Venue: Dakshinamurthy Auditorium, P.S. High School, R.K. Mutt Road, Mylapore, Chennai
Date: 16 Jan 2007
Organizer: Music Connoisseurs Club
Vocal: Sri Trichur V. Ramachandran (TVR)
Violin: Sri M.A. Sundareswaran
Mridangam: Sri Umayalpuram Mali
List of songs:
1) pArvatI patim – hamsadwani – Adi – muthuswAmi dIkshitar (OS)
2) bAgAyanayya – chandrajyOti – Adi – thyAgarAja
3) srI ramaNa vibhO – Arabhi – Adi – swAti tiruNAL (AS)
4) sachAmara ramAvANi – hamsAnandi – tisra Eka – harikEsanallUr muthiAh bhAgavatar (AS)
5) manasu swAdInamai – shankarAbharaNam – misra chApu – thyAgarAja (ANST)
6) muralIdara gOpAlA – mAnD – Adi – periyasAmi thUran
7) dayavu seyya innum enna tAmadam swAmi – suruTTi – misra chApu – nIlakanTa sivan
8 ) ninnu pogaDa taramA – kuntalavarALi – Adi – g.n. bAlasubramaNiam
9) nI nAma rUpa mulaku (mangaLam) – sowrAshTram – Adi – thyAgarAja
(Key: O=raga outline, A=raga alapana, N=neraval, S=kalpana swaram, T=taniavartanam)
Age certainly seems to have taken its toll on Sri TVR. He strains to listen to the shruti box and tanpura. He asks the violinst to play “sa” almost before every song as if to check up if he is hearing the correct base shruti to start off his next song/alapana. But once he starts singing, his voice just weaves magic. There is perfect shruti alignment and a clear diction. The raga alapanas have many good prayogas. The songs themselves have very good sangathis. The kalpana swarams, especially the slow speed ones, are thoroughly enjoyable.
The concert started more than 30 mins behind schedule thanks to a good dance recital by a group of children that just stretched a little beyond time and an eloquent wannabe politician who, being the chief guest for the evening, spoke well but for an extended period of time. Starting off with a quick fire “pArvatI patim” in hamsadwani, Sri TVR went on to give a good rendition of Sri Thyagaraja’s “bAgAyanayya“. I have always loved to hear Sri TVR sing Arabhi . When he started the Arabhi alapana yesterday, I just wished he sang Sri GNB’s “maravanunE ninnu” as the best version I have heard of this song is TVR’s. He chose Sri Swati Tirunal’s “srI ramaNa vibhO” instead. Interestingly, Sri M.A. Sundareswaran started his Arabhi alapana on the violin by almost playing the same song. He was able to predict TVR’s choice may be because of the fact that TVR sings “srI ramaNa vibhO” a lot these days. The hamsAnandi alapanas that followed this were very well executed by both Sri TVR and Sri M.A. Sundareswaran. The song of the day however was “manasu swAdInamai“. The shankarAbharaNam alapana was just perfect and the neraval and kalpana swarams were beautiful. Sri TVR wrapped up the concert with a kriti in one of my favorite ragas suruTTi (I am hearing this kriti for the first time) and Sri GNB’s “ninnu pogaDa tarama“.
Ramkumar R 
He had the same trouble in Bangalore. The “Thambura” was just behind his ears. The “Shruthi box” was quite loud. He had asked the sound guys to increase the violin volume ( we had to request him to correct this as the violin sound was too high and was not pleasent to hear).
And I agree with you , once he is settled , it is a treat to the audience.
I have found him singing krithis from a variety of composers (Usually 6-7 differnt composers), and I see the same here too. And Of course “ShrI ramanavibhO” was here as well.
You have depicted the scene on stage perfectly. Here too the tambura was being played very close to his ears and the sruti box was loud.