M S Sheela @ Nadasurabhi 18 Sept 2011 – Thematic concert on Karnataka composers

Vocal : M S Sheela & 5 of her Desciples

Violin : C N Chandrasekharan

Mrudangam : B C Manjunath

Ghatam : Phanindra Bhaskara

Thematic concert on  Karnataka ( Mysore State) Composers

Song list:

01  intha sowkhya ( varNam) – pantuvarALi – Mysore Sadashiva Rao

02  gam gaNapatE namO -  hamsadhwani – Muthaiah Bhagavathar  ( O, S)

03  nIkeppuDu dayavuchunu – AbhOgi – Mysore Sadashiva Rao ( A, S )

04  srI chAmuNDEswari pAlayamAm – bilahari – Mysore Vasudevachar

05  amba brOvavE – dharmavathi – Bidaram Krishnappa ( A,N,S )

        neraval & swara @ ‘ maha bhairavi gowri srIkrishNa pOshiNi’

06  saraswatim bhagavatim namamyaham – hamsavinOdini – Jaya Chamarajendra Wodeyar ( A )

07  shAradE shubhra hArE – shAradapriya ( rathipatipriya) – Mysore (Veena) Venkatagiriyappa

08  nI kELa daya rAdu rAmachandra – kadana kutUhalam – Mysore Vasudevachar

09 annapUrNESwari akhilESwari – kharaharapriya – Muthaiah Bhagavathar ( A,N,S,T )

       neraval & swara @ ‘ sannuta guNa shAlini ambA’

10  kamalamukhiyE kamalAlayE – mOhana kalyANi – Gopala Dasa

11  thillAna ( nadir tanOm tanOm tanana dhim ) – naLinakAnthi ? – T Chowdaiah

12 mangaLam – saurAshtram / madhyamAvati – Thyagaraja

Smt M S Sheela and team presented a very good concert yesterday at the Heritage Academy Hall, for Nadasurabhi. It was announced as a thematic concert on Karnataka Composers. Prior to the start, she explained that she has choosen composers not from the  Haridasa group, but the 19th and 20th century Mysore State composers. 

The stage was full with 5 of her desciples accompanied her ( physically and musically) and “added colour and content’ if I borrow KSSR’s words.  They joined their guru during kriti and were largely non intrusive ( against my initial fear of being noisy as in chorus singing).  The audio levels of the vocal was slightly high though.

Concert started with Mysore Sadashiva Rao’s Pantuvarali Varnam.  Moving on to HMB’s hamsadhwani kriti and a short set of swaras, she started the first alapana in Abhogi, which was very good. Neekeppudu was good and the swara that followed was brilliant. After the familiar ‘Sree Chamumdeswari’ , Bidaram Krishnappa’s masterpiece in Dharmavathi was taken up as sub-main. The alapana was good, C N Chandrasekharan’s return was very good. Krithi and the neraval at ‘maha bhairavi’ was beautiful. Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar’s hamsavinodini was preceded with a short alapana, which was very interesting.  Veena Venkatagiriyappa’s not heard kriti in sharadapriya came ( she explained that this raga has the same scale as ratipatipriya) before what I describe as “kadana kolahalam’. There was noise all over with each of them trying to out do the other.  A rare low point in the concert.

Main kharaharapriya alapana was grand and so was the violin return. Muthaiah Bhagavathar’s Annapurneswari akhileshwari is a heavy weight kriti, filled with Sangati’s at every line ( possibly).  Smt MS Sheela and her desciples, I thought, did a fabulous job.  The same continued through neraval and kalpanaswara.

B C Manjunath and Phanindra gave a spirited tani avartanam. Manjunath was excellent through out, especially during neravals and swaram. During the kritis, I had a feeling that he was over doing a bit ( he was not loud at any point). Phanindra, despite a low volume level, did produce some good supportive play.

Post main had a mohanakalyani kriti, supposed to have set to tune by Sheela herself, and a thillana of Chowdaiah. In all, a very well thought out and prepared thematic concert by M S Sheela.

 

M S Sheela @ Essae Music Foundation 04 Sep 2011

Vocal : M S Sheela

Violin : Charulatha Ramanujam

Mrudangam : Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma

Morsing: Pramath Kiran

Songlist:

01 sarasijanAbha ( varNam) – kAmbOji – Swathi Thirunal

02  tuLasI dalamulachE – mayAmALavagauLa – Thyagaraja ( N,S )

        neraval&Swara @ ‘ sarasIruha punnAga champaka pATala kuruvaka’

03  nAda tanumaniSam – chittaranjani – Thyagaraja

04  himAdi suthE – kalyANi – Shyama Sastry ( A,N,S )

        neraval & Swara @ ‘SyAmakrishNa  sOdari gowri paramESwari girijA’

05  singAra vElan vandAn- Anandabhairavi – Papanasam Sivan

06  nI kELa dayarADu rAmachandrA – kadana kuthUhalam – Mysore Vasudevacharya

07  sari evvaramma – bhairavi – Shyama Sastry ( A,N,S,T )

        neraval & swara @’ mAdhava sOdari gowri’

08  gOpAla gOkula vallabhi – ??  – Tulasidas

09  ugabhOga ( dIna nAnu samastha lOkakkE ) – ?

       toreDi jIvisa bahudE hari ninna charaNa – ??  – Kanakadasa

10  kamalamukhiyE kamalAlayE – mOhana kalyANi – Gopala Dasa?

11  krishNana koLanina – sindhu bhairavi – Pu Thi Narasimhachar

12  ta ta tadhimi tadhimiki  -  brindAvana sArang? – Purandara Dasa

13  mangaLam – saurAshtram , madhyamAvathi – Thyagaraja

Yesterdays concert at Essae Music Foundation by M S Sheela and team , continued in the line of the high quality concert you always witness at this place.  Kalyani and Bhairavi, two bigger pieces of the day were brilliant. The supporting artists were outstanding.

After the kAmboji varnam, she quickely settled into mayamalavagaula ( this krithi has been a repeat for me these days, 3rd I guess in last 4-5 concerts). The predictable neraval and swara at sarasiruha punnaga were good. After a quick filler nada tanumanism ( I liked the way she sang namAmi mE manasA shirasA) , came a very good kalyani alapana. Himadri suthe was a surprice, as I was more or less tuned to BhajarE rE (?).  Both neraval and swara were very good.  The short Anandabhairavi kriti and a not heard before kriti in kadanakutuhalam came in quick succession before the grand bhairavi.  Sheela was good at her alapana with some brilliant passages, however Charulatha was fabulous in her return. It was one step better that the vocalist, if I may say so.  Interesting choice of a kriti for main , set in Khanda jhumpa tala. Sheela did a phenomenal job during neraval and swara to the loud appreciation from the crowd, equally supported by Charulata and Ananthakrishna Sharma.

Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma, as usual in his sublime form. He continued the great support into the tani Avartanam with the young morsing vidwan, even though it was slightly longer to the comfort. Post main had a series of kannad kritis, and the mohanakalyani piece, set to tune by Sheela herself was very good. A very good concert at Essae music by M S Sheela.