Lalgudi Sri G.J.R. Krishnan and Lalgudi Smt. Vijayalakshmi performed yesterday in the Gokulashtami concert series at Odukkathur Swamigal Mutt, Bangalore. They were accompanied by Sri Mannargudi Easwaran on the mridangam and Sri B.S. Purushottam on the Khanjira. The list of songs they played is as follows:
1) varnam – husEni – Adi – lAlgudi g. jayarAman
2) ennadu jUtunO – kalAvati – Adi – thyAgarAja
3) eti yOchanalu – kiranAvali – Adi – thyAgarAja
4) vEnugAna – kEdAragowla – rUpakam – thyAgarAja
5) AdamOdi – chArukEsi – Adi – thyAgarAja
6) arul seyya – rasikapriyA – Adi – kOtIswara iyer
7) chEtasri – dwijAvanti – rUpakam – muthuswAmi dIkshitar
8) mOhana rAma – mOhanam – Adi – thyAgarAja
9) sarasa sAma – kApinArAyani – Adi – thyAgarAja
10) rAgam tAnam pallavi – shanmugapriyA – misra triputa (tisra gathi)
(wordings: nandakumAram navanIta chOram, manasA smarAmi)
11) alaipAyudhE – kAnadA – Adi – UthukkAdu venkata subbaiyer
12) venkatAchala – sindhu bhairavi – Adi – purandaradAsa
13) ashtapadi – behAg (?) – Adi – jayadEva(?)
14) thillAna – madhuvanti – Adi – lAlgudi g. jayarAman
15) pavamAna (mangalam) – sowrAshtram – Adi – thyAgarAja
The organizer put it well when he said “Just as Xerox is synonymous with photocopying, Lalgudi is synonymous with violin”. Lalgudi G. Jayaraman, father of Sri Krishnan and Smt Vijayalakshmi is one of the seniormost and best known carnatic violinist today. Apart from being a superb violinst, he is also a very good composer. His varnams and thillAnAs adorn the song lists of many concerts and music albums today. I love the “lalgudi style” of playing violin because, like I wrote about the Mandolin Srinivas concert a few days back, you get a feeling as though someone is sitting on stage and singing the song beautifully.
The rAgA alApanAs of mOhanam and shanmugapriyA stood out. The melodious kalpanA swarams were also laden with kanakkus. Sri Mannargudi Easwaran, as usual, provided quality mridangam accompaniment. But the star on the percussion side yesterday was Sri B.S. Purushottam on the khanjira. He religiously followed the songs and the kalpanA swarAs, the way they were played on the violin. I have been a fan of his for quite some time now and feel that he might be the perfect person to occupy the slot left vacant a few years back due to the death of one of the greatest khanjira maestros ever – Sri G. Harishankar.
Ramkumar R 