Lalgudi GJR Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi’s showcased the purity of sound at MadRasana’s unamplified concert
1 week, 2 days 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 Tyagaraja’s ‘Swara raga sudha’ in Sankarabharanam. Celebrated as the ‘Chakravarthy’ raga by Lalgudi Jayaraman, Sankarabharanam’s majestic scope made it an ideal choice for the occasion.

Raga Krishnan Vijayalakshmi Lalgudi Lalgudi Jayaraman  purity  transported  saveri  lalgudi  tyagarajas  krishnan  sound  concert  raga  intricate  gjr  showcased  unamplified  madrasanas  vijayalakshmis  udupa  swara

History of this topic

Sriranjani Santhanagopalan brought out the myriad shades of Ritigowla in her alapana
7 hours, 24 minutes ago

Sriranjani Santhanagopalan brought out the myriad shades of Ritigowla in her alapana

The Hindu  

Recognising opportunities amidst challenges is an art in itself, and Sriranjani Santhanagopalan demonstrated her adeptness in it. Sriranjani’s rendition transformed the composer’s anguish into a feast of melody with many facets coming together — the tempo, rich bhava through a tapestry of sangatis, Kamalakiran playing a perfect foil in the lower octave, and Sai Giridhar and Guruprasad’s support. Another short …

Sivasri’s ‘naama yatra’ connects audience well at music festival in Madurai
1 day, 4 hours ago

Sivasri’s ‘naama yatra’ connects audience well at music festival in Madurai

The Hindu  

Sivasri Skandaprasad took the rasikas for a “Nama Yatra” on the fifth day’s concert of the 73rd annual music and arts festival at Sri Sathguru Sangeetha Samajam in Madurai. Her next rendition was “muruga muruga enral” by Periyasami Tooran in raga saaveri and in quick succession she rendered Tirupugazh “Kondru tharu.” Skandaprasad’s composition “Pathi pasupathi” and “Maathangi maragathangi” on Lord …

Musician Malladi Suribabu and his sons turn their concert into an intimate jam session
5 days ago

Musician Malladi Suribabu and his sons turn their concert into an intimate jam session

The Hindu  

From the opening with ‘Shanka chakra gadha pani’ in Poornachandrika to concluding with a ragamalika ‘Udayadri pai,’ the Malladi Trio’s performance at MadRasana’s unamplified concert series had a divine resonance. Leading to Tyagaraja’s ‘Sundara thara deham ramam,’ the trio’s camaraderie was palpable, creating an atmosphere that felt as intimate as a home jam session. Tyagaraja’s ‘Nama kusuma mula”’ in Sri …

KS Vishnudev exuded confidence in his raga treatises
1 week, 1 day ago

KS Vishnudev exuded confidence in his raga treatises

The Hindu  

You could describe it as dynamic or overzealous, but KS Vishnudev’s vocal recital tilted more in favour of the former. If the raga treatises are testimony to his vision of the chosen melody, the swara segments impress the listener with his creative abilities in weaving and perfectly fitting them into the rhythm. Starting his programme with ‘Palimpa ravedelara’, by Pallavi …

Abhishek Raghuram handled a weighty repertoire with elan
2 weeks, 2 days ago

Abhishek Raghuram handled a weighty repertoire with elan

The Hindu  

The word passion doesn’t seem enough to describe Abhishek Raghuram’s relentless pursuit of musical excellence. Abhishek began with a virutham ‘Naanadhedhu neeyadhedhu’ extolling Rama nama in Sahana as a prelude to the varnam ‘Karunimpa’ by Tiruvotriyur Tyagayyar. Tyagaraja’s ‘Endundi vedalithivo’ in Misra Chapu and the swara passages at the pallavi opening provided the full spectrum of the raga. Abhishek’s Varali …

Ashwath Narayanan presents a classy Kamboji at The Music Academy’s December music festival
3 weeks, 1 day 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 …

A. Kanyakumari and Vittal Rangan presented a delightful string theory
3 weeks, 2 days ago

A. Kanyakumari and Vittal Rangan presented a delightful string theory

The Hindu  

On a rainy evening, there was a downpour of melody as violin vidushi A. Kanyakumari and her disciple B. Vittal Rangan, drenched rasikas in their nuanced and aesthetic music. In perfect sync, the guru-sishya duo commenced the concert, for Kartik Fine Arts, evoking bhakti rasa with ‘Karimukha varadha’, a GNB composition in raga Nattai. This was followed by an alapana …

Why the tambura and nagaswaram are crucial to Indian classical music?
3 weeks, 2 days ago

Why the tambura and nagaswaram are crucial to Indian classical music?

The Hindu  

The first lec-dem session of The Music Academy’s 98th Conference and Concerts marked the return of a thematic focus after 49 years. The theme, ‘Aesthetics and Synaesthetics: Reflections on Raga in Indian Art’, introduced an insightful session led by violinist R.K. Shriramkumar and tambura-maker Udayakumar, exploring the instrument’s history and importance. This indispensable instrument of Indian classical music owes its …

Saketharaman serves delightful surprises in his Margazhi concert
3 weeks, 6 days ago

Saketharaman serves delightful surprises in his Margazhi concert

The Hindu  

Svanubhava took centre stage as S. Saketharaman performed for Kartik Fine Arts at Narada Gana Sabha. Good teamwork The Hamsanandi raga delineation ahead of Lalitha Dasar’s ‘Pavana guru’ on Krishna, set to Rupakam, featured an aesthetic grahabedham, yielding Madhyamavati. The poignance of Sama was well brought out by Saketharaman as a prelude to Dikshitar’s ‘Annapurne visalakshi’, with Bhaskar replicating the …

Grand finale draws curtains to Kalasagaram
4 weeks, 1 day ago

Grand finale draws curtains to Kalasagaram

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: The 10-day-long Kalasagaram’s annual festival of music, dance and drama came to a grand finale at Keyes High School on Monday with a voco-flute jugalbandi by Abhishek Raghuram and Pravin Godkhindi. Before introducing his Hindustani counterparts, Abhishek elaborated Bairavi raga for the evergreen Swarajathi of Shyama Sastry with only Sahitya. Praveen Godkhindi and Roopak Kallurkar joined him and both …

Nandhini Enthrals Audience with Excellent Renditions
1 month 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 …

Kalasagaram Festival Kicks Off with Sanjay Subramanyam’s Concert
1 month, 1 week 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 …

Vijayalakshmi on Mohiniyattam: ‘It is healing, therapeutic and empowering’
2 months ago

Vijayalakshmi on Mohiniyattam: ‘It is healing, therapeutic and empowering’

The Hindu  

Dancer Vijayalakshmi will give a Mohiniyattam recital at the Bangalore International Centre. My works became unique and were different from what any other Mohiniyattam dancer had ever done.” The dance form also became different from that of her mother’s, Vijayalakshmi says. That is the beauty and power of this classical dance form from Kerala.” Though rooted in ancient times, Vijayalakshmi …

A Symphony of Devi: Jayalakshmi Sekhar's Concert a Journey Through the Divine
2 months, 3 weeks 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.

Charming montage woven out of four traditional dance forms
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Charming montage woven out of four traditional dance forms

New Indian Express  

KOCHI: The importance of the Ramayana in Kerala’s tradition is evident from the innumerable stories told by various classical art forms. Bhavayami, a dance drama directed by kathakali artist Kalamandalam Vaisakh, a teacher at RLV College, conveys the essence of the Ramayana in one hour and 45 minutes. An elegant fusion of the classical dances of kathakali, bharatanatyam, koodiyattam and …

Rishabh Kaushik’s vocal concert was a showcase of talent
5 months, 2 weeks 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 …

Experience the music of the morning in Bengaluru with Aniruddha Vyas’s Hindustani concert
6 months, 4 weeks ago

Experience the music of the morning in Bengaluru with Aniruddha Vyas’s Hindustani concert

The Hindu  

The concept of time in Indian classical music indicates that ragas are linked to specific times of the day. Unlike their more energetic counterparts played later in the day, morning ragas are often introspective and serene, mirroring the quiet awakening of the world around us. The Morning Raag concert series at Jagriti celebrates classical music performed by some of the …

Kapaliswarar temple, Mylapore: Vijay Madhavan presents ‘Chaya’ based on Melattur Bhagavata Mela natakam
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Kapaliswarar temple, Mylapore: Vijay Madhavan presents ‘Chaya’ based on Melattur Bhagavata Mela natakam

The Hindu  

The Bhagavata Mela theatre form is a tradition rooted in Puranas or Hindu epics. Vijay Madhavan who formally learnt Bharatanatyam from Chitra Visweswaran trained to become a Bhagavata Mela artiste from a very young age and has been a part of this hallowed tradition for the last 34 years. Naming his solo production ‘Chaya’, Vijay explored the paatra praveshas or …

Bengaluru News: Sivasri Skandaprasad’s Ramanavami concert was a blend of melody and maths
8 months ago

Bengaluru News: Sivasri Skandaprasad’s Ramanavami concert was a blend of melody and maths

The Hindu  

With a young team comprising expert and experienced accompanists in Pradeshachar, Adamya Ramanand and Karthik Ravikumar embellishing her vocal recital, Sivasri Skandaprasad served a sumptuous treat of melody and mathematics. A leisurely Manirangu raga for the Dikshitar kriti ‘Mamava pattabhirama’ befitted the occasion. The time-tested sancharas in a mix of madhyama kala phrases and brigas mirrored the raga’s enchanting facets. …

Niveditha Sankaranarayanan opts for traditional compositions
10 months ago

Niveditha Sankaranarayanan opts for traditional compositions

The Hindu  

For someone who has been actively dancing from a young age, returning to perform after a hiatus would be a cherished moment. Niveditha Sankaranarayanan, a disciple of Srekala Bharath, performed a solo Bharatanatyam recital after a gap of two and a half years, under the auspices of Karthik Fine Arts at Narada Gana Sabha mini hall in Chennai. Niveditha comes …

Bhavajan Kumar’s performance was backed by good music
11 months ago

Bhavajan Kumar’s performance was backed by good music

The Hindu  

Bhavajan Kumar, disciple of Leela Samson and Jyotsna Narayan, proved himself as a promising Bharatanatyam artiste at the Music Academy’s dance festival. In the padavarnam, ‘Samiyai azhaithodi vaa’, the trikala jathi was unusual — the vilamba kala hardly had any steps, the dancer stayed in the kudichi mettu adavu for many counts, and the tisra section incorporated lots of jumps. …

Chennai Dance for Dance Festival 2023 features Koodiyattam, Mohiniyattam and Odissi
1 year ago

Chennai Dance for Dance Festival 2023 features Koodiyattam, Mohiniyattam and Odissi

The Hindu  

Dance for Dance’ festival featured Koodiyattam, Mohiniyattam and Odissi on the final day. Neena Prasad’s Mohiniyattam presentation titled ‘Swathi Muthyam’ consisted of the choicest compositions of Swati Tirunal. Neena next presented Swati Tirunal’s sthava varnam ‘Rama ava akhila ripu virama’, a rare piece in Mohiniyattam. The second sanchari for the line ‘Kama manjima haari charurupa’, Neena portrayed Kama reveling in …

56th Annual Music Festival of Kalasagaram Opens with Reverence and Tradition
1 year, 1 month 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, 8 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 …

The relaxing and calming effect of Sruthi Sagar’s flute
1 year, 8 months ago

The relaxing and calming effect of Sruthi Sagar’s flute

The Hindu  

In the series ‘Vaadhya Vaibhavam’ hosted by Mathangi Chamber Music, J.B. Sruthi Sagar presented an impressive flute recital, where he brought out the sahitya bhava through the instrument. With neat medium-paced swaras appended, Sruthi Sagar presented Tyagaraja’s ‘Teliyaleru rama’ with pleasing touches. While for the slow-paced ‘Hechchariga rara’ Sruthi Sagar included a short melkala swarakalpana, he chose to present just …

T.V.S. Mahadevan: In tune with his legacy
1 year, 9 months 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 …

Jayant impressed with his sprightly Amritavarshini
1 year, 11 months ago

Jayant impressed with his sprightly Amritavarshini

The Hindu  

Jayant brings a meditative feel to his music by using the longer bass and double bass flutes besides playing the main regular-sized bamboo flute prominently during his concerts. Since the sahitya couched in the compositions has a special appeal, his playing style appealed to the rasikas of Carnatic music at the TAG Centrefor Brahma Gana Sabha. And, when Jayant rendered …

Rithvik Raja’s concert: An experiment that worked in parts
1 year, 11 months ago

Rithvik Raja’s concert: An experiment that worked in parts

The Hindu  

Rithvik Raja concluded his two-hour vocal concert with Gopalakrishna Bharati’s ‘Eppo varuvaro’ in Jhonpuri. I was reminded of the elaborate raga exposition of Bhairavi followed by tanam for the Ata tala varnam, ‘Viriboni’, presented by Rithvik’s mentor at a December Season concert a few years ago. Before this, there were smartly-framed swara sallies centred on dhaivatam that added lustre to …

Vijay Siva offered a mixed musical bag
1 year, 11 months ago

Vijay Siva offered a mixed musical bag

The Hindu  

A purposeful career, shaped by good musical values and a sharply defined style, steered Vijay Siva’s concert to a satisfactory finale at the Indian Fine Arts Society. The opening pieces lacked conviction as Vijay Siva attempted kritis such as ‘Thera theeyaga rada’ and ‘Ikanaina’. ‘Jayathu gokula vasa’ in Adi 2 kalai, though not commonly heard, has an engaging structure and …

Aditya Prakash: A voice with enough promise
2 years ago

Aditya Prakash: A voice with enough promise

The Hindu  

In his concert, Aditya Prakash brought his grounding in Carnatic music to the fore despite being a part of international musical projects. Sowkhya bhava that reigned supreme during his rendition of ‘Swara raga sudha’, continued during the swarakalpana too. ‘Sogasu juda tarama’ set the mood for Aditya’s Varali raga exploration, followed by the violinist’s equally impressive interpretation. The niraval/swaras at …

A colourful portrait of ragas by Sikkil Gurucharan
2 years ago

A colourful portrait of ragas by Sikkil Gurucharan

The Hindu  

Smart choice of ragas and kritis, careful distribution of time, keeping the raga treatises and swarakalpana under control and avoiding over indulgence — all these contribute to the success of a concert. With his vocal cords in fine form, Gurucharan opened the performance with the ghana raga Adi tala varnam, ‘Chalamela jesevura’ by Vinjamoori Varadaraja Iyengar. The raga’s splendour could …

Charulatha Chandrasekar began her Naadhabrahmam concert on a promising note
2 years, 1 month 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.’ …

Bhavya Hari’s renditions added richness to the listening experience
2 years, 1 month ago

Bhavya Hari’s renditions added richness to the listening experience

The Hindu  

For Arkay Convention Centre’s 12th anniversary series, Bhavya Hari showcased the full range of her scintillating talents in her evening concert. Impressive alapana The main kriti that Bhavya took up for her recital was the magnum opus by Muthuswami Dikshitar, ‘Akshaya linga vibho’, in a majestic Sankarabharanam, decorated with an impressive raga alapana and niraval at the charanam, ‘Badari vana …

An impressive thematic presentation by Rasika Arts Foundation
2 years, 1 month ago

An impressive thematic presentation by Rasika Arts Foundation

The Hindu  

In connection with the 40th anniversary of Noopura Academy of Indian dances, Mangaluru, Sulochana V Bhat had organised a Bharathanatyam performance by students of the Bengaluru-based Rasika Arts Foundation. The nimble footwork, fleeting facial expressions, graceful body language and the beautiful co-ordination among the performers spoke highly of the training they had received from gurus Kiran Subramanyam and Sandhya Kiran. …

Music lovers relish soulful tunes in Hyderabad
2 years, 9 months ago

Music lovers relish soulful tunes in Hyderabad

Deccan Chronicle  

HYDERABAD: Neither the summer heat nor the holiday could stop classical music lovers to get into the cool environs of the Ravindra Bharathi on a Sunday morning to witness the melodious musical concert organised by the Sangeetanjali Foundation’s musical jugalbandi by a team of renowned musicians. The first composition performed by Miya Todi on Alaap Jodh and Jaala which was …

D.K. Jayaraman and his distinct style
3 years ago

D.K. Jayaraman and his distinct style

The Hindu  

Jayaraman was a singer whose simple, chaste and all-encompassing music enthralled rasikas. Dr. Sunder sang Muthuswami Dikshitar’s ‘Guni janadinuta guruguhodaye’ in Gurjari raga, using the line ‘Rajakumaram’ of the Abheri kriti ‘Bhajare re manasa’ to bring out the variation in DKJ’s voice output, followed by a recording of DKJ’s kalpanaswaras in ‘Birana varalichi’ to exhibit the precise rhythm shift from …

Bharat Sundar’s dash of innovation
3 years ago

Bharat Sundar’s dash of innovation

The Hindu  

MadRasana set Bharat Sundar’s virtual concert in the sylvan ambience of Auroville, with Vittal Rangan on the violin, Praveen Sparsh on the mridangam, Chandrasekara Sharma on the ghatam, and Mani on the tambura. Bharat Sundar rendered ‘Rajagopalam bhajeham’ with an extensive and interesting swarakalpana on the line ‘Parijatha taru moolam’. The pallavi set to khanda eka talam went as ‘Pallum …

Girijashankar Sundaresan’s inspiring Kamboji
3 years, 1 month ago

Girijashankar Sundaresan’s inspiring Kamboji

The Hindu  

Kamboji is known to offer immense scope for elaborate elucidation, a reason why musicians often include this rakti raga in concerts. Girijashankar Sundaresan opted for it while performing recently at Kedaram’s three-day festival at Ragasudha hall, effortlessly bringing out its emotional shades through voice modulation. Girijashankar chose Tyagaraja’s ‘O Rangasayee’ where the composer beckons the god. A rare Dikshitar kriti …

Vasudha Ravi’s unusual choices made her concert impressive
3 years, 1 month ago

Vasudha Ravi’s unusual choices made her concert impressive

The Hindu  

A pleasing tonal quality, a neat presentation capturing the mood of the lyrics, and imaginative phrases in niraval and kalpanaswara segments made Vasudha Ravi’s concert enjoyable. She presented a rarely heard Papanasam Sivan composition ‘Gomathi thaaye’ in Yadukula Kamboji, on the goddess of Sankaranarayana temple, with elegant and crisp madhyamakala swaras in the charanam lines ‘shruti purana’. This style with …

A well-planned concert by Nisha Rajagopalan
3 years, 1 month ago

A well-planned concert by Nisha Rajagopalan

The Hindu  

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is back with a solid line-up of live concerts. On the third day of Bhavan’s cultural festival, Nisha Rajagopalan and team presented a reposeful yet strikingly impressive performance. While Nisha painted the dynamic image of Shanmukhapriya in the alapana, she presented Tyagarja's ‘Marivere’ with a detailed niraval at ‘Sannuthanga sri venkatesa’ and teamed it with a flourish …

Immaculate raga exposition by Amrutha Venkatesh
3 years, 1 month 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, 2 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 …

Mudicondan Ramesh’s concert at Veenotsav’21
3 years, 4 months ago

Mudicondan Ramesh’s concert at Veenotsav’21

The Hindu  

On the inaugural day of the annual Veenotsav ‘21, senior veena artiste Mudicondan Ramesh was honoured with the ‘Vainika Mudhra’ title in the presence of vainika Prof. R.S. A highlight of the performance was the challenging Chaturdasa Ragamalika by Muthuswami Dikshitar, ‘Sri Viswanatham’, set in 14 ragas — Sri, Arabhi, Gowri, Nattai, Gowlai, Mohanam, Sama, Lalitha, Bhairavai, Saranga, Sankarabharanam, Kamboji, …

How event organiser MadRasana migrated online to help Indian classical music thrive in lockdown
4 years, 2 months ago

How event organiser MadRasana migrated online to help Indian classical music thrive in lockdown

Firstpost  

MadRasana was launched to take Carnatic music to a contemporary audience in novel ways, which have included organising concerts in cafes, theatres, and screening performances on YouTube that experiment with diverse formats When two musicians meet, what do they talk about? After quitting his corporate job four years ago, the former Managing Director at Cognizant, who was also a connoisseur …

Kanyakumari goes by rasikas’ choice
4 years, 9 months ago

Kanyakumari goes by rasikas’ choice

The Hindu  

The violin concert of A. Kanyakumari for Nayaki at Abhirami Hall, Kotturpuram, had all the necessary features to make a concert engaging, entertaining and also exciting. Kanyakumari came up with an exquisite sketch of the raga before taking up ‘Sri Ganesha Charanam’ by Papanasam Sivan, appending it with a lively swara exchange with her disciple L. Ramakrishna. Obliging the audience, …

Vasudha Ravi enlivened the audience with her rendition at a recital in Kerala
4 years, 11 months ago

Vasudha Ravi enlivened the audience with her rendition at a recital in Kerala

The Hindu  

Endowed with a mellifluous voice, Vasudha Ravi captured the attention of the audience with her impressive vocal recital at Palghat Fine Arts Society at Tharekkad, Palakkad. Vasudha’s judicious selections and rendition enhanced the impact of the concert, which commenced on a bright note with a brisk ‘Chalamela Jesavayya’ in Nattakurinji, a varnam of Srirangam Rangaswamy Pillai. Swathi Thirunal’s popular kriti …

Adherence to tradition marked Tyagaraja Aradhana in Coimbatore
4 years, 11 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 …

Travails of Lankan Tamils portrayed well
4 years, 11 months ago

Travails of Lankan Tamils portrayed well

Deccan Chronicle  

As Chennai enjoyed the Margazhi season with some great music and dance performances, Swetha Pararajasingam's Bharatanatyam recital caught the attention of many. Swetha, a Tamilian based in Canada, performed as part of Sumedha, the brainchild of Madurai R. Muralidharan, acclaimed composer, dancer, choreographer, lyricist, playwright and director known for his large body of modern compositions. Young and passionate, Swetha's portrayal …

Bharati Ramasubban — rendition shorn of frills
5 years ago

Bharati Ramasubban — rendition shorn of frills

The Hindu  

Bharathi Ramasubban played to her strengths which lay in sober classical fare shorn of frills and flounces. Eminently suited to the artiste’s approach was the gamaka-rich standalone kriti, ‘Sri Ramam Ravi Kulabdhi Somam’. Fluid traverses and pivotal pidis helped the violinist, Thirumarugal S. Dinesh Kumar to build a raga essay of worth, his deft fingering and focus on key facets …

Discover Related