Brain Drain

S Shankar @ Nadasurabhi Monthly Concert, Heritage Academy Koramangala 15 Jan 2012 January 16, 2012

vocal : Bangalore S Shankar

Vocal Support : Ramani Shankar

Violin : Nalina mohan

Mrudangam : Cheluvaraju

Ghatam : sukanya Ramgopal

List:

01   ugabhOga ( ADigaLisi..) – nAtta- Purandara Dasa

        vandisuvudadiyali gaNanAtha – nAtta – khaNDa chapu – Purandara Dasa ( S )

02  kaNDa jUDumi – vAchaspati – Adi – Thyagaraja ( A , N, S )

        neraval & swara @ ‘ alanADu soumitri pAda sEva’

03   entha muddO entha sukhasO – bindumAlini – Adi – Thyagaraja

04  tatwameruga taramA – garuDadhwani – Thyagaraja

05  Emi jEsitE nEmi – thODi -  mishra chApu – Thyagaraja ( A,N,S )

        neraval & swara @ ‘  vara mantramanyulakupadEshinchatE nEmi’

06  karuNAnidhiyE – malayamArutam – Purandara Dasa ( O )

07  marukELarA – jayanthashree – Thyagaraja

08  anupama guNAmbudhi – aTHANa – Thyagaraja

09  pAlisamma muddu shAradE – mukhAri – Purandara Dasa ( A )

10  raghuvarA nannu – pantuvarALi – Adi x 2 – thyagaraja  ( A,N,S,T )

       neraval & swara ‘manasunA nannu maravu konnAnu’

11  SrIkAntha enagisTu daya mADO – darbAri kAnaDa – mishra chApu – Purandara Dasa ( O )

12   hari smaraNe mADu srI rangada – yamunA kalyANi – Purandara Dasa

13  sItA kalyANa vaibhOgamE – kurinji – khaNDa chApu – Thyagaraja

14  ugabhOga ( dhanyayuL trithAyudAdi) – sindhu bhairavi

        tambUri mIti tava – sindhubhairavi – Purandara Dasa

15  mangaLa SLOkam (thyagarAjaya mangaLam)  - rAgamAlika ( sAvEri,hindOLam, Anandabhairavi, bEgaDa, madhyamAvati)

       nInAma rUpamulaku – saurAshtram – Thyagaraja

Vid.Shankar and the team gave a brilliant concert yesterday at the Madasurabhi Monthly music Concert.  Being the season of ‘Thyagaraja-Purandara Dasa Aradhana’, the entire concert was on the compositions of these two composers. Started with a quick nAtta kriti and a set of swaras, he quickly got into the groove with a nice presentation of Vachaspati alapana. Kanda jUDumi, had the expected neraval and some intersting sets of swaras.  Couple of fillers came before a grand alapana of thOdi, pretty early into the concert.  Thodi was detailed and had all the typical phrases one likes to hear. Emi jesite, came in as we were contemplating the choices. The neraval and swara between the two vocalists and the violinst were very good.  Another couple of fillers came before Sankar asked his son to continue the proceedings. Ramani sang a quickfire aTHAna ( 3 fillers were unwanted though).  As one was expecting a pallavi, after a grand thOdi, mukhAri alapana started. However, alapana was short and he sang pAlisamma with no neraval ( I liked his neraval at ShringAra nagari nEle ) and swaras.

It was pantuvarAli as main. The alapana from Sankar , with some interlude from Ramani was very good. Violin return was also god, but was too short ( less than 3 min) for the main piece of the day. But, then I prefer neraval and swaras for pantuvarali than an elaborated alapana. Raghuvara nannu was treated very well with some brilliant support from the percussion team. Detailed neraval and swara followed keeping up the status of the main kriti of the day.

Sri Cheluvaraju and Sukanya stole the show from here on with a stupendous tani avartanam. I haven’t seen or heard him play so well over all these years, for which he received appropriate appreciation from the audience. Post main wsa also intersting with a very emotive darbari kAnaDa and a longish mangaLa slokam ( was it his own composition ?).  Being my first concert attendance of the year, I could not have asked for more.