Brimming With Sweetness – 13 January 2024

As I gobbled down the sweet Pongal that I ordered from a restaurant which had three varieties of it, all with the same jaggery but just different spellings, my mind drifted to the time my ears last experienced unbearable sweetness. Why of course, it was Ranjani Gayatri’s final Margazhi concert at Nada Sudha, Velachery.

My new year began with the raga of beginnings, in Ponnaiah Pillai’s exquisite Mayamalavagowla composition, with a brilliant burst of swarams adorning the Mayaatheetha Swaroopini. The beauty of Hamir Kalyani as captured in the lilt of Thumani Madathu was on full display next, every single Ma – the syllable and/or swaram, is an absolute delight in this! Ariyakudi is ❤️

Achala Sangeetham – 30 December 2023

I don’t know if it was a nod to that voncert when she said “Suprabhatam”, as the Ranjani-Gayatri concert began with my favourite Sadaachaleshwaram in the beautiful Bhoopalam. How Dikshitar makes the raga flow first in those slow evocative phrases and then packs that madhyama kala punch. Swarams flowed to highlight both these beauties, the Sadaa- and the Girijaamoham! This was followed by yet another exquisite kriti in Begada, Vaa Muruga Vaa. Those delightful rolling sangathis!!

Vaa Vaa… Vaa! – 25 December 2023

Ranjani-Gayatri at Music Academy. The merriest music. The sumptuous feast began with an invocation to Ganapathi, Ekadantam Bhajeham in sweet Bilahari, with swarams to adorn.

Ranjani ma’am began her alapana. One of those prati madhyama ragams that always makes a mark and lifts up a kutcheri. In her rich voice the phrases flowed in that balance of emotive and drawn out vs crisp and finely chiselled. Those varja phrases flowed amply but the Pa returned every now and then to reinforce the ragam perfectly. Pantuvarali. Oh how I’ve missed Vid Rajeev Mukundan! What a pristine sound he extracts from that violin, sweet yet full of the heavyweight movements. After alapana they rendered my most favourite Panniru Kann Malar Malarndha Kadale. How I love every word of this beauty, and the tune, the talam and the power-packed chittaswarams. “En Iru Kann Maniye! En Thaaye” was taken up for… An emotional outpouring. This is the reason people flock to their concerts. While soaring phrases, playing with laya are all beautiful ends in themselves, when Ranjani Gayatri sing neraval all this musical mastery becomes the means to a much more elusive end, the emotional crescendo. Swift swarams poured out, complete with a korvai. Next was yet another favourite, the grand Kambhoji suspended in Khanda Chapu. Kandu Kandu!

Saaranga Saa Rang – 23 December 2023

One of the things that stands out in every Ranjani-Gayatri concert is their absolutely clear intent to maximize the value of each and every second of the rasika’s time. From the very first second it’s power packed music – like yesterday’s beginning, with Ambujam Krishna’s Guruvaayoorappane in the beautiful Reethigowla, swaram crackers exploding for “Paramapurushan”.

Happening Music – 21 December 2023

Wherever Ranjani-Gayatri sing, with their ever so awesome fellow artistes, music HAPPENS. It flows through such perfect instruments that all the humans vanish and the music stands out. But at a venue like Kalakshetra, things just go to the another level!