Category Archives: Music

Sanjay’s Concerts!!!

On 23rd June at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha (Organized by Shri Maharajapuram Rasikas Trust)

Just like last year, this year too I missed 3 consecutive concerts of Sanjay and the last concert of Sanjay that I went for was in January! And what made attending this concert all the more exciting was that I came to know about this concert just a couple of hours before the concert was to start!!

Accompanists:
Nagai Muralidharan – Violin
Srimushnam Raja Rao – Mridangam

Concert Duration: 2 hrs 15 min
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It’s Raavan everywhere!

Newspapers, magazines, websites, Abhishek Bachchan’s tweets, mail forwards, posters on newspapers and on the walls, trailers on all the Hindi and Tamil channels! After more than a couple of years of rumours initially about Mani Ratnam’s next film Lajjo that were doing the rounds in all the newspapers and websites and then the endless news about what next Mani Ratnam’s movie was all about, the initial names for the Hindi and Tamil versions – Raavan and Ashokavanam, the cast & crew, the problem with forest officials, rumours about the climax, etc., etc., interviews with the cast & crew & the director himself and not to mention all those non-informative news items which seemed to have been published just for filling up the space, the day of the release of the movie is just a couple of days away!

Having watched the last two movies of Mani Ratnam on the day of the release itself, I hope that I get to watch this too on the first day. Can’t wait to see Mani Ratnam delve deep into the numerous minds of Beera! My plan, as of now, is to watch Raavan first and then Raavanan. What about you?

Music Matters

Music Matters – That was the name given to the chat between Nirmala Lakshman, joint editor of ‘The Hindu’ & T.M.Krishna was held on April 29th at Full Circle, Chamiers. This was organized by ‘The Hindu’. Here are some of the topics that were covered in the programme.
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MSG on Nada Neerajanam

On 20th April live telecast on TTD’s TV channel (SVBC)

M.S.Gopalakrishnan, Dr. Narmadha & Suresh – Violin
B.Ganapathyraman – Mridangam

Concert Duration: 1.5 hrs

1. Maha Ganapatim – Nattai – Swarams at Maha Ganapatim
2. Terateeyagara ra – Gowlipantu
3. Sakalagraha – Atana – Alapana by Narmadha
4. Sitamma – Vasanta – Alapana by Suresh
5. Venkatashaila – Hamir Kalyani – Alapana by MSG – tani Avartanam
6. Sriman Narayana – Bowli
7. Yare rangana – Hindolam – Alapana by Narmadha

Finally there is a TV channel which shows a Carnatic music concert everyday. 🙂 And that too live concerts.

It has been quite a long time since I went to MSG’s concerts and I was happy to see this concert being telecast. Though just for 1.5 hrs, this concert was an absolutely satisfying one! I liked the selection of ragas. The short Atana alapana that Narmadha played was one of the loveliest Atanas I have ever listened to! That and the Hamir Kalyani alapana by MSG, though only for a few minutes, were the best parts of the concert to me.

Raavan Theatrical Trailer

Isn’t this newly released trailer intriguing? Don’t the sun rays filtered through the trees in the shot where Abhishek & Aishwarya are going on a boat look surreal? The music at 0:24 in this trailer reminds me of the BGM in Roja for the scenes featuring the terrorists. As I read the line ‘The bond between the hunter and the hunted – between the captor and the captive’ in the ‘Director’s note’ in the website of Raavan, I immediately started thinking about how Mani Ratnam has already shown a bond between the captor and the captive in Roja too. Anyway, the trailers are making the wait for the movie release seem longer by the day!

Kadhal Sadugudu & Alaipayuthey

With this song, Mani Ratnam shows he needs neither exotic locales having nature’s beauty in abundance (Pacchai Nirame) nor a fort (Snehidhane) nor a festive atmosphere (Yaaro Yaarodi) and with just brick and cement (and not to forget those yellow and white bed spreads) as a backdrop, he can create stunning visuals too.
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Snehidhane Snehidhane

Sand, sea, sky in pink & orange hues, Ustad Sultan Khan’s vocals in the background, a lone boat, the couple – the girl clad in a salwar kameez and the guy in a blue t-shirt and jeans – and the wife’s name written on the sand by the husband. As the girl is about to bid adieu to her husband, the song begins. The location shifts from Bay of Bengal to the banks of Narmada River. Sand is replaced by a fort that is an architectural marvel. And yet the romantic atmosphere prevails.
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