T.M.Krishna @ R.R.Sabha, Chennai

Venue: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Auditorium, East Mada St, Mylapore, Chennai

Date: 26 Jan 2007

Organizer: Rasika Ranjani Sabha (R.R.Sabha)

Vocal: Sri T.M. Krishna (TMK)

Violin: Sri Vittal Ramamurthy

Mridangam: Sri B. Ganapatiraman

Ghatam: Sri N. Guruprasad

List of songs:

1) valachi (varnam) – rAgamAlikA – Adi – kothavAsal venkaTrAma iyer

2) bhakti bichamiyyavE – shankarAbharaNam – rUpakam – thyAgarAja (OS)

3) mundu vENuka – darbAr – Adi – thyAgarAja (AS)

4) rAga sudhA rasa – AndOLikA – Adi – thyAgarAja

5) vAtApi gaNapatim – hamsadwani – Adi – muthuswAmi dIkshitar (ANST)

6) kANavEnDAmO – srIranjani – rUpakam – pApanAsam sivan

7) pibarE rAmarasam – yamunAkalyANi – Adi – sadAsiva brahmEndra

8 ) krishNam kalaya – mukhAri – Adi – nArAyaNa tIrtar

9) nI nAma rUpa mulaku (mangaLam) – sowrAshTram – Adi – thyAgarAja

(Key: O=raga outline, A=raga alapana, N=neraval, S=kalpana swaram, T=taniavartanam)

One of the many reasons I admire TMK is the fact that despite being one of the busiest musicians around giving so many concerts, he manages to make each one of them a success. Today’s concert was yet another example of this. TMK started with the navarAgamAlikA varnam and went on to sing Sri Thyagaraja’s “bhakti bichamiyyavE” with kalpana swarams put at the pallavi line. An elaborate alapana of darbAr followed this serving as a prelude to a moving rendition of “mundu vEnu“. A fast paced GNB style “rAga sudhA rasa” in AndOLikA came next. It had one of these beautiful sangathis for the words “nAdOnkAra swara” in the charaNam which I can’t remember havind heard anyone sing before. What followed next would have surely taken many by surprise. Hamsadwani as the main raga for the day !! A detailed raga alapana was followed by “vAtApi” which I have never before heard being sung anywhere else but at the beginning stages of a concert. TMK did a great job with the alapana, with the kriti rendition and with the neraval and kalpana swarams which were put at “parAdi chatvAri vAgAtmakam, praNavaswarUpa vakratuNDam“. I especially loved the slow speed kalpana swarams where TMK kept traversing the lower octave and the lower half of the normal octave.

Sri Vittal Ramamurthy followed TMK well and played in a somewhat restrained fashion. Sri B.Ganapatiraman and Sri Guruprasad were brilliant. Kudos to Sri Ganapatiraman for playing so beautifully for all the songs !! The taniavartanam in Adi talam played by the percussion duo comprised the chatusra and tisra naDais. Here also Sri Ganapatiraman played some really difficult sollus with unbelievable ease.

Remember the famous dialogue from the Bollywood blockbuster Sholay “pachas kos door gaon mein jab koi bacha rota hai toh maa kehti hai: so jaa bete warna Gabbar aa jaayega“. In TMK concerts, whenever a mama or mami gets up during the mangalam, his/her neighbours tell him/her: “Baith jaao warna TMK ko gussa aa jaayega (sit down, else TMK will get angry)” 😉