Madrasana – Concert at a Cinema – 27 December 2018

Carnatic Concert at a Cinema. At first, one is unsure how to feel about this. Rest assured, for one experience will ensure that you keep coming back for more.

The grand finale of the Madrasana Festival, a Ranjani Gayatri ‘s CONCERT, began with a beautiful composition in Karnataka Behag, with swarams. Sri Valli Devasenapate was rendered with finesse, each sangathi filled with Natabhairavi. Pantuvarali was elaborated in Alapana by both Ranjani ma’am and Gayatri ma’am with their akaaram-rich voices executing perfectly chiselled sangathis, ably and aptly supported on the violin.

“Puppetmaster” – 21 December 2018

I think the place is special.
Or maybe it’s just these two.
And everyone else on stage.

“Gananayakam” by Dikshitar in Rudrapriya started the concert with energetic swarams. After a brief, soothing introduction, Sujana Jeevana was rendered. Khamas definitely drowned us in peace and calm as they rendered the kriti was utmost aesthetic sensitivity and sensibility. The “Mamava” was perfect. Free-flowing swarams tailed this beauty.

Greed for music – BGS – 15 December 2018

Today was a dream come true. For someone who’s definitely going to hell because of greed for music, the Brahma Gana Sabha concert of three hours and then some seems like a good way to go. Yeah, third person references are back.

The Reethigowla Ata Tala varnam was a beautiful start, with a very sensitive rendition that ensured each note was treaded upon with the right amount of weight. The next was a composition on the remover of obstacles in Malavi, with an overarching theme of anagatha starting points for most words, as if to suggest that Vighneshwara is the one to go to, BEFORE everything. Percussion was literally on their toes for this one and elevated the rendition to great heights. Sparkling rounds of swaras with a cherry-on-top korvai in this zig zag raga raised the energy levels.

404 – Words Not Found – 9 December 2018

At 4:30 pm, the curtains went up as the packed hall thundered with applause and we were all aboard the RaGa rollercoaster ride.

One can never go wrong beginning with Begada, the joy-incarnate pride of Carnatic music. Memories of last year’s brilliant Begada at the same venue came rushing back as a bright Papanasam Sivan composition in Rupakam was rendered and adorned with dazzling kalpanaswarams to different points in the kriti. The rollercoaster then took a dip into the soft melancholy of Nagagandhari in a Dikshitar composition.

Concerts, and CONCERTS – 25 November 2018

There are concerts, and then there are CONCERTS.

What happened today at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan was definitely a CONCERT. Kedaram came like an early Margazhi morning breeze, in the form of a beautiful Dikshitar Kriti with a refreshing flow of kalpanaswarams to kickstart the Margazhi season for these two Carnatic Giants. And what a start it was going to be! Following a brief yet powerful showcase of the ragam, the vital phrases in which Nayaki lives were brought to life in a superb rendition of Kanugonu Sowkhyamu.