.

The experience of singing Todi in three stages followed by Thanam and Swarajathi was an enriching one personally.

Avani Shankara Matha Concert

2009-09-30T13:41:00.000+05:30

Date: 30^th October, 2009

Violin: Sri Mathur Srinidhi

Mridangam: Sri V Krishna

Ghatam: Sri Shrishyla

1. Vanajakshi – Kalyani – ata tala varnam – pallavi gopalayyar (version as in the SSP)

2. Sugunamule – chakravaka – rupaka – thyagaraja (S)

3. Darini telusukonti – shudha saveri – adi – thyagaraja (R)

4. Sri kamalambikayam – sahana – triputa – Dikshitar

5. Sarasa sama dana – kapi narayani – adi – thyagaraja

6. Naa moralagimpa – devagandhari – rupaka – thyagaraja (R)

7. Bhogindra shayinam – kuntala varali – khanda chapu – swati tirunal (S)

8. Durusuga – saveri – adi – shyama shastry (R,N,S) at ‘narayani shyama Krishna nutha’…

9. Miscellaneous Tukkudas

I had not sung the deva gandhari kriti “naa moralagimpavemi” in a concert – so managed to sing it in this one. Connoisseurs loved it because it is an old-time hit – popularized by Musuri Subramanya Iyer.

Navaratri 2009

2009-09-29T13:32:00.000+05:30

As always, the Navaratri experience was both exhilarating and at times daunting.

I had four concerts back to back in various parts of Kerala and the travel back and forth can be tiring at times.

But once you get on stage and have the pulse of the audience…out goes the fatigue!!!

The audience in most parts of Kerala is considerably different from other parts of South India.

For starters, they don’t applaud in a pre-programmed manner after every item – be it a warm-up varnam or a mangalam!!!

You get a nice round of applause sometimes for just one half avarthanam swaram, sometimes for a round of neraval or sometimes for some sangathi.

The other great thing is their choice of ragas – owing to their Kathakali background, in most parts of Kerala, they love it when you sing Mukhari, Kedaragowla, Kambhoji and other such quintessential Carnatic ragas.

This Navaratri I tried out one new thing from my side – I sang thaanam in every concert, for the main item. Worked out well.

I also sang several kritis that I had not sung in concerts before, e.g.: Sri Sathyanarayanam (Shubha pantuvarali), Pahi Janani (Natakuranji), etc.

The response was very encouraging everywhere.

I got to sing with some really experienced mridangam vidwans from Kerala such as Prof. Dinesh Kumar and Palakkad Mahesh Kumar.

An enriching Navaratri comes to an end….

Concerts at Mumbai

2009-09-09T16:24:00.001+05:30

The Mumbai trip was eventful - two concerts at Vashi Fine Arts and Rasika Ranjani Sabha (Ghatkopar) respectively. Made it a point to sing something which I have not sung before in each of those concerts.

For the Vashi Fine Arts concert, I elaborated Janaranjani and sang one of my favorite kritis 'Naadaadina Maata' - this kriti I learnt from my guru Sri RK Srikantan sir many years ago. I can not forget the way he sang neraval for the line 'thalaku vachchina baadha' in class back then!! It had Musuri Subramanya Iyer stamped all over it!!!! So I sang this for the first time in a concert with raagam, neraval and swarams. Came off decently well. I also began the concert with a kriti which I had learnt years ago but had never sung in a concert - viz. - Bhavanutha.

For the Ghatkopar kutcheri, I elaborated, among other ragas, Abhogi - I have told myself so many times on the way to concerts to take up Abhogi but invariably would end up choosing its cousine Sri Ranjini due to various reasons...this time Abhogi it was!!! The kriti was again a first time for me as far as singing it in concerts is concerned - Sri Lakshmi Varaham - a beautiful kriti attributed to Muthuswami Dikshitar. It is most probably not a Dikshitar kriti as the raaga Abhogi does not exist in the Venkatamakhin Sampradaya.

The complete song lists of both concerts follows. I will post concert clippings soon.

5th September 2009 - Vashi Fine Arts,

Violin: Vidwan Sri Shivakumar Anantharaman

Mridangam: Vidwan Sri R Shankaranarayanan

era napai - todi varnam - adi - patnam subramanya iyer (S)
bhavanutha - mohana - adi - thyagaraja (S)
naadaadina maata - janaranjani - misra chapu - thyagaraja (R,N,S) at 'thalaku vachina baadha'
atukaaraadani - manoranjani - adi - thyagaraja
balagopala - bhairavi - adi - muthuswami dikshitar (R,N,S) at 'drona karna'
madhava mamava - neelambari - adi - narayana theertha
aghalakillen enru - virutham - ragamalika - nammazhvar pasuram
srinivasa thiruvenkata mudaiyan -hamsanandi - adi - papanasam sivan
misc. tukkudas

6th September 2009 - Rasika Ranjani Sabha, Ghatkopar,

Violin: Vidwan Sri R Madhavan

Mridangam: Vidwan Sri R Shankaranarayanan
Morsing: Vidwan Sri R Venkatesh

vanajaksi - kalyani varnam - khanda ata - pallavi gopalayyar
aparadhamulanorva - rasali - adi - thyagaraja (S)
sri lakshmi varaham - abhogi - adi - muthuswami dikshitar (R,S) at 'pankajasaana pramukha sevitham'
ennaga manasukurani - neelambari - adi - thyagaraja
tholi nenu jesina - kokiladhwani - adi - thyagaraja
ksheenamai - mukhari - adi - thyagaraja (R,N,S)
cheli nenetlu - paras - javali - adi
rathnakaroshti sadanam - shloka - ragamalika - adi
govardhana giridhara - darbari kanada - adi - narayana theertha
misc tukkudas

Photos are courtesy my good friend and veteran rasika Sri Hariharan Sankaran.

Concert at Trivandrum - Sep 2nd, 2009

2009-09-03T00:27:00.002+05:30

Just got back from a concert at Trivandrum on the occassion of Onam festivities.
The new thing I tried this concert was to sing two rakthi ragas as main pieces - surutti and mukhari. I have elaborated both these ragas in concerts in the past - however had never tried singing mukhari as the main item which I tried this time.
The response was fabulous and there was an audience of atleast 200+ people in the beautiful Kanakakunnu Palace.
The list:

anupama guNambudhi - athAna - khanda chApu - thyAgarAja (S)
tera tIyaga rAda - gowLi panthu - Adi - thyAgarAja (S)
srI venkata girIsham - surutti - Adi - muthuswAmi dIkshitar (R,N,S at 'alamelu manga')
thOli nEnu jesina - kOkiladhwani - Adi - thyAgarAja
kshInamai - mukhAri - Adi - thyAgarAja (R,N,S at 'edi jesina...')
shloka 'shAnthAkAram bhujagashayanam' in kAmbhoji, varALi and hamsAnandi
shyAma ghanAbha - hamsAnandi - Adi - thuLasIvanam
jagadIsa panchashara sUdana - nAdanAmakriya - Adi - swAti tiruNAL

The kokiladhwani piece is something I am singing for the first time in a concert - I love the way the great Ariyakudi has rendered this - catchy and lilting!!!

Concerts in September

2009-09-01T09:03:00.002+05:30

Concerts in September
· 2nd Sep. 2009 Onam Festival, Tiruvananthapuram, Kerala

· 5th Sep. 2009 Mumbai
Vashi Fine Arts,
Jhulelal Temple , First floor
Behind Vashi Bus Depot, Sector 9 A, Vashi
Contact Mohana +91 93225 96513

· 6th Sep. 2009 Mumbai
Rasika Ranjani Sabha
Agarsen Bhavan
90 Feet Road, Ghatkopar East
Mumbai 400 077
Contact Saroja (022) 2521 8580 or +91 98195 83680

· 12th Sep.2009 Chembai Festival, Sree Varaham Temple, Tiruvanthapuram, Kerala

· 19th Sep. 2009 Navaratri Concert, Udumulapettai

· 20th Sep. 2009 Navaratri Concert, Kollam, Kerala

· 27th Sep. 2009 Navaratri Concert, Kerala

· 28th Sep. 2009 Navaratri Concert, Kerala

· 30th Sep. 2009 Avani Shankara Mutt, Bangalore

ettayapuram

2009-08-11T00:01:00.001+05:30

Just back from a concert at Ettayapuram - the sannidhi of Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar's samadhi (tomb).
It was organized by a host of organizations with Sri NV Subramanian at the fore front. He has been conducting this from the past 20 years!!
The day featured recitals by several musicians including Vidushi Subhashini Parthasarathy, Vidushi Radha Bhaskar, etc with each artist allocated around 45 minutes.
I sang:

Narasimha Agachcha - Mohana
Ishanadi - Sahana
Mangala Devatha - Margadeshi
Dandayudhapanim - Anandabhairavi
Parandhamavathi - Dhamavathi
Namaste Paradevathe - Devaranji

A humbling experience to sing in Dikshitar's sannidhi.
The solemness of the experience coupled with Sri NVS mama's hospitatility made for a pleasant and memorable trip!!!

Review of my Coimbatore Concert - April 24th 2009

2009-07-20T16:27:00.003+05:30

Here is the review to my Coimbatore concert which was held on April 8th, 2008 at the Binny Subbarao Rama Navami pandal.
They have been conducting the festival for over 60 years now.
Wonderful people with a serious and sincere commitment towards Carnatic Music.
You can click here for the review.

Charsur Foundation Concert - 17th July, 2009

2009-07-18T23:47:00.001+05:30

Performing at Charsur Foundation to the accompaniment of senior artists was
a delight!!!
It was such a pleasure being in the company of Sri KV Prasad and Sri
Purushottam especially - their anticipation, their knowledge of the kritis
and their ability to come in at just the right points...a truly humbling
experience.
I elaborated Kambhoji as the main ragam and sang Sri Subramanyaya Namaste
with Neraval and Swarams at the usual 'Vasavaadi Sakala Deva' line.
I began the concert with a request to the audience to observe a moment's
silence in memory of one of the greatest doyens of Carnatic Music Smt DK
Pattammal who passed away a few days ago.
Coincidentally, I had learnt this Kambhoji kriti from a tape of DKP's a
couple of years ago and every time I sing it, DKP's perfect rendition rings
in my head.
A legend who led a complete and fruitful musical life!!!
The audience turn out to my concert was fantastic - overall a great
experience.
The concert should be out in a few week's time on Charsur's website
www.charsur.com

Photo courtesy: Sri Hariharan Sankaran

Amrita TV Recording

2009-07-16T00:23:00.000+05:30

Just back from Trivandrum where I shot two episodes for Amrita TV.

The first is meant to be telecast on the seventh day of navaratri and hence I was given the Sahana Navavaranam to sing. The version I sang is the new version which was structured by my guru Sri TM Krishna in which Sahana is rendered as per the Venkatamakhin Sampradaya with great emphasis on the Sadharana Gandhara. Quite in contrast to the popular Sahana I must say but the effect is equally beautiful!!! I also sang Tulasi Jagajjanani (Saveri) in this episode.

The second episode contained a few less heard Dikshitar kritis - Varalakshmeem Bhajare (Sowrashtra), Narasimha Agachcha (Mohana) and Mangala Devata (Marga Deshi).

Will try and post videos as and when I have them with me.

Charsur Arts Foundation Concert Evite

2009-07-12T15:15:00.000+05:30

This is the beautiful invitation which the people at Charsur have put together for my concert on July 17^th for the Charsur Arts Foundation.

Looking forward to seeing you there!!!

Upcoming concerts in July 2009

2009-07-08T17:38:00.000+05:30

1. July 14th - Amrita TV Recording, Trivandrum

2. July 17th - Charsur Arts Foundation, Raga Sudha Hall, Chennai (5:30 pm)

Violin Sri HN Bhaskar

Mridangam Sri KV Prasad

Khanjira Sri BS Purushottam

Concert at Tiruppur - 28th June, 2009

2009-07-01T07:51:00.001+05:30

Violin: Palakkad Swaminathan
Mridangam: Shankaranarayanan

1) nenarunchara - simhavahini - adi - thyagaraja (S at 'sanakaadi')
2) vazhi maraittirukudhe - todi - adi - gopalakrishna bharathi
3) marubalka - sriranjini - adi - thyagaraja (R,S)
4) nagumomu - abheri - adi - thyagaraja (S)
5) sri subramanyaya namaste - kambhoji - rupaka - muthuswami dikshitar
(R,N,S)
6) shlokam 'maulav gangaa' - appayya dikshitar - ragamalika
(mayamalava gowla, sahana, varali, mukhari)
7) enraikku siva kripai - mukhari - misra chapu - neelakanta sivan
8) niraimadhi - hamsanandi - adi - arunagirinathar (tiruppugazh)
9) mangalam

Just as I was finishing marubalka, an old thatha sitting in the
audience requested for nagumomu.
When I was about to wrap up nagumomu, came another request from
another gentleman for swara prasthara in nagumomu.

It is only now when I put down the list that I realise that I sang
only 5 kritis before the tukkudas!!!!
The concert actually lasted nearly 3 hours !!!

AIR Live Relay

2009-05-29T13:59:00.001+05:30

Just back from another AIR Live Relay from 8:30 am to 9:30 am on 100.1 FM.

Radio programs are always stressful – first of all the time factor, then ofcourse the lack of any feedback (audience, pakka vadyams, etc.)…

I make it a point to sing something new always in every radio program – and today I sang Athana and Dhanyasi elaborately.

I have not elaborated both these ragas in any of my concerts and it was a fascinating learning experience.

In Athana, I sang ‘E papamu’ of Thyagaraja – a delightful kriti with its intricate sangathis – perfected by the Alathur Brothers.

And I Dhanyasi, I chose the Dikshitar masterpiece ‘Paradevatha’ – with neraval at ‘Kalaa Maalini’.

I still can not forget my guru Sri TM Krishna’s rendition of this kriti at the Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall in 1999 on the occasion of DKJ Memorial Day.

Sri CN Chandrasekhar was on the Violin while Sri MT Rajakesari played the mridangam.

Sampradaya 2009 - May 10th

2009-05-04T15:09:00.001+05:30

Sampradaya 2009 has been one of my dreams!!!

It is heartening to note that with due support from Ananya and other sponsors, this festival is finally going to happen this Sunday (May 10^th) at the Gayana Samaja, Bangalore. It would be a day long affair – leading musicians comprising MS Sheela, TS Sathyavathi, RK Padmanabha and TM Krishna would be participating.

The finale would consist of a concert by Sri TM Krishna and party at 6 pm.

It would be an honour if rasikas and students attend this event in large numbers and make it a grand success!!!!

Concerts In April

2009-03-24T23:53:00.001+05:30

1. April 4^th – Rama Navami, Seshadripuram Rama Seva Samithi

Time 6 pm

Venue Seshadripuram College, Bangalore

Violin Trivandrum Sampath

Mridangam B Ganapathi Raman

Ghatam Ranganatha Chakravarthy

2. April 8^th – Rama Navami, Coimbatore

Time 6 pm

Violin Palakkad Swaminathan

Mridangam B Sivaraman

Ghatam Kovai Deepu

3. April 14^th – ISKCON Temple, Bangalore (Brahmotsavam)

Time 8:30 pm

Violin Nalina Mohan

Mridangam Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma

Finally a Video

2009-03-24T23:43:00.000+05:30

Concerts in March 2009

2009-02-26T16:45:00.000+05:30

March 11th, Hassan (Hulgundi)
March 3rd, All India Radio - Special Recording (Compositions of Muthiah Bhagavathar)
March 14th, Mumbai
March 15th, Mumbai
March 21st, Nada Inbam, Chennai

Manjeri Concert

2009-02-23T14:37:00.002+05:30

The concert at Manjeri (near Kozhikkode) went off pretty well.

There was an advance request for kambhoji which I sang as main.

On the violin was Sri Palakkad Swaminathan, on the mridangam was one of the most senior artists from Kerala Sri Parassala Ravi and Sri Shantaram accompanied me on the khanjira.

The list:

pranamamyaham - gowla - adi - mysore vasudevacharya (S)
sri mathrubhutam - kannada - misra chapu - muthuswami dikshitar (S)
marivere dikkevarayya - shanmugapriya - adi - patnam subramanya iyer (R,N,S)
enraikku siva kripai - mukhari - misra chapu - neelakanta sivan
bhogindra shayinam - kuntala varali - khanda chapu - swati tirunal
evari mata - kambhoji - adi - thyagaraja (R,N,S)
sapashyath kausalya vishnum - jonpuri - adi
manasa sancharare - sama - adi - sadasiva brahmendra
mangala shloka in sama

The concert was scheduled to begin at 5:30 and hence the organisers had booked me on a return bus at 8:40pm - but due to some delays, we could start only at 6:30 pm and hence it was a photo finish to the bus stand!!!

Concert at Sringeri

2009-02-16T19:28:00.001+05:30

Just back from a concert at Sringeri. It turned out to be a rather tiring trip - what with the gruelling bus journey in, unfortunately, one of the rearside seats!!!

I was accompanied by Sri HK Narasimhamurthy on the violin and Sri Palladam Ravi on the mridangam.

The list follows:

shloka on adi shankara followed by 'chede budhi manura' - athana - adi - thyagaraja (S)
meru samana - mayamalavagowla - adi - thyagaraja (N,S)
chera ravadhemira - reetigowla - adi - thyagaraja (R,S)
eti janmamidhi - varali - misra chapu - thyagaraja (R)
kripa joochutaku - chaya tarangini - adi - thyagaraja
kaligiyunte - keeravani - adi - thyagaraja (R,S)
ragamalika shlokam 'omkara panjara shukeem' followed by 'sharade karunanidhe' - hameer kalyani - misra chapu
sarvam brahmamayam - madhuvanthi - adi - sadasiva brahmendra
jagadodharana - kapi - adi - purandaradasa
sri rama jaya rama - yadukulakambhoji - khanda chapu - thyagaraja followed by mangala shlokam in the same ragam

The concert started later than usual because the programs before mine were delayed and the violinist had a bus to catch at 8:30pm!!!!

So for the first time in my life, I had two violinists accompanying me - one till the main raagam and the second from then on!!!

I enjoyed the supporting crowd and more importantly was thrilled to see so many little kids meticulously writing down whatever was being sung.

Concert at Venkateswara Temple, Bangalore

2009-01-26T02:11:00.003+05:30

Song list:

tera tiyaga rada - gowlipantu - adi - thyagaraja (S)
ada modi galade - charukeshi - adi - thyagaraja
ksheera sagara shayana - devagandhari - adi - thyagaraja (R)
ille vaikunta - varali - khanda chapu - purandara dasa (preceded by shloka - kaveri viraja seyam vaikuntam ranga mandiram....)
marugelara - jayanthasri - adi - thyagaraja
mohana rama - mohana - adi - thyagaraja
innoo daya barade - kalyana vasanta - khanda chapu - purandara dasa (preceded by an ugabhoga/viruttam - aaneyu karedare adi moola bandanthey.....)
jagadodharana - kapi - adi - purandara dasa
tirupati venkataramana - sindhu bhairavi - adi - purandara dasa
sri rama jaya rama - yadukula kambhoji - khanda chapu - thyagaraja (followed by mangala shloka in the same raga)

On the violin was Sri B Raghuram, Sri V Krishna played the mridangam while Sri Bharadwaj played the mohrsing.
In every concert, I usually make it a point to sing atleast one kriti which I have never sung in a concert before. In this concert it was the charukeshi kriti and I was happy with the way it turned out. Must sing it more often in concerts....I simply adore the way Semmangudi and MSS have handled this kriti.

Concert at Kottayam (Malliyoor)

2009-01-26T02:05:00.002+05:30

The concert at Malliyoor Ganapathi Temple went off pretty well. Malliyoor is around 20 km away from Kottayam after the famous Ettamanoor temple.
The interesting thing about this temple is that here, the Lord Ganapathi is picturised as having Lord Krishna on his lap. Quite a fascinating conception - you could check out the picture by clicking here.
The concert was slated for just an hour or so.
The list:

pranamamyaham sri gowri sutham - gowla - adi - mysore vasudevacharya (S)
ksheera sagara shayana - devagandhari - adi - thyagaraja
sidhi vinayakam anisham - shanmugapriya - rupaka - dikshitar (R,N,S) at 'prasidha yaksha kinnaraadi sevitham'
manasa sanchara re - sama - adi - sadasiva brahmendra

AIR Live Concert

2009-01-21T15:22:00.001+05:30

This morning I sang a live concert of 1 hour for All India Radio (AIR), Bangalore.

The concert was relayed on their immensely popular FM 100.1 (Amrithavarshini) station from 8:30 am to 9:30 am.

Over the years, I have finally managed to time my AIR concerts!!!

In the past, I would invariably run out of time for the obligatory Purandaradasa keerthana - but today, I just managed to sneak it in!!! Photo finish!!!

The main piece was Nadopasana in Begada - trying to sing this kriti more often to get a hang of Begada which incidentally can be quite a tough nut to crack!!!

The concert went off pretty smoothly - the mridangist Adamya played very supportively. Feels good to see someone working on their art - have seen him play for quite sometime now and have seen the steady improvement - all thanks to his good work and ofcourse his guru (Sri Umayalapuram Sivaraman).

On the violin was the ever reliable CNC (Sri CN Chandrashekhar) who brings in a wealth of experience which helps in lifting the concert.

Weekend Concerts Song Lists

2009-01-19T14:37:00.004+05:30

Just back from two concerts back to back.
With every concert comes a fresh set of experiences - you discover something new about music, you introspect on things which worked, things which did not, things which could get better....
Anyway, here are the song lists:

Kaladi (Near Ernakulam)

Shloka on Adi Shankara ('Shruthi Smruthi Puranam...')
Saraseeruhasana Priye - Nata - Adi - Doreswamy Ayya (S)
Balakrishnam Bhavayami - Gopika Vasantham - Adi - Muthuswamy Dikshitar
Appa Rama Bhakthi - Pantuvarali - Rupaka - Thyagaraja (R,N,S)
Janani Ninu Vina - Reetigowla - Misra Chapu - Subbaraya Shastry
Bhogindra Shayinam - Kuntala Varali - Khanda Chapu - Swati Tirunal (S)
Nadopasana - Begada - Adi - Thyagaraja (R,N,S)
Shloka 'Sayankale Vananthey' - Ragamalika
Manasa Sanchararey - Sama - Adi - Sadasiva Brahmendra
Bhaja Govindam - Ragamalika - Adi - Adi Shankara
Mangalam

Ujire (Near Dharmasthala, Mangalore)

Anupama Gunambudhi - Athana - Khanda Chapu - Thyagaraja (S)
Varamulosagi - Keeravani - Rupaka - Patnam Subramanya Ayyar (R,N,S) at 'Madana janaka venkatesha..'
Ksheera Sagara Shayana - Devagandhari - Adi - Thyagaraja
Bhogindra Shayinam - Kuntala Varali - Khanda Chapu - Swati Tirunal (S)
Ragam Tanam Pallavi (RTP) - Varali - Chaturasra Jathi Rupaka - 'Brahmai Vaham Kila Sadguru Kripaya'
Shloka - Ragamalika
Manasa Sanchararey - Sama - Adi - Sadasiva Brahmendra
Innoo Daya Baradey - Kalyana Vasanta - Khanda Chapu - Purandaradasa
Jagadodharana - Kapi - Adi - Purandaradasa
Muddugare Yashoda - Kuranji - Adi - Annamacharya
Sri Rama Jaya Rama - Yadukula Kambhoji - Khanda Chapu - Thyagaraja
Mangala Shloka in Yadukula Kambhoji

My Upcoming Concerts in Jan 2008

2009-01-09T12:10:00.000+05:30

This month I would be performing at the following venues:

17th Jan - Kaladi, Kerala (The birthplace of Adi Shankara)
18th Jan - Ujire, a small town near Dharmasthala (Karnataka)
21st Jan - All India Radio (AIR) Live 8:30 am to 9:30 am (100.1 FM, Bangalore)
22nd Jan - Malliyur Ganapathi Temple, Kottayam, Kerala
24th Jan - Kukke Subramanya Temple, Karnataka
25th Jan - MS Ramayya Temple, Bangalore

Indian Fine Arts and my guru....

2009-01-09T11:48:00.000+05:30

A jovial moment on stage with my guru Sri TM Krishna at Indian Fine Arts (IFAS), Chennai this last December Season.
A great photo...courtesy Sri Hariharan Sankaran (Mumbai).
My guru's concert at IFAS is usually something special. In the past, I have heard him render ragas like Athana, Anandabhairavi, Darbar, etc. as the main pieces in his concerts here.
In fact, one of the most poignant memories here were when he sang a 'O Jagadamba' - the charanam lines 'kanna thalli...' simply moved us all to tears.
In his recent concert (28th Dec) he sang a thaanam in todi without singing a raagam and followed it up with Thyagaraja's Enduku Dayaradura. Thanam singing leaves you drained because you need to give it all the energy you have to maintain the tempo.
My guru always says that the hallmark of a great musician lies in the way he/she handles neraval and thaanam. For a student of music, these two represent the biggest hurdles; if you gain a comfort level in these two departments, you are all set!!!

Academy Concert Review - Hindu

2009-01-01T12:52:00.000+05:30

This is a scan of the review of my Music Academy Concert.

You could click on it to see an enlarged view.

Margazhi Raaga Premier

2008-12-30T11:33:00.000+05:30

We had a special premier of the movie Margazhi Raaga at Bangalore on the 29th of December 2008 at Fun Cinemas, Sigma Mall (on Cunningham Road).

The movie was conceived by Jayendra and executed by my guru Sri TM Krishnaalong with Smt Bombay Jayashri.

The concept is unique and I am sure that over the years this concept is bound to revolutionize the presentation of Carnatic concerts - digital cinema weds carnatica!!!

The movie would be made available on Blue Ray soon.

The sheer clarity of image and sound is breathtaking...you can see the vibration of the violin strings, you can hear the most subtle nuances and feel every moment of the concert as though it is happening right in front of your eyes. No distractions - no messy acoustics, no talkative audience members with their rustling plastic covers, no car horns blaring...Nothing comes in between the rasika and the artist.

It would never be a substitute to a Carnatic Concert and is definitely not intended to be either...but it is undoubtedly the next step in the presentation of Carnatic Music on digital media.

The premier was covered by DNA and yours truly's picture made it too!!

Music Academy Concert - Dec 18th, 2008

2008-12-19T09:41:00.000+05:30

My first time at the Academy main hall!!!

The mecca of Carnatic Music....the hallowed portal where the greats have produced music of the highest order.

The stage which makes everyone - from super seniors to juniors - nervous and hesitant at first.

The dias where almost every great musician wants to give their best.

I performed on this platform on the 18th of December 2008 to the accompaniment of Akkarai Swarnalatha on the violin and NC Bharadwaj on the mridangam.

I elaborated Varali ('Seshachala Nayakam') and Bhairavi ('Upacharamulanu') - went off pretty well...was hesitant at first but I kept only one thing in mind - that the only thing which matters on such a stage is courage and conviction. Thankfully it worked for me!! Was satisfied overall.

Will post an audio clip shortly...meanwhile here are a few photos

Narada Gana Sabha - 8th Dec, 2008

2008-12-09T09:51:00.000+05:30

01 sarasuda - sAveri varnam - adi
02 anubama gunA - atAnA - khand chApu - T (S)
03 bala krishnam bhavayAmi - gopika vasantham - Adi - MD
04 evarurA ninnu vina - mohanam - misra chApu - T (R, S)
05 yemani pogadudhurA - veera vasantham - Adi - T
06 rama nee samanamevaru - karahapriya - rupakam - T (R, N, S)
07 Thani avarthanam
08 modi jese velara - khamAs javali - Adi
09 bruhi mukhundehi - kurunji - Adi - Sadasiva Brahmendar

The accompanists were:

Violin: Tiruvellore Parthasarathy

Mridangam: Konerirajapuram Varadarajan

You can listen to an excerpt from the concert by clicking on the Play button below:

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Track details

eSnips Social DNA

Paris, je t'aime

2008-11-02T10:26:00.000+05:30

It has been such a long while since I scribbled anything here. I have been busy with concerts and other activities and there is so much to catch up on.
The main thing I would like to share here is my trip to France. I was invited by my good friend (and student of my guru Sri TM Krishna) Andre Martin who teaches a group of students at his native Vertou (a small town near Nantes).
He has a few students who learn not only 'straight jacketed' Carnatic music lessons but also use music as a means to connect with themselves and open up their personalities. The concept is interesting and Andre has met with quite a few successes!!
My trip was very successful for both myself and for the group of students out there. For them, they got to connect with someone external who is into music (yours truly!) and for me, it helped me get an outsider's perspective on our music.
I mainly focussed on voice production, constant shruthi alignment (westerners are not used to singing to a fixed tonic), gamakas and the concept of manodharma sangeetha.
I also performed a chamber concert for a totally European audience. It was a fascinating experience - I elaborated Begada and Varali and also sang a ragamalika shloka. The response was astounding and there were many who said they felt a lot of pathos in Varali.
I also elaborated the shloka "Ayi Murali Mukunda..." (from the Krishna Karnaamritham) and when I explained the meaning to them, they felt moved by the poet's imagery.
Overall, the whole experience left me feeling both humble and proud!! Humble - to realise that Carnatic Music is such an ocean that it can be interpret from so many different perspectives. Proud - to realise that I am part of such a refined and fulfilling art form!!
A few photos:

Concert with Sri Guruvayur Dorai

2007-09-18T10:29:00.000+05:30

I have been unable to update my blog regularly. Anyway, this was one concert which I definitely wouldn't miss writing about.

Sri Guruvayur Dorai accompanied me on the mridangam for a concert on the 2nd of September, 2007 at Bangalore. Sri Balu Raghuram played the violin. It was a revelation of sorts to sing with a mridangam vidwan who has over six decades of experience!! He was gracious enough to appreciate and encourage me.

The song list is as follows:

1) viriboni - bhairavi - khanda ata tala - adi appayya
2) deva deva kalayami - maya malavagowla - rupaka - swati tirunal (N,S)
3) chedey budhdhi - atana - adi - thyagaraja (S)
4) eti janmamidhi - varali - misra chapu - thyagaraja (R,N,S)
5) parvati ninnu - kalgada - adi tala trisra nadai - shyama shastry
6) sri subramanyaya namaste - kambhoji - rupaka - dikshitar (R,N,S) + thani
7) jagadodharana - kapi - adi - purandaradasa
8) irakkam varamal - behag - rupaka - gopalakrishna bharathi
9) tillana - purna chandrika - adi - poochi srinivasa iyengar
10) mangalam

Dorai mama's accompaniment especially for 'Parvati ninnu ne' and 'Sri Subramanyaya Namaste' is something that would be permanently etched in my mind. He reminisced later that it was the Naina Pillai school which popularised the Kalgada composition. I was very eager to sing Jagadodharana because I had learnt the song listening to an MSS tape in which Dorai mama had played. Irakkam Varamal is one of Dorai mama's favorite pieces and it was a pleasure hearing him virtually sing it on his mridangam.

After the concert was over, Dorai mama and I were talking and he said something which I would never forget. He said that after playing the mridangam for over 60 years, it is only now that he is happy with what he is playing!!!

To me, this was a gentle reminder that the journey has barely begun...

Aradhana

2006-01-19T15:26:00.000+05:30

Today is Thyagaraja Aradhana.
In probably a few hours from now, on the idyllic banks of kAvery, hundreds of musicians and rasikAs would be paying homage to one of the most prolific composers that carnatic music has ever seen. My views on group singing of pancharatna kritis may sound rather caustic, but in my opinion, it requires a lot of rehearsal and orchestration to get it right and the spectacle that we see on our TV sets is pitiable to say the least. But let me not get into a tirade on this very auspicious day.
I started learning carnatic music when I was around ten years old. After the basic lessons, I started on some simple krithis - thyAgarAja krithis were obviously among the first few krithis that I learnt...manavyAlakincha....girirAjasuthA...thuLasidaLamulachey...and so on.
As time passed by and I started taking music seriously, I must confess that thyAgarAja krithis were not my first love!! I was more enraptured by muthuswami dikshitar's long, sedate and gamaka-laden krithis...but as I started performing and expanded by repertoire, it suddenly dawned on me!!!!
It dawned on me that any work of art which is very profound, usually appears very simple to the naked eye. Dikshitar's kritis are an exception because they require a wholly different mindset to learn, sing or appreciate. But as I started learning more thyAgarAja krithis, I realised that they were sheer musical delights!!!! The simple phrasings maturing into complex raga statements were a joy to sing. I am now a thyAgarajA addict :-)
Many scholars have studied his krithis - from every angle possible...be it musical, lyrical or philosophical. As far as I am concerned, he was a musician - and i believe that he tried to see his God through his music. I feel that Thyagaraja krithis need to be studied only musically - because, at the end of the day, he was a very enlightened composer in whom music flowed naturally!!! Unlike Purandaradasa, who has a place in Kannada literature (apart from music), thyagaraja's works have never found a place in Telugu literature...they are known mainly for their musical values and not for their lyrical beauty. Ofcourse, several of thyagaraja's krithis are in very beautiful prose but if one wants to really get value of it, one has to see all his krithis only from the musical perspective.
To me, nothing sets the concert tempo and mood like a thyagaraja krithi. I am not too much in favor of beginning concerts with a Ganesha-krithi, I feel that it is a self-imposed restriction which has more of a religious reasoning than a musical one. What better way to start a concert than with those innumerable "one-kalai" adi tala krithis of thyagaraja...rama neepai...theliyaleru rama....makelara vicharamu...manavyalakinchara...the list is endless. Thyagaraja was the undisputed master of these "one-kalai" krithis - and if we take a deeper look, we realise that a sizeable number of them are usually in janya ragas of harikambhoji, kharaharapriya or shankarabharanam. His penchant for these janya ragas is very well known and these krithis usually serve for very racy pieces in the middle of a concert (like nenarunchinaanu, niravathisukhada, vidajaladura or patti viduvaradu).
Apart from these racy krithis, there are innumerable vilamba-kala krithis where we see intricate raga phrases and nuances. My favorites among these are seethavara (devagandhari), ksheenamai (mukhari), shantamuleka (sama), geetarthamu (surutti), hechcharikaga rara (yadukulakambhoji), o rangasayee (kambhoji) and the countless todi kritis including koluvamaregada, kaddanu variki, dasarathey....
An analysis of him and his works is beyond my reach - I am just a student and a rasika.
One thing I must mention...it is said that some of his compositions which were composed towards the end of his life were real musical edifices!! Mokhamugalada, dasarathey, giripai, paramathmudu veligey and others fall into this category.
I dont believe and I dont care about the many miracles that thyagaraja is supposed to have done...like bringing back a dead man...the tirupati episode and so on....for all you know, these could be latter-day "reconstructions" by many of his disciples...
To me, each and every thyagaraja krithi is a miracle..because every time I listen to it, I realise a new dimension, a new raga statement and a new emotion. Something tells me, that is the real legacy that thyagaraja would have wanted to leave behind.