Accompanists:
R.K.Shriramkumar – Violin
K.V.Prasad – Mridangam
Madipakkam Murali – Ghatam

Where & When? – At Krishna Gana Sabha on 7th September

Concert Duration: 2 hrs 50 min

Songs list:
1. Varnam – Kambhoji – Ata Taalam
2. Paripurna kaama – Purvi Kalyani – Brief alapana, neraval & swarams at Sarasiruha
3. Sri Matrubhootam – Kannada – Swarams at Sri
4. Chetasri – Dwijavanti – Alapana, swarams at navatuLasi
5. Vaachama gocharame – Kaikavasi
6. ninne nammi – Todi – Alapana, neraval & swarams at kAmAkshi kanchadaLAyadAkshi
7. RTP – Nattakurunji
Pallavi: yOchanA jEsitivi trilOchanuDa – Adi
Swarams in Mayamalavagowlai and Hamir Kalyani
8. Sabapathikku – Abhogi
9. Krishna nee begane – Yamun Kalyani – Raaga outline, swarams at kAshI pItAmbara
10. Mohana mayitava muraligana – Yadukula Kambhoji
11. MangaLam kOsalEndrAya – Yadukula Kambhoji

Since the tickets for the rows 12 to 20 were priced at Rs. 50 for Sanjay’s concert, I got 50 rupees ticket for this concert too. But I saw only later that it was for rows 21 to 26! I am wondering why this difference in the price of tickets was there….Coming to the concert, as is usually the case with majority of TMK’s concerts, it started late, late by 15 minutes. The previous concert of TMK’s was an exception.

The concert started with Kambhoji aTa taaLa varnam. Both Adi and ata taaLa Kambhoji varnams are one of my favourite varnams. The unhurried rendition of the varnam made me enjoy it all the more yesterday.

Purvi Kalyani is another favourite. After Tyagaraja’s Purvi Kalyani followed the wonderful Dikshitar’s composition Sri mAtrubhootam. The neraval and fast-paced swarams for Paripurnakaama and the Kannada swarams, though for hardly a minute, were all so nice.

Peace and soothing are the words that I would associate with Dwijavanti and listening to the moving Dwijavanti alapana (though TMK’s alapana was just for 3 minutes) with silence in the auditorium was so very satisfying. As expected, TMK’s sang Chetasri with so much bhava. But trust all those Maamis and Maamas who always make it a point to display their singing skills in concerts, to spoil the nice experience! The Maami sitting a couple of chairs away from mine was happily enjoying the Dwijavanti while singing her own alapana a bit too loudly all the while. 😐

This Dikshitar’s kriti was followed by Tyagaraja’s Vaachama gocharame. I didn’t know which raagam it was and all I knew was it had Hamsanadam feel to it. I later came to know that both Hamsanadam and Kaikavasi are janya raagams of Neetimati.

Though when he started the Todi alapana, I did feel like screaming ‘Somebody please tell Krishna that he should sing raagams other Todi as main more often!’, as the alapana progressed, I totally forgot my disappointment at having to listen to yet another Todi and started enjoying it. The neraval at kAmAkshi kanchadaLAyadAkshi was super.

With me just listening to only Sanjay’s Nattakurunji so often these days, it was nice hearing TMK sing it after a long time. Though the raaga alapana lasted for 10 minutes, the taanam was just for 5 minutes. 🙁 I really wished it had been longer than that. The pallavi rendition was too good and so were the swarams. I just love the swarams M G S of Nattakurunji! Hamir Kalyani swarams were so beautiful. It is one raagam that TMK often sings it in his concerts in either raagamalika swarams like this or in viruttams. I really wish I could hear him sing an elaborate Hamir Kalyani someday.

Krishna nee begane is such a beautiful composition and compositions like these are ones which you just would not even want to hear anybody else’s version once you hear TMK sing it so movingly! Like the previous concert, this concert too ended with a very nice Yadukula Kambhoji.

With a very good performance by TMK and all the accompanists and an RTP too being sung, this concert turned out to be a really very satisfying one. One that I wouldn’t have wanted to miss!