Venue: Mylapore Fine Arts Club (MFAC) Hall, Musiri Subramanya Iyer Road, Mylapore
Date: 09 Nov 2006
Organizer: Mylapore Arts Academy
Vocal: Sri Sikkil C Gurucharan
Violin: Sri Mysore V Srikanth
Mridangam: Sri Srimushnam Raja Rao
Ghatam: Sri S.V. Ramani
List of songs:
1) ninnukOri (varnam) – mOhanam – Adi – ramanAtapuram srInivAsa iyengAr (O)
2) manasulOni – hindOLam – Adi – thyAgarAja (OS)
3) mAnamulEdA – hamIr kalyANi – Adi – thyAgarAja (O)
4) kAyArOhaNEsham – dEvagAndhAram – rUpakam – muthuswAmi dIkshitar (AS)
5) viDajAladurA – janaranjani – Adi – thyAgarAja
6) eppadI manam – husEni – misra chApu – aruNAchala kavirAyar
7) rAgam tAnam pallavi (RTP) – shankarAbharaNam, tODi, kalyANi & darbAr – Adi (2 kaLai)
pallavi line: “shankarAbharaNanai azhaittODi vADi kalyANi darbArukku” (T)
8 ) kanakasabhayai kanDa piragum – kApi – rUpakam – gOpAlakrishna bhArati (?) (O)
9) tOm tanana dirana (thillAnA) – hamsAnandi – Adi – ??
10) srI rAma jaya mangaLam (mangaLam) – suruTTi – Adi – pApanAsam sivan
(Key: O=raga outline, A=raga alapana, N=neraval, S=kalpana swaram)
Sri Sikkil Gurucharan started the concert with the mOhanam varnam ninnukOri and sang the pallavi in normal speed, tisram and double speed. Sri Srimushnam Raja Rao’s accompaniment for the varnam was simply awesome. The dEvagAndhAram alapana that followed a couple of songs later was simply superb. Sri V Srikanth on the violin also played a melodious alapana for the same raga. The main piece for the evening was the RTP “shankarAbharaNanai azhaittODi vADi kalyANi darbArukku“. I have previously heard versions of this pallavi sung by Sri Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Sri K.V. Narayanaswamy and Sri T.M. Krishna. Sikkil Gurucharan’s rendition of this pallavi was also quality stuff. Raga alapana was done in the four ragas – shankarAbharaNam, tODi, kalyANi and darbAr. The transitions from shankarAbharaNam to tODi and from kalyANi to darbAr were especially smooth and very well executed. Tanam and kalpana swarams were also sung in all four ragas.
Sri Raja Rao on the mridangam was awesome throughout and the taniavartanam played by Sri Raja Rao and Sri S.V. Ramani was simply superb. After taking turns at doing the normal kuraippu, Sri Raja Rao played an additional round of kuraippus where he played first and then when Sri S.V. Ramani’s turn came, he simply played along in sarvalaghu style on the mridangam. When Sri Raja Rao’s turn to play came again, he asked Sri S.V. Ramani to play simple sarvalaghu style along while he played complex sollus. The combination sounded really good.
To sum up, it was a great kutcheri and I am sure most, if not all, among the audience would have gone back with the satisfaction of having listened to a very good concert.
Ramkumar R 