Date: 13th Dec 2019 / 18:00 Hrs
Venue: Pethachi Hall, Mylapore
Team: Sanjay, Varadu (Violin), Nanjil Arul (Mridangam),
Bhagyalakshmi (Morsing)
When we tried to book a balcony ticket for Thala at Pethachi,
it took a while and some glitches happened. When the system was back in full
mood, the tickets were gone! Not to be outclassed by the system, we resorted to
the good old physical method. My wife stood first in the queue at 16:00 hrs on
12th Dec waiting for the dais tickets to open at 17:00 Hrs. At 17:05
hrs, after a brief panic when I couldn’t locate her, she emerged victorious from
the counter and thus laid the foundation for this concert!
Thala was, as usual, on the stage by 17:45 Hrs. The
concert had Nanjil
Arul at Mridangam and Bhagyalakshmi at Morsing.
The one question that raced in my mind was what would be Thalaivar’s choice
for RTP. Let that question wait for now. Starting off with a Mukhari
varnam “Madirakshi” of Tiruvottiyur
Thagayya, he went on to sing a Jaganmohini kriti. No, not
Shobillu! It is Daya payo nidhe of Meesu Krishnaiyer.
Having set the stage, Balahmasa came out in torrents in the form
of Dikshitar’s Guruguha Dhanyam. So far so good.
A mind-blowing Keeravani alapanaa engulfed the air.
Everyone was thinking of what kriti would be the chosen one. Appar’s Thevaram “Vananai
madhi soodiya” reverberated. A pure bliss. Niraval was at “Veeranai
vidamunda”.
A lilting Sahana wafted in the air next. Sri Panchanadeesham
of Patnam Subrahmanya
Iyer filled the lungs. The whole audience swayed to Sanjay’s swaras. Varadu,
as usual, went on to interpret the raga in his own style that added more
glitter. Arul was no less surprising. But it is Smt. Bhagyalakshmi
who stole the thunder in morsing. The audience roared their approval.
A quickfire Marga Hindolam of Chalamelara
was next followed by Yamunakalyani of Dikshitar Nandagopala
Mukunda. Some might argue that these were fillers before the storm. For
most of us, they provided no less of an enjoyment.
Then came an out-of-the-world alapanaa in Revathi. A
detailed RTP brought out the full splendour of the raga. I felt “Bho Shambo
Swayambho” reverberating in the background. Arul and Bhagyalakshmi excelled
during the thani. It was in adi talam 2 kalai. The Pallavi lines were “Bharathikku
nigar Bharathiye.” At the end of it, everyone felt “Sanjaykku
nigar Sanjaiye.”
After a viruttam, Kapi (Swati Tirunaal’s
Nama Sudha Rasam) was served. Kuthmabai
Chittar’s Vetta veliyil came. I am beginning to wonder if
this is one of Thalaivar’s favourite! Kurinji that was dished out
last thanks to Papanasam
Sivan’s Engum Nirainthirukkum. This is one of the ancient
ragas with Tamil equivalent of Kurinjippann.
And the honour goes to Keeravani, Sahana and
Revathi. No one could decide. A spellbound audience gave a
standing ovation to the one and only superstar. I spotted Sandeep Narayan, Gayathri
Girish and her mother too. Very rarely do I get to see other singers coming out
to enjoy amidst their busy schedules!
Ambience: ***
Vocalist: *****
Accompanying artists: ****
Raga of the Concert: Revathi
Overall: ****
No comments:
Post a Comment