The Biblical story of how Jesus at Cana miraculously turned water into wine was the subject of an essay for Lord Byron when he was a school student. He wrote, revealing his famous romanticism, that “Water saw her Creator and blushed.“
The symbolism of wine for a divine quality that goes beyond normal sensory appeal very aptly applies to music. Especially vintage music from the masters, preserved and cherished by connoisseurs.
Bhagavan Krishna says in the Gita that as the moon (Soma), he instills the juice into life forms on earth: “puShNAmi cauShadhIh sarvAh sOmO bhUtvA rasAtmakah”. We begin to understand that heavenly intoxicant called Soma.
That is the same juice that courses through music.
We have already mentioned how Somu gave of his best in the inspiring environs of Parvathi. This Parvathi concert of 1971 by Vidwan Madurai Somasundaram in the company of stalwarts Lalgudi Jayaraman and Palghat Raghu is heady vintage stuff. It is said that grapes are sweet, but a culture on their surface ferments them into wine. The culture of Parvathi rasikas surely seems to have helped the great vidwans to render this classic heady fare.
The first song starts appropriately in “Deva Manohari” and the concert from that start is a feast fit for gods.
There is another saying that when it comes to good food and good wine, it's hard to choose: "Food and wine. Decide which is the soloist, which the accompanist."
That is precisely the atmosphere in this concert. Both Lalgudi and Raghu have delighted in rising to greater and greater heights on the spur from Somu and the result is an unending flow of fantastic virtuosity.
We thought of grapes and wine after hearing the extremely sweet sound of the maestro's violin, which draws time and again much appreciation from the master singer. Similarly Raghu's mridangam play is such that the concert throughout is ripping with rhythmic embellishments. The tempo never flags and one can only conjecture the impact it would have had on the fortunate rasikas who heard the concert live.
The concert has many bright moments but the best are during Kharaharapriya improvisations. Again the RTP in Kambhoji has Somu waxing eloquent, singing “Rama Jayarama Raghurama Ravikula Soma”. The names encompass all the artistes on the stage!
THE CONCERT
Madurai Somasundaram ---- Vocal
Lalgudi Jayaraman ----- Violin
Palghat Raghu ------- Mridangam
H.P.Ramachar ------ Khanjira
at Parvathi on April 5, 1971
Song List
01.Ninnu nammi –varnam – Deva Manohari *** 02. Mahaganesham *** 03. Neelakantha -Kuvalayabharanam – Indira Natesan (?) *** 04. Rama Neepai – Kedaram – Thyagaraja *** 05. Gurulekha yetuvanti – Gowrimanohari- Thyagaraja *** 06. Ninne Nera Nammi- Pantuvarali- Thyagaraja *** 07. Chakkaniraja - Kharaharapriya - Thyagaraja *** 08. Sankarabharane Devi Ragamalika *** 09.O Rama nee namam - Purvi kalyani- Bhadrachala Ramadasa *** 10. Ramanaamamu -Athana – Thyagaraja *** 11. Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi in Kambhoji *** 12. Madu meikkum- Desh *** 13. Enna Kavi Paadi *** 14.Madurayil *** 15. Viruttam *** 16.Bhajo re bhaiyya – Kabir *** 17. Hara hara Shankara *** 18 Tiruppugazh *** 19.
Ragamalika Mangalam ***
