Reviews

Adityodayam – a fresh garland of beautiful compositions for a Bharatanatam margam by Sangeet Samrat Chitravina N Ravikiran Adityodayam presented on Jan 5th 2018 by the Brahma Gana Sabha, and performed by veteran dancer Leela Samson and her Spanda Dance Company members, was a very engaging performance of a Bharatanatyam margam which gave vision to Sangeet Samrat Chitravina N Ravikiran’s musical compositions. The opening Pushpanjali in Kamalamanohari set the tone of the performance to follow. With crisp lilting notes blended with the quick paced rhythmic patterns set in the composition and executed with clear lines and technique by Bhavajan Kumar and Radhe jagge, this was a perfect invocatory number. Following this was Dasharasa Ganapatim Bhavaye - a Ragamalika composition that was unique, not only for incorporating a 10th rasa- Shoka or Pathos, but also for including some rare anecdotes about Vinayaka not commonly known. The composition brought out the difference between...

L Shankar and Chitravina Ravikiran in winning partnership If L Shankar and Chitravina  N Ravikiran were batting in cricket field, this would have been a world record breaking partnership. Celestial music emanated from the musicians – L Shankar, Chitravina N Ravikiran, A K P Pazhanivel (Tavil) and Shree Sundar Kumar (Kanjira) who were in complete  synergy (astronomical alignment of three or more heavenly bodies) from start to finish in the Parthasarathy Swamy Sabha season opener on 15 December from 6:45-9:30 pm. Commencing with Tiruvotriyur  Thyagaiyyar’s varnam, Karunimpa in Sahana, the duo moved on to Muttuswamy Dikshitar’s Siddhi Vinayakam in Chamaram (Shanmukhapriya) with rapid-fire rounds of swaras in the Pallavi, with the percussionists taking turns. This was followed by Tyagaraja’s Bilahari  krti Tolijanma in a brisk Khanda Chapu.   And then the string virtuosos  presented L Shankar’s  hauntingly beautiful “Anandanadamadum T...