Maharajapuram Ramachandran Concert (Sruti)

[Prabhakar]

Dear Friends:

Here is an incomplete list of the songs Sri Maharajapuram Ramachandran
sang at the Sruti concert yesterday (2009-09-12) at the Calvary Vision
Center in Blue Bell, PA - I would appreciate if you could fill in the
missing details.

1) Varnam - Charukesi - Lalgudi
2) ???? - ????
3) Chala Kallalaadu-Arabhi-Thygaraja
4) Narayana-Suddha Dhanysai-Purandara Dasa
5) Nidhi Chala sukhama-Kalyani-Thyagaraja (main piece)
6) Sri Chakra Raja-Raga Malika-????
7)
8) Aparadhi - Revati(?)-Purandara Dasa
9)
10)

What did you "think" about the concert? How did you "feel" about the
individual pieces and the overall concert itself?

The one piece that stuck in my mind after the concert was the Arabhi
piece. I recall listening to a recording by his Grandfather,
Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, which had tremendous energy!
Ramachandran's renedring was thoroughtly enjoyable to me - of course,
the Raga itself is an energetic one and the composition itself
brilliant. It is just amazing how much music Thyagaraja has put into a
single word "Chala Kallalaadu". I kept thinking - here is a perfectly
cut gem, with beautiful lines and shades. I was almost imagining
holding such a gem in my hand and wondering at its beauty. Of course,
the nice thing about music is that the musician has his part to play
in filling the shape with his voice and his paanditya and his bhava. A
confluence of the original framework of the composer and the real-time
life-giving by the musician.

Regards
Prabhakar