Venue: Parthasarathi Swami Temple, Triplicane, Chennai
Date: 14 May 2007
Organizer: Arulmigu Parthasarathi Swami Temple & Parthasarathy Swami Sabha
Vocal: Vid. T.N.Seshagopalan (TNS)
Violin: Vid. B. Ananthakrishnan
Mrudangam: Vid. Mannarkoil Balaji
Tambura: Vid. Vaidyanathan
List of songs:
1) sAmaja varadA – sudha sAvEri – rUpakam – rAmanAthapuram srInivAsa iyengAr (OS)
2) kUDArai vellum – pUrvikalyANi – misra cApu – ANDAL
3) gOvardhana giridhara – hindOLam – Adi – nArAyaNa tIrtar (AS)
4) pArthasArathi nannu – madyamAvati – rUpakam – rAmanAthapuram srInivAsa iyengAr (NS)
5) kshIra sAgara – dEvagAndhAri – Adi – tyAgarAja
6) ugram vIram mahAvishNum (viruttam) – tODi
ADi ADi aham karaindu (viruttam) – tODi
paLLiyil ODi vanda tan siruvan (viruttam) – tODi
nInE doDDavanO – tODi – Adi – purandaradAsa (AST)
7) shanka chakra gadA pANE (& other shlOkAs) – rAgamAlikA (jOg, valaji, aTANA?, bAgEshwari, bEgaDA, chandrakauns, sAmA, darbAr, hamsAnandi, rItigauLa, nIlAmbari, bauLi, shubapantuvarALi, shankarAbharaNam, shivaranjani, mAND) ***
bArO krishnayyA – rAgamAlikA – Adi – kanakadAsa
8 ) annavayal pudhuvai ANDAL (viruttam) – maNirangu – uyyakkonDAr
mAri malai muzhainjil – maNirangu – misra cApu – ANDAL
9) vangakkaDal kaDainda – suruTTi – misra cApu – ANDAL
10) swasti prajAbhyah paripAlayantAm (shlOkam) – shrI
11) sriya kAntAya (shlOkam) – shrI
(Key: O=raga outline, A=raga alapana, N=neraval, S=kalpana swaram, T=taniavartanam)
*** There could have been more ragas in the ragamalika in 7). I managed to note down only these. I think I have almost covered the entire set sung. Each of the phrases in a particular raga were sung for only about 5 seconds and he just shifted from one raga to another very fast.
Being a die-hard TNS fan, I was looking forward to at least three hours of pure bliss upon seeing this concert listed as starting at 6.30PM in the morning papers, instead of the usual 7PM. Upon entering the temple, I came to know from an acquaintance that TNS had a train to catch at 9.15PM, had hence asked for an early 6.30 PM start and would wrap up before 8.30PM. The actual concert however hardly lasted an hour and a quarter. Had I not known TNS had a train to catch, I would have been thoroughly disappointed with such a short concert.
But even within such a short time, a TNS fan could get glimpses of the multi-faceted maestro. Though his raga alapanas were much shorter than his usual portrayals, he seemed to extract the essence of the ragas and give it to rasikas to enjoy. For example his tODi alapana lasted for just 4 minutes in place of the usual 30 min to 1 hour essays but had all the punch packed within that short time. He also sang many verses from the works of Vaishnavite saints, especially from the Thiruppavai, during the viruttams [ex: viruttam in 7) above]. Hearing the tODi alapana and “vangakkaDal“, one of my favorite verses from Andal’s Thiruppavai (in the raga suruTTi), made my day.
Looking forward to longer concerts of the maestro once these ‘dry’ summer months get over.
Ramkumar R 
Just to add, the Hindolam was nicely executed with good Swarams.And Baro Krishnayya usually has Mishra Piloo (if I am not mistaken).But,I heard a few phrases of Kharaharapriya during the rendition.Maybe,it is usual TNS or maybe I am mistaken.
Sathej
Thodi seems to be synonymous to TNS these days. And at each concert he sings a different krithi.
Shorter TNS concerts leaves you with a fresh longing to listen to him more.
Yes Jayan … almost felt like asking him if I can accompany him on his train journey to wherever his next concert is. BTW, heard from someone that he was leaving for Trichur. Do you have anyone there who can track his concert?
I’ve heard that he is in Trichur today. Some of my relatives are planning to attend. Not sure if they have any way of capturing(!). Let me give a try..
Cool … and hope he doesn’t a train to catch to another place 😉
Do you agree that bliss means “Anandham”. Then a concert can never lead you to anandham. Because you will feel sad-ness once its over (or even if its shortened).
So I think u ment “happiness” – which would alternate with sadness.
🙂
What do you define as anandam?
What I mean by bliss is extreme happiness.
Its not true that a (very good) concert will lead to sadness once it gets over. Yes there might be a feeling that it could have gone on for some more time. However, once a good concert gets over, the effect it creates lasts for a long time. The good songs, alapanas etc keep running in your mind and keep coming back to you, sometimes even months after the concert gets over. For example, I still remember some portions from a tODi raga alapana that the same singer TNS sang in Bangalore about 8-9 months back.
The disappointment I had mentioned about was what one would get when one goes expecting something and that doesn’t happen.
Everything below is quoted from Sri Anna’s Upanyasam. So you can trrust its credibility.
The Vedas say, –
You came from Anantham, & hence you will always persue to go towards anandham.
Now the question is “What is anandham?”. The vedas has not accepted that anything finite as “Antham”.
So all your persuits in music – is an attempt to reach Anantham. But you end up attaining Happiness – not anandham. You cannot differentiate bewtween the two – & so assume what u experience as Anantham.