The Lalgudi Express - Celebrating the Maestro's Bani

Vid. Lalgudi Jayaraman - Sri Ramanavami 1987 Concert

By R. Sachi

The idyllic city of Mysore boasts of a heritage railway station through which many of who’s who have passed to experience the wonderful city over long years.

Among the many musicians who arrived by train in Mysore to perform at the home of Parvathi, the legend Vid. Lalgudi Jayaraman was a special one, who came countless times.

The Railway Museum, Mysore

In this 1987 Sri Ramanavami concert with accompaniment by his son Vid. GJR Krishnan, Vid. Vellore Ramabhadran, and Vid. Bangalore Venkatram, Sri. Lalgudi gives us a ride on the Lalgudi Express train. There is a brisk tempo throughout, with never a dull moment. Vid. Ramabhadran’s sarvalaghu style of playing the mridangam is like the steady beat of the train wheels on a well-laid broad gauge track! This concert augurs for the Vande Bharat Express being launched to garner many accolades.

Sri K. Srikantiah is quite fond of recollecting his long association with Vid. Lalgudi since circa 1948. Both were very young then and a thick friendship grew. The family of Parvathi celebrated every achievement and award bestowed on the great vidwan including the first Chowdiah National Award in 1982 and an International Award for the best of world music. Readers can discover the family connection with the Chowdah Hall too in this blog. We have also shared many brilliant concerts of Vid. Lalgudi Jayaraman – both solo and playing as an accompanist, already.

It is now a happy occasion in our Finale to share this concert recording from 1987, especially since Vid. GJR Krishnan has been named as the awardee of the Sangeeta Kalanidhi title for 2022 by the Madras Music Academy which will be conferred on him along with his sister Vid. Vijayalakshmi.

The Lalgudi musical lineage traces back to Saint Thyagaraja himself, as has been well narrated in the biography of the Vidwan titled “An Incurable Romantic.” Being a truly multidimensional musician and composer, Vid. Lalgudi Jayaraman won worldwide acclaim for his many accomplishments as a soloist, accompanist, composer, teacher, and the creator of the Lalgudi Bani.

This concert begins with his own composition, a Varnam in Sama. The next song in Dhanyasi is short and sweet with these words:

The Spiritual Heritage of Tyagaraja, RK Math, Chennai 

Thyagaraja is summarising the entire personality of Sri Rama: Rama the beautiful one, the powerful one, the giver of delight, the punisher of the evil, and the indweller in the heart of the devotee. The same sentiment is expressed also in the Huseni song so evocatively played by the maestro after a dynamic Shanmukhapriya.

The rendition of Sakalagrahabala Neene in Athana is excellent.

Concert Details

Lalgudi Jayaraman   --------- Violin
GJR Krishnan                 ---- Violin
Vellore Ramabhadran ------- Mridangam
Bangalore Venkatram ------ Ghatam
on 11-4-1987at 'Parvathi' Sri Ramanavami Festival.

Song List

• 1.       Tarunam en Thaye – Sama Varnam – Lalgudi Jayaraman
• 2.       Shyama Sundaranga – Dhanyasi – Thyagaraja
• 3.       Paramatmudu – Vagadheeshwari – Thyagaraja
• 4.       Sakalagrahabala Neene – Athana – Purandaradasa
• 5.       Ramachandram Bhavayami – Vasantha – Muthuswami Dikshitar
• 6.       Marivere Dikkevaraiyya Rama – Shanmukhapriya – Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer
• 7.       Raghuveera Ranadheera – Huseni – Thyagaraja
• 8.       Bhavanuta – Mohana – Thyagaraja
• 9.       Kharaharapriya alapana

This is only Part A of the concert recording. Unfortunately, we are unable to locate in the heap of tapes the second part of the recording. So, as the maestro builds up the alapana of Kharaharapriya, the recording ends. It is as if Mahaveera Hanuman has brought an invitation to the ensemble to move and to continue the concert in front of  Lord Sri Rama himself in his Ayodhya Durbar.

 

We extend our felicitations to Vid. GJR Krishnan and Vid. Vijayalakshmi on the Sangeetha Kalanidhi award. We earnestly wish continued glory to the Lalgudi Bani in the future.

When music is in the air... A Tribute to Vid. T. V. Sankaranarayanan

Vid. T.V. Sankaranarayanan 1998 Sri Ramanavami

Reflections by R. Sachi

The goal of human life, according to Sanatana Dharma, is to see divinity in everything. But where to make a start? The best place is where there is great music. When good music is in the air, divinity descends instantly.

यच्च किञ्चित् जगत्सर्वं दृश्यते श्रूयतेऽपि वा।

अन्तर्बहिश्च तत्सर्वं व्याप्य नारायणः स्थितः॥

The Upanishad declares that Lord Sriman Narayana is present in all that we see and hear around, inside and outside. To experience this, music is a great way.

This experience is palpable for everyone who ever attended a Parvathi concert in person or virtually through this blog. This is the opinion of rasikas that we hear all the time. 

We start the Parvathi grand finale with a tribute to the late legend, Sangita Kalanidhi T. V. Sankaranarayanan (1945-2022). In his six-decade-long active career, he has come and performed many times in Parvathi, with stellar accompaniments too. His most recent appearance was in 2011. Here, we feature an excellent, full-length concert from the 1998 Sri Ramanavami festival at Parvathi. The accompanists viz. Vidwans Mysore Nagaraj, Arjun Kumar and Ramanujam have enlivened his mercurial delivery. 

When one listens Sri. TVS, one visualises the sacred horse Ucchaishravas rising from the milky ocean, and flying into the skies. An unmatched beauty with adornments and bells, the horse sets our hearts racing. It is the same effect in Sri. TVS's music.

Sri. TVS filled every moment of his music with vibrancy, energy, melody and pace. He batted like a T20 titan. His song choice was easy on the listener, not taxing the brain but satisfying the soul. His trademark sarvalaghu swaras were never boring. Inheriting that ability from the one and only Sri. Madurai Mani Iyer, his uncle, Sri. TVS added verve, resonance and raciness to his music.

In this concert, we get a wholesome treatment of Purvi Kalyani, Charukeshi and Darbari Kanada, and realise that this vidwan is no less than any Hindustani doyen in extracting the Bhava in these ragas. Mysore Nagaraj matches him in melody and verve. The tani is sparkling.

The song in Purvikalyani is composed by Smt.Ambujam Krishna of the TVS family who received the sahityam in divine visitations. It has been tuned by Vid. Musiri Subrahmanya Iyer. We feel that the song is so evocative that we want to share the words here:

            

 ***

iniyAghilum ninai maname

raagam: pUrvikalyANi

taaLam: rUpaka

Composer: Ambujam Krishna

Language: Tamil

pallavi

iniyAghilum ninai manamE inakula tilakanai rAghavanai

anupallavi

punita tyAga brahmam magizhak-kanindu kATSi tanda kaNyanai

caraNam

minnal vAzhvu muDiyumunnam kanma vinaigaL kaNattil aghala

tannigarillA dAsharathiyai kannal nAma kAkuttanai

         Sahitya courtesy:Karnatik.com

Translation

           Pallavi

O Mind! At least hereafter, think of Raghava, the greatest of the Sun dynasty

          Anupallavi

          The dignified one who appeared before the pure Thyagaraja and pleased him 

        (O Mind)

         Charanam

Before this transitory lightning life ends, 

For the Karma of previous and present birth to vanish in an instant

The nonpareil son of Dasaratha

He of the Kakuthstha dynasty with the nectarine name (think of him)

         Translation- Kind courtesy Smt.Sujatha Vijayaraghavan

***

We offer our heartfelt tribute to the legend Vidwan Sri. T. V. Sankaranarayanan. May his Atma be blessed by Bhagavan for all his service to Carnatic music. May rasikas continue to preserve his legacy through listening to his great music. 

We also congratulate the gods who will get to listen to him live, in person, and not through an online stream or archive!

Note: We have chosen to upload the entire concert in one single stream on Youtube for your uninterrupted listening pleasure.

***

Concert Details

T.V. Sankaranarayanan -------- Vocal
Mysore M. Nagaraj ----- Violin
Bangalore Arjun Kumar ------------ Mridangam
G.S.Ramanujam ----------- Ghatam
on 12-4- 1998 at "Parvathi" during Sri Ramanavami Music Festival.

Song List

01 Pranatosmi Devam Vinayakam - Nata - Tulasivanam ***
02 Barayya Venkataramana - Saveri - Purandaradasa ***
03 Ramabhakti Samrajya - Shuddha Bangala - Thyagaraja ***
04 Iniyaghilum Ninai Maname - Purvikalyani - Ambujam Krishna ***
05 Adamodi Galade Ramayya - Charukeshi - Thyagaraja ***
06 Tani ***
07 Sarasamukhi Sakalabhagya de - Gaudamalhar - Muthiah Bhagavatar ***
08 Viruttam - Darbari Kanada ***
09 Govardhana Giridhara - Darbari Kanada - Narayanatirtha ***
10 Mangalam ***

***

Dear Rasikas, Welcome back to the blog, with new concerts!

Welcome Back!

A message from Mysore Prabha

Wishing all the visitors to Parvathi Blog a very joyful, healthy and prosperous Deepavali!

There has been a long silence of almost three years now with our blog going without a posting. 

To be honest, it was as unforeseen to us as it was to you all. 

The world has gone through very difficult times these three years. So did two of our blog members, having had to face traumatic times after untimely loss of loved ones. Not to mention the pandemic wreaking havoc in all families world over. 

 Looking forward, we will start the music postings once again. 

But, like they say, all things have to come to an end sometime. 

The man behind all the concerts in the blog, Sri.K.Srikantiah (my dear Father), is now 95 years old. Due to

circumstances and age, he is unable to organize concerts anymore. 

It was with a very happy and proud heart that we shared classic music from his personal collection with the rasikas through this blog till now. 

Sadly, the collection is almost coming to an end.

If only all the concerts at "Parvathi" were recorded and preserved! 

Grateful that we were able to retrieve, restore and share so many concerts from one single venue. Well then, onto the "GRAND FINALE" run of the music postings from K.Srikantiah's treasure, starting this Deepavali. You can look forward to more than two dozen superb concerts by maestros, all recorded live in festival concerts organised by us.

It is indeed a joy sharing it with you all. The music postings may come to an end, but the celestial music of legends, the creative music of upcoming artists, and the versatile, appealing music of artists who have devoted their lives to music will eternally reverberate in rasikas' ears. 

The blog will continue to be accessible as before with all the archived concerts intact. Please write to us with your feedback and comments.

Yours ever,

 MYSORE PRABHA

Audio stream for KVN-TNK-UKS-KSM 1972

The original blogpost is here: https://chowdaiahandparvati.blogspot.com/2010/03/ingeetham-should-come-before-sangeetham.html

T.R. Mahalingam 1964 Audio

The audio here refers to the 1964 concert with interesting music and more interesting exchanges between Mali and Chowdiah! The original blog post is here: http://chowdaiahandparvati.blogspot.com/2010/01/t-chowdiah-and-tr-mahalingam-flute-mali.html
And now the music:

MLV 1970 CONCERT AUDIO

FULL DETAILS OF THE CONCERT HERE

MLV 1971 AUDIO

 FULL DETAILS OF THE CONCERT HERE