The Lalgudi wave continues

As our tribute to the continuing Lalgudi legacy, we bring you a full-fledged concert from the Ramanavami series of 1997.

( Courtesy: The Hindu )

Details

Sri Ramanavami Festival 1997, Parvathi, Mysore
Concert held on 21-4- 1997.

GJR Krishnan---------Violin
Ramesh-----------Mridangam
Bangalore Venkatram-------Ghatam.

01 Varna- Lalgudi Jayaraman (Garudadhvani)***
02 Janaki Ramana- Thyagaraja (shuddha seemantini)***
03 Sri Narada – Thyagaraja (Kaanada) ***
04 Smaraneyonde salade- Purandara Dasa (Malayamaruta)***
05 Shanmugapriya Raga***
06 Mariveredikkevarayya-Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer ***
07 Enta muddu- Thyagaraja (Bindumalini)***
08 Lavanya Rama - Thyagaraja (Poornashadja)***
09 Kamboji Raga***
10 Sri Raghuvaraprameya - Thyagaraja***
11 Tani***
12 Rama Rama – Purandara Dasa (Tilang)***
13 Manasa Sancharare – Sadashiva Brahmendra (Sama)***
14 Tillana – Lalgudi Jayaraman(Bhimplas)***
15 Mangalam***

Remembering Srimati Rajalakshmi L. Jayaraman

In one way or another the “hand of fate” seems to seal many a thing for us as human beings. It is the last drama of our lives.

We may hear about it from a William Shakespeare in his plays, we may hear of its millions of narratives through our own Hindu texts; but it inevitably does visit all of us. We are told that the ever compassionate Buddha himself asked of his disciples to drive home a point “Bring me three mustard seeds from a house where no one has deceased”.

We can only but respond to such situations through a collectivity and in the dignity and silence of prayers.

Mrs. Rajalakshmi Jayaraman, wife of one of the greatest of modern violinists Vidwan Lalgudi Jayaraman, chose to follow her husband a week before last Monday night, Nov 18, 2013 soon after his own demise on April 22, 2013. A lady devoted to partnering her husband throughout, this path may have been the most inevitable one as scripted out by Nature.

Following the news, we hid our feelings behind a picture captured a few years earlier in the late couple’s home in Chennai

The news as we heard it from someone very alert in their postings on the popular forum Rasikas.Org came as a bit of a shocker.

We turned for some sentiments from Mysore Prabha to learn why:

"Ironically, the previous day, the Maestro’s children G.J. R. Krishnan and Viji had called us. Both of them spoke to me and Anna (Sri. K. Srikantiah). When we enquired about their mother, they said she was quite alright now. But Fate seems to have had other plans! They were in Mysore then, and had to rush back to Chennai. Unfortunately there was a flight delay and it was all over by the time they reached.

Uncle Jayaraman’s house was always so full of life and people; he, his wife, son, daughter-in-law, aged mother, and about 20 disciples each day. It is very hard on Krishnan and Viji now. There was once a Grandmother in their lives who passed away and now so soon with both the parents following each other. Anna spoke to Krishnan (for whom he has great affection) at length, and advised him on coping with life’s travails into the future…."

They say that behind the success of a man stands a lady of quiet resoluteness and support. We would just like to remember Srimati Rajalakshmi that very same way.

The Multi-faceted Repertoire of Carnatic Music

Chowdiah Award for Vid. M. S. Sheela

A Retrospection by R. Sachi

We congratulate Vid. M. S. Sheela on receiving the Chowdiah Award from the Academy of Music Chowdiah Awards & Sri. K.K.Murthy Memorial Music Festival 2013. She is a very popular vocalist and has received many awards in the past, including the Ganakalashree. She has just returned from a triumphant concert tour in the north American continent.

(Photos courtesy The Hindu and Deccan Herald).

The multi-faceted repertoire of Carnatic music is something to marvel at. We have over 500 years of compositional reservoir, full of absolute gems composed by saints and scholars from several parts of India. These krithis as we call them abound in languages, styles, structural variations, moods and mythological, architectural and geographical references. This mind-boggling body of work is the mainstay of the Carnatic musician. Some accomplished vocalists regularly take up a wide range of krithis including rare ones in less-heard ragas and show great felicity of presentation. Vid. M.S. Sheela is one of the foremost of such exponents.

We feature, this time, Vid. M. S. Sheela’s concert - from the 2012 series of Sri. K. Putturao Memorial festival, held at Jaganmohan Palace, Mysore.

The concert covers a wide range of compositions from a wide variety of composers spanning a gamut of ragas. Vid. Sheela is accompanied by Vid. Narasimhamurthy, Vid. Ravishankar, and Shashishankar.

Concert Details

K. Putturao Memorial Music Festival, Jaganmohan Palace, Mysore held on 3 Sept. 2012

Vid. M. S. Sheela – Vocal
Vid. H. K. Narasimhamurthy- Violin
Vid. B. Ravishankar – Mridangam
Vid. B. Shashishankar – Ghatam

Song List

01 ChalamelaJesevura- Darbar Varnam- Tiruvottiyur Thyagayya *** 02 Sr iShankara Guruvaram- Nagaswaravali – Mahavaidyanatha Sivan *** 03 OrajoopujuChedi- KannadaGaula- Thyagaraja***04 Dhanyudevvado- Malayamaruta- Patnam Subramanya Iyer*** 05 MeenaLochani Amba- Todi- Harikeshanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar*** 06 Paraku Nee Kelara Rama- Kiranavali- Thyagaraja*** 07 Bhavanuta Na Hrudayamu- Mohana- Thyagaraja *** 08 Toredu Jeevisa bahude- Kiravani – Kanakadasa *** 09 Kamala Mukhiye- MohanaKalyani- Gopala Dasa*** 10 Taa taTadimi Taka- Brindavani- Purandaradasa ***