Carnatica's Rasika Forum

TNS season continues


Concert review -TNS at connoisure's club, Bharathiyavidyabhavan-chennai
0n 6-3-2007

To describe today's concert in one word, it was 'mAttrArai mAttrazikkum sangeetham,' meaning, it was a concert which would have attracted even those who want to criticise his music.The rasikas were led into raptures right from the outset. One should have seen the faces of the rasikas, which were lit with wonder and joy when they left the hall in the end, to believe this.

The flag was hoisted in the very beginning when TNS sang 'dhayajuchudaku' in ganavaridhi, a thyagarajakrthi, after kalyani adathala varna and started his ever ebullient poorvikalyani.The song was 'ekkAlatthilum' of Thiruvrur Ramasami Pillai. The svara was taken up by both TNS and TNS Krishna and was the delight of the rasikas as usual. It was a skilful presentation and MASundaresan also did full justice to the raga on the violin.

The soaring to the height of ecstasy of the rasikas (I was not the only one, there were quite a few around with 'oos and aahs') was however experienced in his singing the raga Suruti which was beyond description.Rasikas were swept off their feet and this is not a bit exaggerated. Such was the Suruti that came from TNS.

I have heard wonderful Suruti from him once before in Meenakshi college in Dec. 2005 and this was a reminder of that marvellous experience.' SuruL suruLAga varum raga alapanai appadiye elloraiyum surutti vittadhu.' The krthi was 'angarakam,' as it wasTuesday and the svara was sung at 'dheenerakshakam' and was fabulous.The violinist did a very good job of it too.

Next was the song by Ambujam Krishna in Suddhadhanyasi, 'Azagaa azagaa,' and it was beautifully rendered true to the words of the song(azagaa azagaa).

Perhaps TNS was still overwhelmed with the bhakthipravaha at the Ksheerasagara hall on 4th, where he performed harikatha on extolling Ramabhakthi, (bhakthipravaha-review of which will follow shortly as I am still struggling to find words to express all that was said within two and a half hours), because he started raga Devagandhari which was followed by the krthi Ksheerasagara.

The waves of Devagandhari swept the place like Tsunami that was welcomed, and one could visualise ksheerasagara even before the krthi was sung.The waves of the raga came in all sizes and shapes preparing the abode of the SunAmi,the thAraka nAmi, the Ksheerasagarasayana.The krithi was beautiful as could be expected and was the main piece and the svara in the end was also like the waves of the ksheerasagara, sweeping and roaring, after which the mridangist K.V.Prasad played thani avarthana which was as skilful as his accompaniment through out.

After the graceful 'Mohanavalli: a piece from azagar kuravanji by Kavi Kunjara Bharathy, TNS started the sloka 'vaidehishitham,' and the surprise which was in store could not have been anticipated by the rasikas who expected the usual short but sweet presentation as it was past 9.30 pm. TNS started to sing the lines as ragamalika, which was also expected but not the way it was sung!

The first line was in Begada, picturing the magestic golden hall, ( haime mahaamandape) and the second line was in Hamsanandi and a wonderful Hamsanandi it was, taken over by Krishna who did a portrait of the raga with exquisite strokes and between both of them it was a paramahamsaanndhi.The way TNS sang the words' manimaye ' in Hamsanandhi he seemed to construct the veerasana (manimaye veerasane sustTHitham) with gems inlaid by his music. ( manigalaal izaitthaarpol).

The next line 'agre vaasayathi prabhanjanasuthe,' was in Brindavanasaranga, which was the description of Hanuman with his humility and then the last line 'vyaakhyaantham bharathaadhibhih parvritham Ramam baje shyaamalam ' was in Sindhubhairavi, which surpassed all expectations. Such a sindhubhairavi it was which made one wonder wherefrom did he pick out all the nuances hitherto hidden from view of all. In singing vyaakhyaantham he made a real vyaakhyaana, elucidation of the raga.It was real Sindhubhairavi, then sindhum, bhaavam sindhum, azagu sindhum Sindhubhairavi, bringing before the mind of a rasika, fired with imagination, the lines of Bharathi, "sindhunadhiyin misai nilavinile" as it was such a pleasant and enjoyable experience as that. TNS did not leave any crevice or nook and corner of the raga unexplored and MASundaresan also did an admirable feat on the violin.

It was then 10.10pm when TNS started the bajan Ramachandraprabhu in Sindhubhairavi by Swathithirunal and ended the concert with the thillana in khamas. Rasikas left feeling that they could have listened to him more despite the late hour