Aparna’s Blog

February 10th, 2007 - Till then, the only dream that we (my sister and I) had was just to get a glimpse of the man whose music meant the most to us. On that day, it got fulfilled!!! We are yet to believe that it wasn’t a dream after all!

February 9th, 2008 - Little did we expect that exactly a year later, we will get to see A.R.Rahman again and that too see him perform live in a concert!
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R Prasanna – Guitar
Mannargudi Easwaran – Mridangam
Purushottaman – Khanjira

Where & When? – Dakshinamurthy Auditorium (Naadabrahmam) on 7th December

Concert Duration – 2 hrs
Speech before the concert – 20-25 min!

Songs List:
1. Varnam – Begada – Syama Sastri
2. Maha Ganapate – Natanarayani – Dikshitar
3. Nada Tanumanisam – Chittaranjani – Tyagaraja
4. Deva Deva – Mayamalava Gowlai – Swati Tirunal – Alapana & Swarams
5. Marivere – Latangi –Patnam Subramania Iyer – Swarams
6. Karpagame – Madhyamavati – Papnasam Sivan – Swarams
7. Charanam Bhava – Hamsavinodini – Narayana Teertar
8. RTP – Bhairavi – Pallavi (Tyagarajanani endrendrum vaNangi poattriduvaen) composed by Prasanna – Adi
9. Radha Sameta – Misra Yaman
10. ? - Bilahari
11. Mangalam/Nee Naamarupamulaku – Sowrashtram
12. Raaga outline of Madhyamavati
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A Concert by Take Four – Sri Vikku Vinayakram (Ghatam), Trilok Gurtu (Percussion), V Selvaganesh (Khanjira), R Prasanna (Guitar)

I reached Music Academy at around 6:50 pm for the concert that was to start at 7:15 pm and found almost all the seats in the two centre bays of the balcony, occupied. The first thing that struck me on entering the auditorium was the crowd. Having been to the Academy only for Carnatic music concerts, I have seen only the usual kutcheri crowds there. But on that day, everyone from a paatti in a 9 yard saree to a kid was there – crowd was something like the one at Saarang. As the concert proceeded, I wondered how the paatti would have liked it.
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From the morning, I have been listening to A.R.Rahman’s songs non-stop. I couldn’t resist posting a random list of my favourites of Rahman that I have been listening to since morning.

1. Holi Re from Mangal Pandey - I listened to it for some 2 hours continuously yesterday thanks to so many of my friends who kept on wishing me a Happy Holi and this was the song that came to my mind as soon I heard the Holi wishes. I couldn’t help listening to it today too.
2. Telephone Manipol from Indian - Rahman’s music! Hariharan and Harini’s singing! Wow!
3. Pachchai Nirame from Alaipayuthey - I am not saying anything about this song apart from the fact that I watched it some 4 times today
   
4. Poovukkenna Poottu from Bombay
5. Theendai from En Swaasa Katre - A beautiful song based on Sri raagam!
6. Swaasame from Thenali
7. Girlfriend from Boys
8. Pettai rap from Kadhalan - Even a Dappaankutthu song sounds nice when composed by Rahman
9. July Madham from Pudhiya Mugam - I love the guitar in this song. Off late I have became quite crazy about Guitar Prasanna’s playing and incidentally he is the one who has played the guitar for this song.
10. Hello Mister Ethirkatchi from Iruvar
11. Aayo Re Sakhi from Water - This is my current favourite in Water.
12. Kaatre En Vaasal from Rhythm
    
13. Sonnaalum Kaetpadhillai from Kadhal Virus
14. Uyirum Neeye from Pavithra - One of singer Unnikrishnan’s best (I don’t like his singing that much)! This song is based on one of my favourite raagas Khamas.
    
15. Naan Paadum Sandham from Duet
16. Then Maerkku from Karutthamma
17. Malargale from Love Birds - Hariharan’s singing again!
18. Thee Thee from Thiruda Thiruda - No words to describe this song. I just love it! I always increase the volume of my music system to as much as my ears can tolerate and listen to it. Btw, who is this Carolene who has sung this song? What other songs has she sung?
19. Chikku Bukku Rayile from Gentleman
20. Thirakkaadha KaattukuLLe from En Swaasa Katre
21. My Wish comes True from Kisna - I love the flute interludes in this song.
22. Strawberry KaNNe from Minsara Kanavu

I can go on and on but, I am stopping with this. As I have earlier said, I can never ever find the words to describe A.R.Rahman’s music. In spite of continuously listening to his music from the morning, I am not able to stop listening even now! Rahman Rocks!!!!

I listened to ‘Bliss Factor’ from Guitar Prasanna’s album ‘Be the Change’ for the first time only day before yesterday. I liked it in the first listening itself. But, yesterday when I listened to it again, I became totally crazy about it and listened to it continuously for about 15 times! I love Shalini’s singing in this one especially when she sings the swarams ‘R R G M P M…’. I just can’t stop myself from listening to it! Even before starting from home today morning, I listened to it for some 4 times. Those who have not listened to it, please do.

Guitar Prasanna on 28/12/2006 at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Prasanna started the concert with Nattakurunji varnam. He was accompanied by J.Vaidyanathan on the Mridangam and E.M.Subramanian on the Ghatam. After playing compositions in Abhogi, Devaranji, Kapi, Jayantasena, Kedaragowlai and Sindhubhairavi, he played an alapana of Harikambhoji raagam and did a raaga bedham at madhyamam and played Mohanam. After this he played Raghuvamsasudha after someone in the audience asked him to play it. While playing Kalyani alapana he did a graha bedham and played raagas Harikambhoji, Karaharapriya and Sankarabharanam. Talli Ninnu Nera, a composition of Syama Sastry was the one he played in Kalyani. After playing Vanchatonuna in Karnaranjani, again an audience request, he concluded the concert with ‘Bowling for Peace’, that he termed as neither a varnam nor a kriti but just a piece of music that he had composed for his album, Electric Ganesha Land’.

Guitar Prasanna on 30/12/2006 at Sivagami Pethachi Auditorium (Brahma Gana Sabha)
In this concert, Prasanna was accompanied by Mannargudi Easwaran on the Mridangam and Purushotthaman on the Khanjira. The highlight of this concert was the Raagam Taanam Pallavi in 4 raagams that he said he had composed only on the previous evening. The pallavi was Anandam Sachchidaanandam Paripoorna Brahmosmi where Anandam was in raaga Revathy, Sachchidaanandam in Hamsadhwani, Paripoorna in Hindolam and Brahmosmi in Mohanam! The composition was superb! The tani avartanam was one of the best that I have heard in the season. After the Tani, Prasanna said in all his concerts people left only after the Tani Avartanam! Some of the other songs that he played are Nannuvidachi in Reetigowlai, Endaro Mahanubhavulu, Alaipayuthey. He ended this concert also with ‘Bowling for Peace’.

I enjoyed both the concerts very much. Does the fact that not many people turned up for both his concerts inspite of Prasanna playing so beautifully show that still not many like to hear Carnatic music played on guitar?

I went to Guitar Prasanna’s first concert of the season at Chettinad Vidyashram that was held as part of the Margazhi Mahotsavam. He was accompanied by Prapancham Ravindran on the Mridangam and Umashankar on the Ghatam.
He started the concert with the popular Dikshitar kriti, Maha Ganapatim in Nattai raagam, after playing a brief alapana of Nattai. He then played an alapana of Denuka raagam and did a Graha Bedham and played the raagas Chitrambari and Shanmugapriya. He then followed it up with the Tyagaraja kriti, Teliyaleru Rama in Denuka. The next one was Raghunatha in Swararanjani raagam, a composition of Ramnad Srinivasa Iyengar. He then played an alapana of Mohanam and did a Graha Bedham and played the raagas Madhyamavati and Suddha Dhanyasi. Kadambari Priyayai, a Dikshitar krithi, was the one he played in Mohanam and this was followed by the Tani Avartanam. The final piece of the concert was from Prasanna’s latest album, Electric Ganesha Land, called ‘Bowling for Peace’. On the whole, the concert was a fabulous one.