Tempo rules supreme - In cricket or in a Carnatic concert!

Vid.TV Sankaranarayanan, Ramanavami 1996 at 'Parvathi'

Excerpts for the Parvathi Finale

Long before cricket pundits understood this, the doyens of Carnatic music sensed it and created a concert format where tempo rules supreme. Indeed, in a Carnatic concert worth its name, there is never a dull moment. Some score at such a breeze that they garner applause like boundaries at will, thrills filled to the gills.

The T.V. Sankaranarayanan brand of Carnatic music celebrates tempo better than perhaps any other brand. Endowed with a robust and sonorous voice, his music always soared relentlessly like his famous pose with raised hands. When accompaniment was good, the sustained tempo was matched by musical values and made every concert memorable. This current concert audio being uploaded for the Parvathi Finale is no exception! The excerpts capture the best of music with many stellar songs enhanced richly by teamwork, another feature of good cricket.

Charukeshi is celebrated grandly, and Ganesh Prasad excels in the Darbari Kanada piece building up to the famous Govardhana Giridhara. The mridangam is very melodious with fine anticipation. The little bit of Tani in the excerpt is enjoyable. Unfortunately, we are unable to trace the name of the Ghatam artiste.

Happy Listening!

Concert Details

Parvathi Festival - Sri Ramanavami, Jaganmohan Palace - March 31, 1996

T.V. Sankaranarayanan– Vocal

B.U.Ganesh Prasad – Violin

T.A.S. Mani– Mridangam

? – Ghatam

Excerpts List

01 Anupama Gunambudhi - Athana - Thyagaraja
02 Adamodi Galade - Charukeshi - Thyagaraja
03 Sarasamukhi - Gaud Malhar - Muthiah Bhagavatar
04 Viruttam-Darbari Kanada
05 Govardhana Giridhara - Darbari Kanada - Narayana Tirtha
06 Mangalam

Seeing the Romantic in Every Raga

M. Chandrasekharan & G. Bharathi-violin duet, 'Parvathi' Ramanavami 1981

An appreciation by R. Sachi

Courtesy: Times of India

Among the many musical stars that have shone brightly in the Parvathi sky, Sangeetha Kalanidhi M. Chandrasekharan, or Chandru to Sri K. Srikantiah, and Vidwan MC to others, is a bright and constant one. For many decades now, Vidwan MC has been a leading violinist wowing audiences with his remarkable violin accompaniment, solos, and duets. In Parvathi alone, he has performed a few dozen times. This blog has already featured him in 16/17 concerts, as an accompanist as well as in violin duets. This is a small indicator of the immense love and respect that is mutual between Sri KS and Vidwan MC.

For anyone who has attended a concert by Vidwan MC, three things are etched in the mind forever. First, his smiling face with dark glasses. Second, his unflagging enthusiasm throughout the concert. Third and most important, his violin playing which is remarkably sweet and highly effective in every type of music. What makes this musician tick?

Vidwan MC is 79 years old now, and has been playing the violin on the concert stage for more than 67 years. He sees music brilliantly, despite his visual handicap. He is loved by audiences and musicians worldwide. Playing the violin in a demanding genre like Carnatic music is not easy. The visual handicap adds many challenges. But not only has Vidwan MC overcome every difficulty, but he has also developed the inner eye to see music in a life-long romance. He sees the romantic side of every raga, always. The present concert is ample proof of this, and covers a range of compositions. Vidwan MC connects instantly with the audiences because he is so sensitive. He says in an interview, conducted by Kutcheribuzz on the occasion of his receiving the Sangeetha Kalanidhi title from the Madras Music Academy: " One can sense the preferences of the audience minutes after a concert begins. I see everything through my heart."

In this concert, the vidwan plays a rare composition "Ramesham Jagadeesham", composed by Bangalore Yogacharya Sundaram. It appears to be tuned in the raga Shuddha Malavi by Vidwan MC himself. In many places throughout the concert, Vidwan MC vocalises the lyrics as well.

Vid. Bharathi, daughter and disciple of Vidwan MC, has accompanied him in this concert with equal enthusiasm. Percussion support by Vid. TAS Mani and Vid. Ramesh draws praise from the main artistes.

Come, let us enjoy a lovely concert held in Parvathi, Mysore, 35 years ago!

Details

M.Chandrasekharan ----------- Violin
Bharathi ----------------------------- Violin
T.A.S.Mani ------------------ Mridangam
T.N.Ramesh ---------------- Ghatam

on 20-4-81 at "Parvathi" during Ramanavami

Song List

01. Manasa Etulo-Malayamarutha-Thyagaraja *** 02. Raghuvamsha-Kadanakutuhala-Patnam Subramania Iyer *** 03. Janani Ninnuvina-Reetigowla-Subbaraya Shastri *** 04. Bhuvaneshvariya-Mohanakalyani-Muthiah Bhagavatar *** 05. Nagumomu-Abheri-Thyagaraja *** 06. Ramesham Jagadeesham- Shuddha Malavi?-Bangalore Yogacharya Sundaram *** 07.Shanmukhapriya Ragam, Tanam *** 08. Ragamalika Pallavi *** 09. Seethakalyana-Kurinji-Thyagaja ***

Celebrating Thyagaraja’s Immortal Songs

Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan
"Parvathi" Ramanavami Concert 1998

An Appreciation by R. Sachi

Ardent rasikas enjoying the Parvathi concerts have already been treated to a great concert of Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan that we featured earlier from the 2012 Putturao Memorial Concert series ( click here )

This time we go back 17 years and give you a classic concert filled with Saint Thyagaraja’s immortal songs like Nadatanumanisham, Appa Ramabhakti, Brova Bharama, and Nanu Palimpa. The vidwan is in an expansive mood and gives each raga and song a very melodious treatment. Vid. Manjunath on the violin is an equal partner and gives us many wonderful moments.

Sri Neyveli has given critically acclaimed concerts in Vidwath sabhas in the presence of other erudite musicians and has been recognized with several accolades and titles. He is also an excellent speaker known for his wit, timing and sense of humour which make him a very wholesome entertainer and performer. He also presents engrossing lec-dems. His excellent theoretical depth with extensive research of the best approaches makes him a distinctive musicologist. This multi-faceted musician is also proficient at playing the Veena and percussion instruments with distinct strengths in ‘laya’ exposition.

Sri Neyveli has forayed big time into e-training of students in Carnatic music. Sri Neyveli has now a global student enrolment. His latest presentation at the Cleveland Aradhana, called the Epic Carnatic Choir, was an interesting effort with his training students remotely for a different type of group singing. The quality of music and innovation can be witnessed in this You Tube clip, where under his guidance, a large ensemble of dozens of young vocalists and instrumentalists, presented a medley of Thygaraja’s ever-popular Deshadi tala compositions. The quality of singing and the ingenuity of the composition prepared by Sri Neyveli are indeed commendable.

( Sri Neyveli conducting the Epic Carnatic Choir at Cleveland, 2015 )
( photo from his website )

Come, let us enjoy this delightful concert.

Concert Details

Neyveli Santhanagopalan ------- Vocal
Mysore Manjunath ----------------- Violin
T.A.S. Mani --------------------------- Mridangam
G.S.Ramanujam -------------------- Ghatam
0n 12-4-98 during Parvathi Ramanavami festival, Mysore.

Song List

01 Nadatanumanisham –Chittaranjani-Thyagaraja ***
02 Appa Rama-Pantuvarali- Thyagaraja ***
03 Bahudari Raga ***
04 Brova bharama-Thyagaraja ***
05 Mohana Raga ***
06 Nannu Palimpa –Thyagaraja +Tani(cut) ***
07 Manasa sancharare –Sama- Sadashiva Brahmendra ***
08 Chandrachooda- Darbari Kanada- Purandara Dasa ***
09 Thiruppugazh-Hamsanandi ***
10 Mangalam ***

From String to Song to Symphony – A Cadence of Excellence

Chitraveena N. Ravikiran – Parvathi Ramanavami 1988

Reflections by R. Sachi

We bring to rasikas worldwide a wonderful concert of Chitravina (earlier name gotuvadyam) by prodigy N. Ravikiran, held at Parvathi in 1988.

Born in Mysore in 1967, the phenomenon called N. Ravikiran made an impact on the Carnatic scene as early as in 1969. He astonished the greatest musicians with his ability to recognise a vast array of ragas and talas when other children would be lisping baby words. M.S. Subbulakshmi, T.R. Mahalingam, Mysore Doreswamy Iyengar, Pandit Ravi Shankar, and others, expressed astonishment and delight at this phenomenon called N. Ravikiran. After training intensely under his father, Chitravina Narasimhan, Ravikiran debuted as a vocalist in 1972, at a record-setting age of five in Coimbatore and presented concerts in prominent venues. He won a scholarship from the Madras Music Academy at that young age.

At the age of 10, he switched over to the 21-stringed chitravina (earlier called gotuvadyam) and gave his maiden chitravina concert at age 11. He established himself as a frontline Indian string instrumentalist within the next 3 years with recitals in major venues and festivals. He won an exemption to perform professional concerts for Indian Radio and Television (Doordarshan) at age 12 and was invited to represent his country in Festivals of India all over the world. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer presented the gotuvadyam that had been played by his guru Vid. Sakharama Rao, to Ravikiran.

From 1986–96, Ravikiran underwent training under the celebrated vocalist T.Brinda, an acknowledged musicians' musician, renowned for her microscopic nuances, authentic repertoire and uncompromising values. His own approach to ragas, songs, and especially javalis and padams, reflects this.

The incredible saga of Ravikiran’s musical journey is well narrated over the Internet and well documented at ravikiranmusic.com. Today, N. Ravikiran is one of the most highly accomplished and respected musicians around the world, performing, teaching, composing and conducting music concerts of several formats and genres round the year around the globe. He plays the chitravina as well as gives full-fledged vocal concerts.

Ravikiran is making fundamental contributions towards popularising Oothukadu Venkata Kavi’s compositions. He is helping musicians to hone their skills in advancing both lakshana and lakshya of their Carnatic competencies through conducting many lec-dems, and Internet teaching sessions. Many of his students have been well recognised.

Ravikiran's significant contribution to world music is 'Melharmony', a new approach to compositions and aesthetics that he initiated in the year 2000 at the Millennium Festival in UK. The impact of this has been reflected in Melharmonic concerts, collaborations, academic papers and recognitions. Melharmony harnesses melodic concepts of the East and harmonic concepts of the West. His 72-raga melakarta melharmony presentation and his composing and performing music for a dance ballet performed by Pandit Birju Maharaj are among many recent achievements.

The present concert is a good example of how balanced, sparkling and fulfilling Ravikiran’s music has always been. The range of ragas and compositions leaves the listener highly satisfied. As Ravikiran enters the “golden age” in a Carnatic musician’s career, we wish the maestro all success and happiness in his multifaceted endeavours.

Details

N. Ravikiran ------------------- Chitravina (Gotuvadyam)
T.G.Tyagarajan ----------------Violin
T.A.S Mani ----------------------Mridangam
Bangalore Venkataram ------- Ghatam (Ramanavami Concert held on 2-4-1988 at “Parvathi")

Song List

01 Raghunayaka-Hamsadhvani- Thyagaraja *** 02 Simhendramadhyama Raga *** 03 Natajana paripalaka-K.V. Srinivasa Iyengar *** 04 Manavinala-Nalinakanti- Thyagaraja *** 05 Todi Raga *** 06 Emi Jesite – Todi- Thyagaraja *** 07 Sudhamayee – Amrutavarshini- H Muthiah Bhagavatar *** 08 Kamboji Raga *** 09 Tana in Ghana Ragamalika *** 10 Pallavi –Parimala Rangapathe *** 11 Yare Rangana –Hindola- Purandara Dasa *** 12. Vagaladi Bodhanalaku-Behag Javali – Tirupathi Narayanaswamy *** 13 Mangalam ***

' I wish I had met you earlier ' - K.J. Yesudas

Vid. K.J. Yesudas in 2000 : "Parvathi" Ramanavami Music Festival

Reminiscences by K.Srikantiah

" We are pleased to present this time, in our blog, a full length concert of Sri. K.J.Yesudas during our Sri Ramanavami Music Festival on April 19, 2000 at Mysore.

I also take this opportunity to wish my dear friend, Yesudas, a very Happy New Year ! January is also the month when he performs Pooja and Homam at Mookambika Temple on the occasion of his birthday. May Goddess Mookambika Bless him with perfect health, longevity of life, and may he continue to enthrall his countless fans inside and outside of India. "

" When I go down my memory lane, I vividly recollect the day I first met him on April 18, 1976. Our friendship began on a rather discordant note. Yesudas was to sing at my Ramanavami Festival on April 14, 1976. Music of films like 'Chit Chor' , 'Apoorva Ragangal' etc, were a super hit by then, and Yesudas was a heart-throb of thousands of music-lovers. He was a versatile singer in both carnatic classical music and film music, which was very rare. A massive crowd had gathered to listen to him,but he didn't turn up, even at 7 in the evening.Nor was there any word or message from him. I was fuming by then.Somehow I pleaded with Neyathangara Vasudeven, and he agreed to sing in Yesudas' place.

Next morning at 5 AM, Yesudas called me and calmly explained what had happened. The car in which he was travelling from Bangalore to Mysore broke down midway. The driver left him alone in the car and went to get help. It was almost 8pm in the night by the time the car problem was finally resolved and by which time it was too late to reach Mysore and perform. After explaining all this, Yesudas agreed to sing on April 18, 1976. That was how we first met. His genuineness, sincerity and warmth completely melted away my previous anger. From that instant, I became an ardent admirer of Yesudas the person, besides Yesudas the singer. "

" His words to me on that day still ring in my ears - 'I wish I had met you earlier' was what he said. Thus began our friendship of four decades, a friendship which has been steady without ups and downs. This was the exact sentiment which Yesudas also expressed during his recent concert at our K.Puttu Rao (my father) festival in september 2014. Innumerable are the days and hours that we have spent discussing music, men and matter, and pulling each others legs. "

" I am deeply indebted to Yesudas for accepting without a second thought my invitation to sing at my festival about 15-20 times during these four decades.I can only repay the debt by praying to Lord Rama to always bless my beloved friend and his family with HIS protective shield.

God bless you, my dear friend ! "

Concert Details

K.J.Yesudas --------- Vocal
Mysore Nagaraj ------ Violin
T.A.S.Mani ------------ Mridangam
Shivaramakrishnan ---- Ghatam

during Ramanavami Festival, "Parvathi", Mysore April 19, 2000.

Song list:

01 Sarasijanabha-Varnam-Nata-Swathi Thirunal *** 02 Sri Gananatham-Kanakangii-Thyagaraja *** 03 Pavanaguru-Hamsanandi-Lalithadasar *** 04 Tirupati Venkataramana-Keeravani -Purandaradasa *** 05 Ksheerasagara-Devagandhari-Thyagaraja *** 06 Pantuvarali Raga *** 07 Ramanama payasake-Pauntuvarali-Puranddaradasa *** 08 Ramanamam bhajare - Madhyamavathi- Thyagaraja *** 09 Sripate-Nagaswaravali- Thyagaraja *** 10 Kharaharapriya Raga*** 11 Tana-Pallavi-Swara*** 12 Tani*** 13 Krishna nee begane-Yamuna kalyani- Vyasaraya *** 14 Swami sangeeta- Abheri- Aleppey Ranganath *** 15 Mangala darshana - Anandabhairavi- Dakshinamurthy *** 16 Rama Rama Rama Sita- Huseni- Thyagaraja *** 17 Samayamithapoorva- ragamalika- Ouseppachan*** 18 Harivarasanam - Madhyamavati -Kambangudi Kulathur Srinivasa Iyer+G. Devarajan***

The Efficacy of Prayer

Vid. K. J. Yesudas, 1992 Ramanavami, Parvathi

Reflections by Shri R. Sachi

We gladly share another favourite concert from the Parvathi Ramanavami archives, of Vid. K. J. Yesudas, held in 1992. The concert is remarkable for three reasons, viz., the voice quality of the celebrated singer, the wide repertoire of songs in so many ragas, and the the manifest affection showered by Sri K. Srikantiah in his speech.

When a prominent rasika, Justice VR Krishna Iyer, stated once that in the west, the government would have insured an incomparable voice like that of Yesudas, the vidwan is known to have responded that God Himself had insured his voice and that was enough. Vid. Yesudas makes his oft-heard comment in this concert also that all religions lead to the same God and we should not quarrel but only offer our sincere prayer. This prayerful mood is present throughout this concert.

One could well ask: why should one pray, and to whom, and what is the return on investment? Man after all does not find God until his prayers are answered. So why pray to this unknown entity? To this question, many songs in this concert offer answers, from famous saint composers. The song of Saint Thyagaraja “Teliyaleru Rama” has been discussed before in this blog ( Chitti Babu 1975 ). There the saint bemoans the worldly ways of the ritualists who are not on the true path of bhakti. Now let us see the import of the verse sung by Vid. Yesudas here from Narayaneeyam :

yOgindrAnAm thvadangEshvadhikasumadhuram mukthi bhAjam nivAsO
bhakthAnam kAmavarshadyutharukisalayam nAtha thE pAdamulam
nithyam chithasthithammE PavanapurapathE KrishnA kArunya sindhO
hruthvA nishshEshathApAn pradishathu paramAnanda sandOha lakshmim

The saint poet Bhattattiri prays to Guruvayoorappa that as the Lord’s feet have an incomparable attraction to the yogis, and become the abode of those who have attained Moksha. It is also like the wish fulfilling tree of Heaven, and grants all the wishes of the devotees. The poet pleads that the Lord’s feet should be always established in his mind, for that would dispel all his suffering and grant the greatest wealth of all, liberation.

So it seems rather certain that the devotee has to first find the prayer in his heart, and that will lead him to the Lord. It is not the other way round. Bhagavan Krishna states as much in the Bhagavadgita (9.12):

ananyAs cintayantO mAm
ye janAh paryupAsate
tesAm nityAbhiyuktAnAm
yOga-kSEmam vahAmyaham

Translation: The Lord states, “considering those who have only me in their thoughts, and have single-pointed and constant devotion to me, I shall take care of their well-being and address all their wants.”

What is noteworthy is that the true devotee who prays does not make a plea to God with a list of wants and needs. He simply has constant and unwavering devotion. God’s grace, and bliss, descend on such a true devotee.

So, come, Rasikas, let us sit and enjoy this wonderful concert!

Concert Details

K.J.Yesudas ------- Vocal
T.G.Tyagarajan ------ Violin
T.A.S.Mani -----Mridangam
M.A.Krishnamurthy ---- Ghatam
Ramanavami festival at Parvathi on 15-4-92.

Song List

01 Varnam-Sarasangi- Patnam Subramania Iyer? *** 02 Vatapi- Hamsadhvani- Muthuswami Dikshitar *** 03 Guruvina gulaama- Hamsanandi- Purandaradasa *** 04 Lavanya Rama –Poornashadja- Thyagaraja *** 05 Raghuvamsasudha-Kadanakutuhala- Patnam Subramania Iyer *** 06 Ksheerasagara-Devagandhari- Thyagaraja *** 07 Teliyaledu Rama-Dhenuka--swara ***08 RTP in Gamanasrama Raga *** 09 Tani *** 10 KS and Yesudas speech *** 11 SreeRamam-Narayanagowla- Thyagaraja *** 12 Rama Janaki jaane-Yaman kalyani- Yusufali Kacheri*** 13 En nenjil pallikondavan- Kalyani- Salem Eshwar *** 14 Mangala darshana-Anandabhairavi- Dakshinamurthy *** 15 Swami sangeeta-Abheri-Allepey Ranganath *** 16 Krishna nee begane-Yamankalyani- Vyasaraya *** 17 Gopalaka pahimam-Revagupti- Swati Tirunal *** 18 Yogeendranam-Narayaneeyam ***

Ragam Tanam Pallavi – Respecting the Tradition

Sri K. J. Yesudas, 1998 Ramanavami Concert

Text by Mysore Prabha

No traditional Carnatic music concert is complete without Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi. It is said to be the centre-piece of the concert. Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi is an elaboration of a specific raga, generally a melakarta raga, and is completely creative with a huge scope for improvisation. Any musician is said to have reached a level of excellence only when he/she is able to perform a RTP on stage. It is the perfect item for the artist to show his/her skill and mastery. Yesteryear musicians were all adept at singing RTP and would invariably perform it in all their concerts. Mysore Vasudevachar, the well-known composer, was a master in singing Tana in trikala.

In the concert that we feature here, Sri K.J. Yesudas has performed a RTP in a rare raga -Ramapriya. It is to be highly appreciated that despite being a top name in film playback singing for five decades, Sri Yesudas has not compromised in traditional canatic singing. He generally performs RTP in his classical concerts.In fact, in this concert, he has spoken a few words to the audience on the importance of RTP, which is also presented.

Kannada films superstar, Vishnuvardhan, was one among the audience for this concert. His words of praise for Yesudas and his singing is also featured here.

We hope that you will enjoy the concert.

Concert Details:

Ramanavami Festival at Parvathi, Mysore, concert held on 11 April 1998.

K.J.Yesudas ---------- Vocal
T.G.Tyagarajan -------violin
T.A.S.Mani ------------Mridangam
M.A.Krishnamurthy----Ghatam

Song List

01 Valachi (Varna-Navaragamalika)- Patnam Subramanya Iyer *** 02 Vatapi (Hamsadhvani)-swara- Muthuswami Dikshitar *** 03 Guruvina gulama(Hamsanandi)- Purandara Dasa *** 04 Ksheerasagara(Devagandhari)- Thyagaraja *** 05 Nagumomu(Abheri)- Thyagaraja *** 06 Shankarabharana Raga-Yenduku peddala-swara- Thyagaraja *** 07 Hanumana matave(vagadheeswari)-swara- Purandara Dasa*** 08 Ela Nee Daya(Athana)- Thyagaraja *** 09 Talk by Yesudas*** 10 Ramapriya Raga-Tana-Pallavi-Swara*** 11 Tani avartanam*** 12 Speeches by KS,Vishnuvardhan,Shivram*** 13 He Ram tumhare(Hindi bhajan)*** 14 Yellellu Sangeetave(Saramati-Malayamaruta film)*** 15 Mangala darshana(Ananda bhairavi)*** 16 Ramakatha(Shubhapantuvarali)*** 17Harivarasanam(Madhyamavati)*** 18 Alaipayude (Kanada)- Oothukadu Venkata Kavi*** 19 Krishna nee begane(Yamunakalyani)- Vyasaraya*** 20 Yogeendranam(Narayaneeyam)*** 21 Mangalam***

Classicism as the Core: Vidwan O. S. Thyagarajan - 1994

[ The following text is due to R.Sachi ( click ) ]

This time we are happy to feature a well-known senior vidwan, Sri. O.S. THyagarajan. He has come and performed in Parvathi around 8 times over the past few decades.

Recalling his music, Sri K. Srikantiah says, “there are a few artistes who are simple, not after crowd-pulling music, and focused on giving a wholesome concert with classicism as its core value. The foremost among such artistes was Palghat K.V. Narayanaswamy. Sri O.S. Thyagarajan comes in the same mold. A man of few words, I found his music and personality endearing for its calmness."

[Courtesy: The Hindu ]

Gleaning from various sources on the Internet:

Sri O.S.Thyagarajan was born on April 3,1947. He is a classicist who paints in glorious colours the fine shades of raga, krithi and swara in his numerous concerts.

He had his earlier training under his father Sangeetha Bhooshanam O.V. Subramanian, and later under the celebrated maestro Lalgudi G. Jayaraman and finally, Sangeetha Kalanidhi T.M. Thyagarajan. An ‘A- Top’ graded artist of the All India Radio and of Doordarshan, he has been giving a large number of concerts well appreciated and relished.

The titles conferred on him are “Sangeetha Choodamani” (Sri Krishna Gana Sabha), Sangeetha Kala Sagara (Kalasagaram, Hyderabad), “Nada Gana Kala Praveena”, “Sangeetha Samrajya” Madurai, “Nadha Booshanam” Shanmukhananda Sangeetha Sabha, and New Delhi.

He is regularly featured by all leading sabhas in Chennai as well as throughout India and has toured many countries, including USA, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Middle East, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Africa, and many cities in Europe. He worked as Dean, Faculty of Fine Arts, and Annamalai University for 5 years. He has trained many disciples too.

In an interview he gave a couple of years ago, OST, as he is fondly known, called upon artistes to spread “Sasthriya Sangeetham." He recalled his first lesson from his guru in 1980. “Never try to get applause by singing something absurd and if you don’t get applause despite sensible singing never bother. This is one lesson I remember even today,” he said, revealing his utmost reverence for the two Thyagarajas – the saint composer and his guru.

In this concert held in Parvathi in 1994, we enter straight away into a concert in full swing, to the strains of the raga Asaveri. Featured in Thyagaraja’s opera, Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam, the song is a plaintive cry by the devotee to the lord:

" RARA MAYINTIDAKA " (Asaveri)

Oh Raghuvira! Tyagaraja's fortune! Pray, come to my house; I bow to you. Bless me. I cannot bear the separation any longer. Till now, with unfulfilled desire, I have been in long and vexatious search for you. Pray, do come today at least, in all your glory. My purpose in seeking you is to implore you every morning to teach me, to have the privilege of the Darshana of your enchanting face, to stand by your side and worship you every day, and thus be blessed. Believing that you alone are my refuge, I have allowed myself to be in your grip. Why do you forget this, and why do you not come to me promptly?

(Taken from The Spiritual Heritage of Thyagaraja)

The other songs, with enthusiastic accompaniment on the violin and mridangam, are a scintillating Shanmukhapriya “Marivere”and “O Rangashayi”rendered in a majestic Kambhoji by Vidwan O.S. Thaygarajan.

The concert is well recorded and the five items featured all showcase melody, virtuosity and bhava, all in the mould of pure classicism.

Concert Details: ( "Parvathi" Ramanavami, April 12, 1994 )

Vocal - O.S. Thyagarajan
Violin - H.K. Venkatram
Mridangam - T.A.S. Mani
Ghatam - G.S. Ramanujam

Song List:

01.Rara Mayintidaka – Asaveri – Thyagaraja*** 02. Marivere – Shanmukgapriya – Patnam Subramanya Iyer *** 03. O Rangashayee – Kambhoji – Thyagaraja *** 04. Narayanaya Namo Madhavaya – Karnaranjani – Narayana Tirtha *** 05. Sri Raghavam - Shloka – Kapi, Varali, Sindhu Bhairavi ***

"A blend of Vocal, Veena and Nagaswaram" : Violin Maestro M. Chandrasekaran

[Photo: Courtesy http://www.carnatic.com/people/cs-violin.html ]

"... he will always be 'Chandru' to me, as I affectionately used to call him... he first performed in "Parvathi" all the way back in 1965... since then he has performed so many times with all the Veterans for many of the festivals in the house..."

"...as you know, from birth he has always been physically challenged and it was a great comfort for me to see that he was always accompanied on his travels by either a disciple or family member...those were the days you had to change trains twice, from Madras to Bangalore and then from Bangalore to Mysore...now, once, to my great astonishment and shock 'Chandru' arrives all alone for a concert! When I worriedly questioned him he said coming to "Parvathi" was nothing new to him... and he says all of that in that beautiful innocent demeanor of his...I advised him never to venture out like that again...and I saw to it that he was safely escorted back all the way home..."

-K. Srikantiah's Recollections

On Dec. 15, 2009, the inaugural concert of the season at the Music Academy in Madras (Chennai) featured three Sangeetha Kalanidhis. Vidwan T.N. Seshagopalan was accompanied by two other greats, Vidwan M. Chandrasekaran and Vidwan Vellore Ramabhadran. They were the recipients of the Sangeetha Kalanidhi title in the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 in the reverse order.

The Hindu, in a tribute on 1 Dec. 2005 to Sangeetha Kalanidhi designate M. Chandrasekaran, quoted Dr. Pinakapani, “Chandrasekaran's style of violin playing is a blend of vocal, veena and nagaswaram."

2009 also marked the sixtieth year of concert performances for the violin maestro M. Chandrasekaran. He had received his first award in the Music Academy in 1950, just a year after he started performing in public at the age of eleven. Vidwan Chandrasekaran has gone on record that he owes everything to his mother, who dealt with his visual impairment at the age of two and undaunted, taught him music, as well as Braille. He has founded a trust in her memory, the Charubala Mohan Trust, to encourage young artistes.

The art of violin accompaniment is like walking on the edge of a razor. Carnatic music, when amplified through the mike system, poses challenges to artistes and audiences alike. It is difficult to balance the instruments and yet preserve the fabric of the original music. In addition, the violinist has to keep up the accompaniment throughout the concert, getting a respite only during the tani avarathanam. After a marathon swara cycle, the main artiste often takes a break, but the violinist is impelled to respond. The main artiste has the advantage of planning the concert ahead, and playing in his zone of comfort. But the violinist has to deal with the unknown, preserve and embellish the manodharma of the main artiste, and improvise in his solo passages without excess or digress. The dialogue during alapana, neraval and swara passages has to be harmonious, eschewing one-upmanship. On many occasions, the main artiste may slacken a bit and lose his grip on the proceedings. Then the violinist has to raise the flagging tempo and rekindle the main artiste. All this is asking a lot. And without the important eye-contact, the challenge is all the greater.

We must remember these aspects when we listen to Vidwan Chandrasekaran. He has made hundreds of concerts unforgettable by his indefatigable artistry as an accompanist. Of course he is a great soloist, and noted as a composer and even vocalist. But he will always be remembered as the crown prince among accompanists.

The Parvathi concert series posted here bear ample testimony to Vidwan Chandrasekaran's talents. We have featured his recording in a double violin concert with T.N. Krishnan as well as in violin accompaniment for Balamuralikrishna, Madurai Somu, Doreswami Iyengar, Ramani, and M.D. Ramanathan already. In every concert, we can hear his frequent “Aahs” of spontaneous appreciation for the main artiste. When his turn comes, he has excelled in improvisation. In his solo passages, he has reminded us of the Shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan. He has cooed the lovely sounds of rakti ragas with Ramani. He has embellished the majesty of the veena. In MDR's concert, when he plays to the words, “Veeram Dhanurbhanjane”, MDR is spurred by his forceful play to exclaim, “Oh, you're yourself armed with the bow!”

We feature a concert recording here from 1999, his fiftieth performing year. It is a violin duet with his daughter Smt. G. Bharathi, who we are informed has an active musical career in the USA.

Concert
'Parvathi' March 30, 1999

[Photo: Courtesy http://www.hindu.com/ms/2005/12/01/stories/2005120100120200.htm ]

M. Chandrasekharan & G.Bharathi (Violin Duet)
T.A.S.Mani ----(Mridangam)
M.A.Krishnamurthy ---(Ghatam)

[ 1. Naa Jeevaadhaara – Bilahari- Thyagaraja (partial) 2. Durmargachara- Ranjani – Thyagaraja 3. Nannu vidachi – Reetigowla – Thyagaraja (vocal) 4. Manavyalakinchara – Nalinakanti – Thyagaraja 5. Ragam Tanam Pallavi – Simhendra madhyamam (& Ragamalika) 6. Baro Krishnayya – Ragamalika ( Maand, Misra Piloo, Jaunpuri) – Kanaka Dasa 7. Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma – Madhyamavati – Purandara Dasa ]