Landed up in Chennai today for my husband's 40th IITM reunion. Forgotten how beautiful this campus is.. how peaceful.It is 40 years since I have lived on this campus. There used to be just one girls hostel.. apparently there are now 4!!!Of course IITM is especially significant to me since this is where I met Tabby almost 40 years back.. right around the Gajendra circle. I think I have a special affection for the campuses I have spent time on( even if it is just for a few weeks)...right from Delhi University to the beautiful bare brick buildings of IIMA, to the fern scented UCSC, to the arid BITS Pilani in the middle of the dessert.
Anyway, this is a blog on carnatic music so enough rambling.
Gurucharan started his concert in Parthasarathy Sabha with the Jalajakshi varnam with some nice variations on nee saati right at the end.
This was followed by a short alapana in Nattai followed by Thyagaraja's Ninne Bhajana. Nice. Only this was sung in 1 kalai instead of 2 kalai like I have learnt. So the first line ninne bhajana seyu vaadanu is covered in 2 avarthanas. His chittaswaram was also different. The version I have learnt has a p,np,n mp g,mg,mrs reminiscent of jagadananda in the later half. But this chittaswaram was different.
This was followed by a beautiful kaanada alapana and mamava sada. Lovely variations on mamava sada during the kalpana swaras.
Followed by the day's thirupaavai in Behag
Then a crisp orajupu chucheti nyayama of Thyagaraja which I had not heard and did not recognize at all.. My smart phone was resolutely dumb and no help at all. Finally whatsapp and my friend Ramya confirmed that it was Kannadagowla( srgmpns, sndpmgs-- janya of 22).
Followed by the main piece jesi nadella of Thyagaraja in Thodi .
The thani which followed this was quite disconcerting for me. For the first few minutes of UKS playing I kept trying to figure out if there was some other instrument on the stage. He kept producing a sound I had not heard .. resembling the twang of a pull on a musical string, complete with the resonance one hears after a string pull. Very unusual . Unlike anything I had heard.
I have heard Gurucharan thrice in the last 12 months and he has never disappointed. Overall quite satisfying.
Anyway, this is a blog on carnatic music so enough rambling.
Gurucharan started his concert in Parthasarathy Sabha with the Jalajakshi varnam with some nice variations on nee saati right at the end.
This was followed by a short alapana in Nattai followed by Thyagaraja's Ninne Bhajana. Nice. Only this was sung in 1 kalai instead of 2 kalai like I have learnt. So the first line ninne bhajana seyu vaadanu is covered in 2 avarthanas. His chittaswaram was also different. The version I have learnt has a p,np,n mp g,mg,mrs reminiscent of jagadananda in the later half. But this chittaswaram was different.
This was followed by a beautiful kaanada alapana and mamava sada. Lovely variations on mamava sada during the kalpana swaras.
Followed by the day's thirupaavai in Behag
Then a crisp orajupu chucheti nyayama of Thyagaraja which I had not heard and did not recognize at all.. My smart phone was resolutely dumb and no help at all. Finally whatsapp and my friend Ramya confirmed that it was Kannadagowla( srgmpns, sndpmgs-- janya of 22).
Followed by the main piece jesi nadella of Thyagaraja in Thodi .
The thani which followed this was quite disconcerting for me. For the first few minutes of UKS playing I kept trying to figure out if there was some other instrument on the stage. He kept producing a sound I had not heard .. resembling the twang of a pull on a musical string, complete with the resonance one hears after a string pull. Very unusual . Unlike anything I had heard.
I have heard Gurucharan thrice in the last 12 months and he has never disappointed. Overall quite satisfying.
