Vasudha Ravi @ STSVS, Chennai

Venue: Sri Thiagaraja Sangeetha Vidwath Samajam, Thiagarajapuram, Chennai

Date: 07 May 2007

Organizer: Sri Thiagaraja Sangeetha Vidwath Samajam

Vocal: Vid. Vasudha Ravi

Violin: Vid. K.Gokul

Mrudangam: Vid. Erode Nagaraj

List of songs:

1) girirAja sutA – bangaLa – Adi – tyAgarAja

2) ninnE bhajana – nATTai – Adi – tyAgarAja (S)

3) shrI tuLasammA – dEvagAndhAri – Adi – tyagarAja

4) sangIta shAstra jnAnamu – mukhAri – Adi – tyAgarAja (A)

5) dayarAni dayarAni – mOhanam – kanDa cApu – tyAgarAja

6) bhuvinidAsuDanE – shrIranjani – Adi – tyAgarAja (AS)

7) shrI janaka tanayE – kalakaNThi – Adi – tyAgarAja (O)

8 ) enduku peddala – shankarAbharaNam – Adi – tyAgarAja (ANST)

9) EmaNi vEgintunE – husEni – Adi – tyAgarAja

10) haridAsulu – yamunAkalyANi – Adi – tyAgarAja

11) gandhamu puyyarugA – punnAgavarALi – Adi – tyAgarAja

12) nI nAma rUpa mulaku – saurAshTram – Adi – tyAgarAja

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

The concert began with a crisp rendition of “girirAja sutA“. Kalpana swarams were put at “sItAnAtha sakala .. ” in “ninnE bhajana“, at “padamulEgati tyAgarAjanuta” in “bhuvinidAsuDanE” and at “vEda shAstra …” in “enduku peddala“. Neraval was done for the same verse in “enduku peddala“. The shrIranjani alapana by both Vid. Vasudha and Vid. Gokul was short and nice. The alapana was followed by some very good mrudangam accompaniment for the song “bhuvinidAsuDanE” by Vid. Erode Nagaraj. Taniavartanam was played by him in Adi tALa (2 kaLai) and comprised primarily the chatusra naDai. His kOrvais were very interesting. For example, if we take the first kOrvai, the first time he played the pUrvAngam in kanDa gati and the uttarAngam in tisra gati. The second time, he played the pUrvAngam in tisra gati and the uttarAngam in kanDa gati. The final time, he played both pUrvAngam and uttarAngam in chatusra gati. I will let you guess the akshara count for the respective portions. It might lead to formation of more kOrvais in the process !!