Malladi Brothers Concert BVB 27th November 2013

Before Malladi’s concert  review,  I wanted to write about “Kovur Pancharatnam” composed by Saint Thyagarajar.  Malladi took this as one of the kritis in this concert.

kOri sEvimpa rArE- karaharapriya- Pancha ratnam in praise of Lord SundrEswara at Kovoor.

I was wondering how Saint composed Pancharatnam of this God and obtained some interesting facts about this temple:

The main deity is  Sundareswarar and Goddess “Soundara Nayika Sundareswarar”

It is 7^th Century temple built by Kulothhhunga Cholan of Chola dynasty and this small temple is on the road going from Porur to KunRathur, 22 Kms from Chennai.

Another rarity of this temple is the Sthala Viruksham which is the Maha Vilvam tree (Bael- Aegle marmelos). The Maha Vilvam of this temple is a very rare one that each stalk of Maha Vilvam has 27 leaves to it.

Sri Sekkizhaar, who was born in a nearby place ‘Kunrathur’, started writing ‘Periya Puranam’ from this temple only.

Sriram, famous analyst has narrated the “travails” of Saint in his report..goes as….

“….On his way he visited Lalgudi — referred to as Tiruttavaturai in Shaivite literature — to meet his disciple Rama Iyer. He composed five kriti-s there, which are known as Lalgudi Pancharatnam,”

From there, he went to Srirangam, where he spent a whole month of Margazhi. He then visited Chennai and stayed at the houses of Sundaresa Mudaliar and Veena Kuppaiyer. During his stay he also composed five kriti-s on Tiruvottiyur Vadivudai Amman, the consort of Lord Tyagaraja.

“Later, on a request by Sundaresa Mudaliar, he visited Kovur, a sleeply town on the outskirts of Chennai.

Here he composed his pancharatna kriti-s, known as the Kovur Pancharatnam-s.

"Ee Vasudha" (Sahana Raagam),

"Kori Sevimpa"(Karaharapriya Raagam),

"Sambo Mahadeva" (Pantuvarali Raagam),

"Nammi Vachina" (Kalyani Raagam) and

"Sundareswaruni" (Sankarabharanam Raagam)

Other kritis rendered in this concert are:

·     VandEham jagadh vallabham-  Hamsadhwani- Annmacharya- kanda chApu (Swaram)

·        Dhanyasi-rAga alapana-5 minutes

endu bAyarA daya ina kula ¹tilakA daya-  Thyagarajar, Neraval in “sAnta bhUsha, bhakta pOsha” (s).

·        Budham AshrayAmi- Nattakurinji- MD, Navagraha kriti on “Bhudhan”

·        Ninu vinA gamari- Purvi kalyani-ShyamA Sastri-  Neraval in kAmithartha PaladAyagi Sri Lalitha”

I read an article by famous Allepey Venkatesan on the Ariyakudi-Palghat Mani Iyer which I reproduce to appreciate the involvement of the artists-  “Once AV asked Mani Iyer how Ariyakudi used to keep the beat for 'Ninnuvina Gamari' (Poorvikalyani) - whether it was Viloma Chapu or Chatusra Eka, Misra gati. The startling answer I got was, "I never really noticed. I used to look at his face, not his hand, when I played". It was a measure of his involvement in the music.”

·        saraseeruhAna rAmA – mukhari-Thyagarajar

·  Surutti- Main – Balasubramanyam BhajEham bhakta kalpa- Kriti on Tiruchendur Murugan.Neraval in vElAyudha dharam Sundaram”

·        Tani

·         
    ChidambaramE ninai manamE- nAdanAmakriya-Muthu tAndavar

·       
           rAvayya bhadrAchala rAma- Ananda bhairavi.- Bhadrachala rAma das.

·       
          Parama purusham-Narayana Teertar Tarangam-Behag

·      
 s       Sakhi prAna-Chenchurutti- JAvali-Dharamapuri SubbarAya Iyer

·   
         Adi dEva paramAtmA- AnnamAcharya-Sindu bhairavi

·        Mangalam
   
    Renovation work, underway, in Bharatiya vidhya Bhavan and rasikas were standing and listening another good concert, despite Ramkumar’s throat problem.

Unusually, they sing more kritis without rAga alApana especially 3 in a row in the middle of the concert.  Even Surutti as a main was unusual.  But they conducted the concert very well.  I though the throat problem prohibited to venture more on Alapanais.

Akkarai was not at her best yesterday.  Some of the “pudis” throughout the concert  was very mediocre.  She somehow woke up and gave a “soothing surutti”.

K.V.Prasad and Gopalakrishnan played an excellent Tani.