A Symphony of Devi: Jayalakshmi Sekhar's Concert a Journey Through the Divine
5 months, 1 week ago

A Symphony of Devi: Jayalakshmi Sekhar's Concert a Journey Through the Divine

The Hindu  

Jayalakshmi Sekhar's concert was themed on Devi, featuring a mix of kritis and ragas. The performance was well-supported by excellent percussionists, B. Ganapathyraman on the mridangam and Trichy Murali on the ghatam. Jayalakshmi's meticulous introduction to each piece added to the overall impact of the performance.

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Musicians pay homage to saint-composer Thyagaraja at Thanjavur
2 months, 1 week ago

Musicians pay homage to saint-composer Thyagaraja at Thanjavur

The Hindu  

A musical tribute was paid to saint-composer Thyagaraja at his adhishtanam on the banks of river Cauvery at Thiruvaiyaru, Thanjavur, on Saturday. Hundreds of musicians and admirers of the Thyaga Brahmam converged at the adhishtanam on the bahula panchami day to render the five prominent krithis composed by the saint-composer. The 178th Thyagaraja Aradhana festival saw the rendition of pancharatna …

Mahathi’s ode to Tamil language and culture
2 months, 1 week ago

Mahathi’s ode to Tamil language and culture

The Hindu  

S. Mahathi’s performance at the Tamil Isai Sangam was rooted in reverence for Tamil musical traditions. Mahathi had curated a songlist of compositions by Tamil composers and saints — she began with an elegant rendition of ‘Vallabhai nayaka’, a varnam in Mohana Kalyani, composed by Lalgudi Jayaraman. The concert’s progression brought a distinct shift with Ramalinga Adigalar’s Tiruvarutpa, with the …

The beauty of Dikshitar’s Nayaki kriti
2 months, 1 week ago

The beauty of Dikshitar’s Nayaki kriti

The Hindu  

Singing for Naada Inbam, Nisha Rajagopalan moved one immensely in the niraval at the pallavi, ‘Mohana rama mukhajitha soma’ in Mohanam. Nisha came up with a well-crafted elaboration of Natakapriya in which she rendered Mysore Vasudevachar’s ‘Ithi samayamu brova rada’. The highlight of the concert was Nisha’s singing of ‘Ranganayakam bhavaye’. Nisha commenced her concert with ‘Parakela nannu paripaalimpa’ by …

With a soul-stirring concert by Kunnakudi Balamurali Krishna, it is curtains for music festival in Madurai
2 months, 2 weeks ago

With a soul-stirring concert by Kunnakudi Balamurali Krishna, it is curtains for music festival in Madurai

The Hindu  

The final day of the 73rd Music and Arts Festival at Sri Sathguru Sangeetha Samajam in Madurai witnessed a soul-stirring concert of Kunnakudi Balamurali Krishna with Bhakthi and Bava, which left audience spellbound. Balamurali commenced with Swati Tirunal’s Varnam ‘Sarasijanabha in Kambhoji,’ offering obeisance to ‘Saraji janabhan.’ He then worshipped Vedaraneswarar through Sri ParvathI Paramesvarau vande in bauli by Dikshidar. …

How Jayanthi Kumaresh has mastered the art of keeping the audience engaged
2 months, 2 weeks ago

How Jayanthi Kumaresh has mastered the art of keeping the audience engaged

The Hindu  

Instrumentalists, particularly those who play the veena, usually have a hard time retaining the audience’s attention. She next explored Lathangi with a neat, structured alapana taking up the composition ‘Pirava varam thaarum’ by Papanasam Sivan. Prefacing every piece with a short introduction either about the raga or the composition, Jayanthi made sure the audience grasped what she conveyed musically. Her …

P. Jayachandran – soulful rendition that made every song a hit
2 months, 2 weeks ago

P. Jayachandran – soulful rendition that made every song a hit

The Hindu  

Veteran playback singer P. Jayachandran, who died on Thursday, was Kerala’s gift to Tamil film music. Late Balu Mahendra’s first film Azhiyatha Kolangal introduced the greatness of Salil Chowdhry’s composition to Tamil audiences and Jayachandran further elevated the film with his rendition of the song Poo Vannam Pola Nenjam. In Vaidhehi Kaathirundhaal, a film that skyrocketed Vijayakanth’s fame, the credit …

Kalyanapuram Aravind’s singing is an ode to his guru T.N. Seshagopalan’s bani
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Kalyanapuram Aravind’s singing is an ode to his guru T.N. Seshagopalan’s bani

The Hindu  

A book needs a good publisher to sell. V. Kalyanapuram Aravind’s tutelage under the legend T. N. Seshagopalan gives him a solid baseline. Aravind’s concert for The Music Academy packed in a lot — several contrasting kritis, raga and tala spectrum and an interesting pallavi in Dwijavanthi and even trikalam and ragamalika swaras. Niraval and swara at ‘purane srividya’ by …

Ranjani and Gayatri’s concert took listeners across the country on a cultural voyage
2 months, 4 weeks ago

Ranjani and Gayatri’s concert took listeners across the country on a cultural voyage

The Hindu  

When Ranjani and Gayatri present a concert a deep devotional fervour intertwines with melodic brilliance, resonating with the divine vision of the great composers. Their thematic recital ‘RaGa Bharatam’ at Narada Gana Sabha emerged as a three-dimensional celebration of music, spirituality, and national pride. ‘Kaalakaalamaay dharumam kaatha maanilame; raagabhavamaay potriduvom bhaaratame’, set to Khanda Triputa tala, featured a blend of …

Lalgudi GJR Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi’s showcased the purity of sound at MadRasana’s unamplified concert
2 months, 4 weeks ago

Lalgudi GJR Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi’s showcased the purity of sound at MadRasana’s unamplified concert

The Hindu  

The inaugural concert of MadRasana’s Margazhi series unfolded with a performance by Lalgudi GJR Krishnan and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi at the M.S. Patnam Subramania Iyer’s Apoorva raga kriti, ‘Srivenkatesha’ in Phalamanjari added vibrancy to the concert by emitting a burst of energy — with brisk melkala tala. In a composition where nadam is described as mooladhara, the inaugural concert fittingly featured …

Ashwath Narayanan presents a classy Kamboji at The Music Academy’s December music festival
3 months, 1 week ago

Ashwath Narayanan presents a classy Kamboji at The Music Academy’s December music festival

The Hindu  

Ashwath Narayanan is a musician with impeccable tutelage, good voice range and dynamics and respect for tradition. The kriti is a masterpiece in Khanda Chapu and Ashwath’s patantara allegiance took the concert to a good high. ‘Jambupathe’ was a good idea to stoke in some serenity, but the execution skipped the emotive weight and the vilamba kala mastery Dikshitar presents …

Nandhini Enthrals Audience with Excellent Renditions
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Nandhini Enthrals Audience with Excellent Renditions

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: The fifth concert of Kalasagaram’s 57th annual festival of music, dance and drama featured an excellent vocal concert by Vidhushi Dr. N. J. Nandhini from Thiruvananthapuram. A beautiful rendition of ‘Begada raga’ alapana enhanced the expectation of a wonderful concert to follow. Nandhini took the line ‘Karuna jesimunukarirajunibrovaledha’ for neraval and kalpana swara pregnant with bhava and mathematical calculation …

Aishwarya enthrals music lovers
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Aishwarya enthrals music lovers

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad:Aishwarya Vidya Raghunath enthralled music lovers with her mellifluous rendition at the 57th annual festival of music, dance and drama of Kalasagaram. She started with Swathi Thirnal’s ‘Sumasayaka’ in Karnataka Kapi with ragamalika swaras followed by the Thyagaraja krithi ‘Tulasi Dalamulache’ in Mayamalavagowla raga with crisp kalpana swaras. Before a beautiful Varali raga alapana, she sang the ‘Sanatana Parama Pavana’ …

Classical music enthralls audience
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Classical music enthralls audience

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad:The third day of Kalasagaram’s 57th annual festival of music, dance and drama featured an electrifying concert by Vidhushis Ranjani and Gayatri. After a wonderful rendition of Ranjani raaga, they presented Thyagaraja’s famous krithi Durmargachara to a jam-packed audience where they chose dharm Atmakadhana dhanya daivamuni. The next came a beautiful Saveri raga alapana with a melodious Muruga Muruga of …

Kalasagaram Festival Kicks Off with Sanjay Subramanyam’s Concert
3 months, 4 weeks ago

Kalasagaram Festival Kicks Off with Sanjay Subramanyam’s Concert

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: Kalasagaram’s 57th annual Carnatic festival of music, dance and drama had a perfect launch on Saturday, with a concert by Sangeeta Kalanidhi Sanjay Subramanyam, who returned to perform in the city after half a decade. Next came Gopalakrishna Bharathi’s ‘Harahara Siva’ inGambiranattai followed by ‘Janani Ninnuvina’, a masterpiece and famouskrithi of Subbaraya Sastri, in Reetigowla.Sanjay did a brief raaga …

A musical ode to Oothukadu Venkatakavi
4 months, 3 weeks ago

A musical ode to Oothukadu Venkatakavi

The Hindu  

An exclusive Oothukkadu Venkata Kavi concert could well be a dare for the artistes as much as it is a divine treat for the rasikas, thanks to the lyrical profundity, melodic richness and rhythmic wizardry that his compositions are steeped in. The brothers explored that and much more in their vocal concert as Narada Gana Sabha and the International Foundation …

Rishabh Kaushik’s vocal concert was a showcase of talent
8 months, 1 week ago

Rishabh Kaushik’s vocal concert was a showcase of talent

The Hindu  

What stood out in Rishabh Kaushik’s Nadhasangam concert for Narada Gana Sabha held at its Mini Hall recently was his diligence. After a crisp raga alapana of Vachaspathi, Rishabh presented Papanasam Sivan’s ‘Paraathpara Parameswara’. Oothukadu Venkata Kavi’s poignant Ritigowla song ‘Enna punniyam seidaeno’ in Misra Chapu was followed by the main kriti ‘Kaligiyuntegada’ by Tyagaraja. While the concert underlined Rishabh’s …

Top Performers Pay Homage to Tyagaraja
1 year, 1 month ago

Top Performers Pay Homage to Tyagaraja

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: A musical tribute in keeping with the tradition of paying homage to the saint-composer Thyagaraja was conducted by two premier classical music organisations of the city. They render the five Pancharatna Kritis —‘Jagadanandakaraka’ in the raga Nattai, ‘Dudukugala Nanne’ in the raga Goula, ‘Sadinchane’ in the raga Arabhi, ‘Kanakana Ruchira’ in the raga Varali and ‘Endaro Mahanubhavulu’ in the …

Music Concert Takes Audience to Blissful World
1 year, 4 months ago

Music Concert Takes Audience to Blissful World

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: When Shanmugapriya is in the performer’s list, you are assured of melody. Dr Pantula Rama in her concert for Kalasagaram on Tuesday, raised the standards to a new peak. Pantula Rama gave the audience four kritis including the Tyagaraja Kriti Vinanāsakoniyunnānurā in Pratapavarali – this too was the choice of the audience. Pantula Rama and party concluded the evening’s …

56th Annual Music Festival of Kalasagaram Opens with Reverence and Tradition
1 year, 4 months ago

56th Annual Music Festival of Kalasagaram Opens with Reverence and Tradition

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: The 56th annual music festival of Kalasagaram started on a perfect, purist note with a grammar-filled Carnatic music rendition by N. Vijaysiva and his accompanying artists. Two songs into the concert, Vijaysiva got to a leisurely interpretation of ‘Raag Vachaspati’ after a short ‘alaap’ of the raga. ‘Sri Raja Gopala’ of Muthuswamy Dishithar was chosen and the team gave …

Tamil compositions took centre stage at Sriranjani’s New Year concert
1 year, 11 months ago

Tamil compositions took centre stage at Sriranjani’s New Year concert

The Hindu  

Sriranjani Santhanagopalan’s vocal concert, as part of Hamsadhwani founder R. Ramachandran’s birth centenary celebrations, brimmed with energy. Held on Tamil New Year’s day, the performance included a variety of Tamil works — from Avvaiyar’s ‘Vakkundam’ in Ritigowla as a prelude to ‘Tatvamariaya tarama’ by Papanasam Sivan to the concluding Thiruppugazh. Sriranjani took up the rare raga Jyothiswaroopini for detailing and …

T.V.S. Mahadevan: In tune with his legacy
2 years ago

T.V.S. Mahadevan: In tune with his legacy

The Hindu  

Mahadevan exuded energy as his repertoire included two ghana ragas. Mahadevan, who performed recently for Suswaraa Trust’s music festival, began with Tulasivanam’s ‘Pranatosmi devam vinayakam’ in Nattai with a few strands of swaras. The next raga taken up by the vocalist was Kalyani and the kriti was Subbaraya Sastri’s ‘Ninnu vina gati gana jagana’. The signing off session also featured …

Charulatha Chandrasekar began her Naadhabrahmam concert on a promising note
2 years, 3 months ago

Charulatha Chandrasekar began her Naadhabrahmam concert on a promising note

The Hindu  

Charulatha Chandrasekar’s veena recital in Naadhabrahmam’s 21st year concert series established that musical expertise is independent of age. Gopalakrishna Bharati’s fast moving ‘Sababathikku veru deivam’ in Abhogi, with brisk swarakalpana, was followed by a precise and sober raga essay of Sahana for Tyagaraja’s ‘E vasudha nivanti daivamu’. Here too, Charulatha embellished the kriti with swaras at ‘Dasa varada tyagaraja hrudaya.’ …

A resounding Bilahari by Krithika Natarajan
2 years, 3 months ago

A resounding Bilahari by Krithika Natarajan

The Hindu  

It was Edward Bulwer Lytton who said that ‘Music once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies.’ Our music, in particular, is for the soul. She commenced this recital with a Khamas Dharu varnam, ‘Mathey malayadhwaja pandya sanjathey’ by Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar. After a brief sketch of Sahana, Krithika rendered one of Dikshitar’s Abhayamba Vibhakti …

A well-balanced concert by Shertalai Ranganatha Sharma
3 years, 3 months ago

A well-balanced concert by Shertalai Ranganatha Sharma

The Hindu  

Shertalai Ranganatha Sharma’s concert was pleasing not just for his selection of ragas and compositions but also in how he balanced the concert between the various songs. Ranganatha Sharma provided a poignant niraval at ‘Samayamu juchi delpu vaarevaro’, embellishing it with a few rounds of kalpanaswaras. Ranganatha Sharma offered a powerful alapana of Kalyani, with Tyagaraja’s ‘Endugo nee manasu’ as …

100th episode of Kanyakumari’s ekaika raga series
3 years, 4 months ago

100th episode of Kanyakumari’s ekaika raga series

The Hindu  

In December 2019, violinist A. Kanyakumari began showcasing Tyagaraja’s ekaika raga kritis on the violin, releasing one every Friday on her Facebook handle. Recently, a ticketed online programme, ‘Shatha ekaika raga vaibhavam’, organised by Singapore-based organisations Chethas and Apsaras Arts Dance Company, celebrated the rendition of the 100th kriti. The 100th kriti, the highlight of the event, was ‘Nagumomu’ in …

Immaculate raga exposition by Amrutha Venkatesh
3 years, 4 months ago

Immaculate raga exposition by Amrutha Venkatesh

The Hindu  

A rare enthusiasm and freshness marked the online vocal concert of Amrutha Venkatesh for the 63rd Annual Art Festival of the South Indian Cultural Association, Hyderabad. Melodic swaraprastara Amrutha followed this up with Swati Tirunal’s popular Mayamalavagowla composition, ‘Deva deva kalayami’ in Rupakam, with a lengthy, melodic swaraprastara at the pallavi. Then came the breezy Kadanakuthuhalam composition by Mysore Vasudevachar, …

Mambalam Sisters’s accent was on aesthetics
3 years, 5 months ago

Mambalam Sisters’s accent was on aesthetics

The Hindu  

Having performed together for long, the Mambalam Sisters, Vijayalakshmi and Chitra, have a perfect understanding of each other’s strengths and individual expertise. In the niraval and kalpanaswara segments in the charanam line ‘Samagana vinodini’, the sisters divided and sang the portions that suited each one’s strengths, with the swarakshara and the occasional panchama varjitha phrases adding beauty. Another notable part …

Vidya Kalyanaraman’s concert was themed on Devi kritis
3 years, 5 months ago

Vidya Kalyanaraman’s concert was themed on Devi kritis

The Hindu  

After almost 16 months, it felt nice to sit in an auditorium and listen to a kutcheri. Vidya Kalyanaraman’s concert at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Navaratri music festival brought alive the delightful experience that a live performance can be. Even though Kalyani raga and Pallavi Gopala Iyer’s ‘Needu charana pankajamule’ were technically the centrepiece, a refreshingly rendered Kedaragowla alapana followed by …

Adherence to tradition marked Tyagaraja Aradhana in Coimbatore
5 years, 2 months ago

Adherence to tradition marked Tyagaraja Aradhana in Coimbatore

The Hindu  

Music buffs were in for a rich aural treat at the 66th year celebration of Tyagabrahma Gananjali that took place at Kikani Vidya Mandir, Coimbatore. The raga alapana of Sankarabharanam for the kriti, ‘Etudanilachite’ was marked by picturesque prayogas and karvais softened by melodic graces. The opening ‘Maakelera’ with swaras setting the tone of the session was followed by a …

Of artistry and virtuosity
5 years, 4 months ago

Of artistry and virtuosity

The Hindu  

​​​Dharani Kalotsav, an annual dance and music festival in Kochi, had a fine line-up of veterans and up-and-coming Bharatanatyam dancers. Sayani Chakraborthy with her firm footwork and dynamic dance language brought a lot of energy into her performance on the second day with the classic Bhairavi padavarnam in Roopaka tala ‘Mohamana en meedil’. Though his raga alapanas took the fast …

Noteworthy recitals
6 years, 5 months ago

Noteworthy recitals

The Hindu  

A nagaswaram duet and a vocal concert were programmes presented in Thrissur as part of Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan – 2018 in Thrissur. One hour is hardly sufficient for any classical music recital, but V Ramesh and V Subramaniam and Balamani Eswar proved their virtuosity within the prescribed time. A janya raga of the 27th mela Sarasangi, it was brought to …

Music and dance feast
8 years, 11 months ago

Music and dance feast

The Hindu  

Sridevi, the younger sister of musicologist and vocalist N.C. Murthy, gave a concert of Annamacharya kirtanas. In connection with Annamayya Vardhanti celebrated at Moulali, last week, the Parivaaramu invited Sridevi to present a concert of Annamacharya kirtanas. There were around a score of numbers they chose to present on the occasion, starting with Deva Namodeva in Hamsadhwani tuned by Balakrishna …

Manasi Prasad’s delightful vocal
9 years ago

Manasi Prasad’s delightful vocal

The Hindu  

Sri Kartikeya Gana Sabha held a ‘Pancharatna goshsti ganam’ and a vocal recital in the evening of Bengaluru-based Manasi Prasad at its newly found venue Kowtha Swarajya Vihar, Padmarao Nagar. Manasi opened her concert with Thodi raga varnam traversing through two speeds, displaying her vocal verve and range. Reethigowla was the first raga Manasi dealt with in detail for the …

Stalwarts’ homage to Vaggeyakara
9 years, 1 month ago

Stalwarts’ homage to Vaggeyakara

The Hindu  

HYDERABAD: In collaboration with other music sabhas, Vignana Samithi opened Thyagaraja Aradahana, last week with ‘Pancharatna Kirtana Goshti Ganam’ in the morning. The music sessions of Thyagaraja Aradhana held by Vignana Samithi of Ananda Nagar had an unusual opening with some organisers of the sabhas taking part in chorus rendition of kirtanas of Thyagaraja, guided by D. Raghavachari, elder of …

With a little more care: N.J. Nandini
9 years, 2 months ago

With a little more care: N.J. Nandini

The Hindu  

N.J. Nandini’s concert for Charsur’s 72 Melakarta/ Raagaanga Raagams Festival was designed to keep a brisk momentum throughout. She gave a noteworthy sketch of 67th mela raga Sucharitra and offered Koteeswara Iyer’s ‘Velum Mayilume’. The other two mela ragas she opted for were Shadvithamargini through Thyagaraja’s ‘Pahi Rama Dootha’ and the main Harikhambodi through ‘Enduku Nirdaya’. There were hardly any …

Tribute to Nedunuri
9 years, 3 months ago

Tribute to Nedunuri

The Hindu  

HYDERABAD: T. Sreenidhi is an eminent Carnatic musician and a playback singer. Recently Srinidhi gave a concert for South Indian Cultural Association at Ravindra Bharati’s conference hall in the company of R. Dinakar on violin and Karra Srinivas on mridangam. She then chose a rare number of Thyagaraja, Bhavanutha Naa Hridayamu Nalarimpumu, in Mohana, which she rendered with perfect diction …

Incredible repertiore
9 years, 3 months ago

Incredible repertiore

The Hindu  

HYDERABAD: SSS Bharati and Nada Bharati organised a vocal concert of B.Vaidyanathan at Swathi Hall, D.D. Vaidyanathan opened his concert with a prayer, Uma Maheshwara Sthothram set in raga Khamas and followed it with a rare number Chinni Krishna Dasu’s swarajathi Sambasiva Enave in fast tempo. Paraathpara of Papanasam Sivan in Vachaspathi that Vaidyanathan chose, was breezy number, incorporating neraval …

Soaked in devotion
11 years, 5 months ago

Soaked in devotion

The Hindu  

Devotees thronged the Mahaganapathy Kalyana Mandapam, Kalpathy, Palakkad during the 15th edition of the annual bhajanothsavam, which was conducted to commemorate the 120th Jayanthi of Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Sankaracharya. As a prelude to the bhajan festival, ‘Ghana parayanam’, continuous chanting of ‘Ghanam’ - a mode of veda chanting by veda exponents, was held for 28 days. ‘Aandal kalyanam’ by …

Musical treat
12 years, 5 months ago

Musical treat

The Hindu  

The annual music festival at the Navaratri Mandapam in Thiruvananthapuram begins on October 15. The compositions are ‘Devi jagajanani’ in Sankarabharanam, ‘Pahimam Sri Vageeswari’ in Kalyani, ‘Devi pavane’ in Saveri, ‘Bharathi mamava’ in Thodi, ‘Janani mamavameye’ in Bhairavi, ‘Saraoruhasana’ in Panthuvarali, ‘Janani pahi’ in Shudha Saveri, ‘Pahi janani’ in Nattakurinji and ‘Pahi parvatha nandini’ in Arabhi. Gopalakrishnan, Trichur V. Ramachandran, …

Festive treat of Swati kritis
15 years, 2 months ago

Festive treat of Swati kritis

The Hindu  

The annual week-long Swati Sangeetotsavam this year too was a celebration of the music of the royal composer Swati Tirunal. Beginning his vocal concert with the Kambhoji Ata tala varnam ‘Sarasijanabha,' he proceeded to sing it in different speeds before taking up a serene ‘Jaya Jaya Padmanabha' in Sarsangi. Then came a devout and elegant ‘Bhavathi Viswaso.,' a lovely piece …

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