October CCC, Sunday 07, 2018

Carnatic Chamber Concerts – 8th October 2018 CCC Event
Authored By: Anirudh Ramadurai, Pranav Satyadeep, Srishiva Manikantan, and Shreya Virunchipuram

Carnatic Chamber Concerts, a music club with a nurturing
environment for students of Carnatic music, to learn by performing and listening to young musicians, had its 101st event on the 7th of October 2018. There were nine performances, which included eight vocal performances and one veena solo. The repeat performers
from this event showed their improvement from last year, and with each presentation, we were able to witness that with consistent hard work and dedicated practice, students would be able to hone their skills, work and thereby, become a more mature and confident
performer.
The event commenced with a vocal performance by Swati
Iyer, accompanied by Shravya Srinath on the violin and Anirudh Rao on the mridangam. Swati took up the Navaragamalika Varnam, “valachi
vacchi,” a composition of Sri Patnam Subramanya
Iyer. This is a special varnam in Ragamalika with nine ragams, namely Kedaram, Shankarabharanam, Kalyani, Begada, Kambhoji, Yadukula Kambhoji, Bilahari, Mohanam, and Shree Ragam. It was an auspicious beginning to the Navarathri season. Swati sang the varnam
at a leisurely pace and in perfect pitch. Following the varnam, Swati sang “AnandAmruthakarshini,”
a composition of Muthuswamy Dikshitar, in the ragam Amruthavarshini, set to Adi Thalam. This krithi in praise of Devi (Bhavani) has a mystical story tied to it. Dikhitar sang this krithi which caused heavy rains after a long period of drought when his village
was yearning for water! Shravya faithfully shadowed Swathi on the violin throughout the concert, while Anirudh’s energetic accompaniment enhanced the overall performance.
Subsequent to Swati was a repeat fifteen-minute vocal
performance presented by Thejeswini Sai Swaminathan and her accompanists, Sahas Ramesh on the violin, and Rahul Swaminathan on the mridangam. Thejeswini commenced her slot with a bhavam filled alapana in the ragam Shanmukhapriya, showcasing her bright voice.
This was followed by a brief alapana by the violinist, Sahas, highlighting key Shanmukhapriya phrases. They then presented Sri Patnam Subramanya Iyer’s composition, “marivEre
dikkEvarayya rAma,” in the ragam Shanmukhapriya
set to Deshadi Thalam. Thejeswini chose the anucharanam phrase “sannutAnga
srI vEnkaTEsa nIvu” to render kalpanaswarams,
which included a variety of vilamba kalam and mEl kalam sarvalaghu and poruththam patterns. Sahas’ responses were precise and well thought out. Mridangist Rahul, for his part, further emphasized the layam aspect of the swarams. He then concluded the performance
with a brief mohra korvai.
The next performance was by Rohit Seshadri, accompanied
on the violin by Deeksha Venkateswaran, and on the mridangam by Amogh Kuchibhotla. Rohit started his production with a brief, yet sweet Shankarabharanam alapana highlighting the essential aspects of the ragam. Deeksha followed up with an equally soothing alapana
of her own. Rohit chose to sing “enduku
peddala,” composed by Saint Thyagaraja in Adi
Thalam. Rohit delighted the audience with his perfect rendering of the krithi with a good understanding of the ragam with all the correct gamakams followed by swaram on the charanam line, “vEda
sAstra tatvArtamu telisi.” The swarams were
enjoyable with a mix of sarvalaghu and kanakkus finally ending with an edam-to-edam korvai. Deeksha’s accompanying was commendable, and her skillful swaram responses were equally enjoyable. Amogh’s steady accompanying on the mridangam contributed to a wholesome
concert experience.
Following Rohit Seshadri’s performance was an introductory
ten-minute vocal performance by Shreyassriram Garimella and his accompanists, Violinist Alaap Rag and Mridangist Rajeev Devanath. Shreyas rendered a famous composition of Saint Thyagaraja, “sogasugA
mridanga tALamu” in Sriranjani (a janya of
Kharaharapriya, the 22nd melakarta), set to Rupaka Thalam. Shreyassriram did an excellent job in rendering the krithi in his bold and strong voice with kalpana swarms on the Pallavi line “mridanga
tALamu.” Alaap’s accompaniment on the violin
gave strong support to the vocalist as he helped to bring out more subtle nuances during krithi rendition. Mridangist Rajeev did an excellent job by keeping up the lively tone of Sriranjani with his dynamic and synchronized support.
Following Shreyassriram’s performance was a debut 10-minute
veena performance by Sudiksha Vaidyanathan, who was accompanied by Vaibhav Prakash on the mridangam. Sudiksha started her performance with a soothing, yet traditional alapana, in the 56th melakarta ragam, Shanmukhapriya. She confidently showcased the full
essay of the ragam throughout her alapana, and also traveled the highest and lowest octaves with effortless ease, which elevated her presentation. Sudiksha then proceeded to perform Sri. Muthuswamy Diskhitar’s famous composition, “siddhi
vinAyakam anisam,” set to Rupaka Thalam. She
rendered the piece melodiously, weaving different shades of the ragam and sangathis craftily. Throughout the performance, Vaibhav supported Sudiksha with his bold and dynamic accompaniment on the mridangam. He provided steady and synchronized accompaniment
to the concert, which made the performance interesting to watch and delightful to hear.
Sudiksha’s effortless playing on the veena was followed
by a main slot twenty minutes vocal performance by Pramati Barath and her accompanists, Ananya Devanath on the veena, and Santhosh Ravindrabharathy on the mridangam. Pramati presented a rich alapana in the ragam, Saveri, peppered with of vAdi-samvAdi phrases.
Pramati’s alapana was mirrored beautifully by Ananya on the veena, who then played an equally erudite solo. Pramati then proceeded to sing Saint Tyagaraja’s well-known composition, “daridApulEkA
vEDitE”, set to Deshadi Thalam. For manodharmam,
Pramati chose to do a brief yet soulful neraval, along with intricate kalpanaswarams at the anucharanam line, “valachi
padamula nammitE,” which showed her grasp of
understanding of the ragam. Throughout the performance, Santhosh kept up a confident and spirited accompaniment on the mridangam, which complimented the overall performance.
Pramati’s bold rendition was followed by a performance
by Varnika Kailash and her “on-the-spot” accompanists, Violinist Aishwarya Anand and Mridangist Varchas Bharadwaj. Varnika Kailash’s mellifluous vocal rendering of Sri Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar’s “saraguNa
pAlimpa,” in praise of Lord Venkateshwara,
was preceded by a beautiful exploration of the Kedaragowla, steeped in rakthi, and highlighting of the kaisiki nishadam that is unique to the ragam. Aishwarya Anand’s skillful handling of the violin brought out the soul of the ragam. Varnika rendered the Adi
Thalam composition with passion; her calm stage-presence went a long way in conveying the devotion of the composer throughout the song. She chose “varaguNa
sEshAdri,” the anupallavi line, to do neraval
in vilamba Kalam and mEl Kalam. Varnika’s swarams included sarvalaghu patterns with abhiprayams in trikalam (vilamba, tisram, and mEl Kalam). Responses from Aishwarya were equally soothing, showing the spirit of the ragam and showcasing her ease at handling
the ragam and the instrument. The mridangist, Varchas Bharadwaj, stayed involved during the whole presentation; his accompaniment embellished the beauty of the composition punctuating the presentation with brief mohra-korvai.
Following Varnika’s energetic Kedaragowla presentation
was a vocal performance by Prahlad Saravanapriyan, with Urmika Balaji on the violin and Avinash Anand on the mridangam. Prahlad began his presentation with a vibrant alapana in the ragam Lathangi, in which he crafted many important sancharams of Lathangi.
His bright and energetic alapana was followed by Papanasam Sivan’s krithi, “vEnkaTa
ramaNA,” set to Rupaka Thalam on Lord Venkateswara
of Tirupati. Prahalad’s ease in signing and flexibility, especially in the higher octaves was evident throughout his performance. The niraval and kalpanaswarams on “alamEl
mangai manAla ambuja nAbha dayAla,” was well
thought out and beautifully expressed the shades of Lathangi. Prahalad’s mEl kalam sarvalaghu swarakalpana flowed effortlessly, including some in mixed nadais, followed by koraippu and samam-to-edam korvai. Urmika’s soothing violin accompaniment greatly enhanced
the beauty of this concert. Her neraval and swarakalpana responses demonstrated maturity and a high level of skill in accompanying. Avinash Anand’s steady and energetic accompaniment on the mridangam greatly enhanced the concert experience. Overall, it was
an impressive performance, one that will be remembered and relished for a long time.
Subsequent to Prahlad’s bright vocal performance was
an RTP performance by Sahana Prasanna’s team including herself on the vocals, Aditya Satyadeep on the violin and Shrikrishna Shivakumar on the Mridangam. Sahana began her slot with a brisk Begada alapana, keeping the audience enrapt. Her essay of the raga
featured the key phrases of Begada and demonstrated its usage of the kaisiki nishadam and sparing and occurrences of kakali nishadam; it was pleasing to hear the n3 surrounded by S and d. Her accompanist Aditya responded with a brief and bright essay of the
raga illustrating the nuances of the raga. Following this, was their exploration of the ragam through “thanam” phrases. Both Sahana and Aditya chose signature Begada phrases to navigate through this section showcasing their vivid imagination. Sahana then sang
a Pallavi on Lord Venkateswara “vEnkata
ramanA sankata haraNa – tirupati” in Begada,
set to Chaturasra Jati Eka Thalam in Misra Nadai. Ensuing the manodharmam aspects of the Pallavi Sahityam, they explored swarams. Sahana’s vilamba kala swarams illustrated the beauty of Begada. Her swarams incorporated the unique Begada phrases nRn,dp, MM,GRS
and other rare phrases such as the pdpS,,m, where she enthralled her audience in her rendering of a beautiful slide from Sa to ma. They then continued with mEl kala Begada swarams succeeded by swarams in lilting Latangi, immediately followed by the heavenly
dvi-madhyama Hamirkalyani and finally concluding aptly with sanctimonious Suruti. It was hard not to notice Sahana’s brilliant selection of ragams exhibiting great contrast. During this display of a wide range of emotions by Sahana and Aditya on the melody
side, on the laya side, we witnessed a very spirited and involved performance by Shrikrishna. He concluded the performance with a concise mohra korvai. The trio then wrapped up the October 2018 CCC event with the traditional mangalam.
On the whole, all the performers showcased their talents
and demonstrated a positive attitude to improve their skills in the great art of Carnatic music. Kudos to all the performers who worked hard and their gurus for their wonderful encouragement, training, and support. Sincere appreciation to all the parents
who have taken the challenge of scheduling rehearsals, classes and driving around in bay area traffic during the weekdays or weekends to make the best team effort. Finally, sincere appreciation goes to all the volunteers of Carnatic Chamber Concerts for their
constant support and encouragement to all young musicians in the Bay Area. Best wishes to all the performers for a bright and enjoyable musical future.