Sikkil Gurucharan @ Lalitha Kala Vedika, Chennai

Venue: R.K. Swamy Auditorium, Mylapore, Chennai

Date: 15 June 2007

Organizer: Lalitha Kala Vedika

Vocal: Vid. Sikkil Gurucharan

Violin: Vid. Nagai Sriram

Mrudangam: Vid. Trivandrum Balaji

Ghatam: Vid. E.M. Subramaniam

List of songs:

1) vanajAkshi (varnam) – kalyANi – Adi – rAmanAthapuram srInivAsa iyengAr (O)

2) sarasa sAma dAna – kApinArAyaNi – Adi – tyAgarAja (OS)

3) mAyammA yani nE – Ahiri – Adi – syAma sAstri (O)

4) anudinamunu – bEgaDa – rUpakam – rAmanAtapuram srInivAsa iyengAr (ANS)

5) mOhanakara muthukumara – nItimati – rUpakam – kOTIshwara iyer (AS)

6) entamuddO – bindumAlini – Adi – thyAgarAja (O)

7) bhAvayE sArasanAbham – kIravANi – Adi – swAti tiruNAL (AST)

8 ) kSaNamadhunA nArAyaNam – valaji – Adi – jayadEva (O)

9) senthamizh nADenum – rAgamAlikA – Adi – subramaNya bhArati

10) chelinEnEtlu sahintunE (jAvaLi) – paras – Adi – paTTAbhirAmayyA

11) iyal isai (tiruppugazh) – dEsh – kanDa tripuTa – aruNagirinAthar

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

13) mangaLam kOsalEndrAya (shlOkam) – madyamAvati

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

R.K. Swamy Auditorium is one of the few auditoriums in the city where the sound amplification is often simply superb. I am sure this must be playing a pivotal role in the success of the concerts that are held there. Vid Sikkil Gurucharan’s concert too had a good mic setting though the amplification level was a bit higher than usual.

The concert started with the kalyANi varnam “vanajAkshi” which I am hearing after a long time now. A short sketch of kApinArAyaNi followed. Kalpana swarams in “sarasa sAma dAna” were sung at “hitavu mATalentO …..” . “mAyammA yani nE” was started with the anupallavi “nyAyamA shrI …” and was sung very well in a slow, moving way. The ragas taken for elaboration were bEgaDA and kIravANi and were dealt with very nicely by both Vid Gurucharan and Vid Nagai Sriram. Neraval and kalpana swarams were put in “anudinamunu” at “kanakanaruci nirupamu“. Kalpana swarams were put at the pallavi line itself for “bhAvayE sArasanAbham“, a kriti not sung that often in the concert circuit. Vid Trivandrum Balaji and Vid E.M. Subramaniam accompanied well for the songs.