Not all legacies are loud. Some settle in silence, in the grain of a raga, in the pause earlier than a swara. It’s laborious to explain what Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer’s music felt like until you’ve gotten sat in entrance of him and listened. For these of us who’ve heard him by recordings and anecdotes, tribute concert events are the closest we are able to get to his artwork. This month at the Music Academy, one more such night marked his 117th delivery anniversary, that includes Aishwarya Vidya Raghunath. She was accompanied by R.Okay. Shriramkumar on the violin, Arun Prakash on the mridangam and Guruprasad on the ghatam.
The option to open the night with ‘Merusamana’ in Mayamalavagowla was not shocking. This Tyagaraja kriti, which compares Rama to the immovable Mount Meru, was one of Semmangudi’s well-recognised openers, rendered in the chowka kala. For Semmangudi, Mayamalavagowla was by no means only a newbie’s raga. In ‘Merusamana’, he demonstrated how a foundational raga may carry immense musical authority.
His rendition of the piece was recognized for its deliberate pacing, particularly the notable silence between pallavi and anupallavi. This second, a breath of area earlier than the percussion joined was noticed on this concert too. Shriramkumar’s violin paused and so did the percussion, solely to re-start as the anupallavi started, creating an area that many rasikas would immediately recognise as Semmangudi’s signature type. The niraval and kalpanaswara at ‘Gala munanu sobhillu’ adopted. There was a transparent transition from keezh kala to mel kala swaras, separated by a exact, quick pause and the percussion elevating it.
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
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Special Arrangement
The second piece, ‘Nenendu vedakudura’ in Karnataka Behag, a composition seldom heard in current instances, particularly after Semmangudi’s period, introduced a delicate raise to the concert’s momentum. It’s laborious to assume of a Semmangudi concert with out Karaharapriya. The raga was nearly second nature to him and true to the custom, it unfolded with an alapana that introduced out its innate karuna rasa, with the singer and accompanists completely engrossed in the music. When most in the viewers anticipated Neelakanta Sivan’s ‘Navasiddhi peruvaalume’, the musicians pleasantly stunned them by rendering Tyagaraja’s ‘Rama nee samanamevaru’.The niraval at ‘paluku paluku teneloka’ was seeped in melody.
After a run of Tyagaraja compositions, Muthuswami Dikshitar’s ‘Amba nilayadakshi’ in Nilambari was introduced and provided a second of distinction. The chowka kāla tempo introduced out the raga’s mild sway and the percussionists responded with considerate strokes. A section of kalpanaswaras adopted.
Semmangudi’s contributions to Carnatic music are many, however his position in bringing Swati Tirunal’s compositions into mainstream concert repertoire stands out particularly. His deep sense of devotion and musical perception gave these kritis a robust footing on the concert stage. Echoing that lineage, the concert subsequent featured the full of life ‘Gopanandana valarippu’ in Bhooshanavali.
Thodi, for a lot of rasikas, is strongly linked with the voice of Semmangudi, a raga that he returned to usually, every time with a brand new depth. ‘Rave himagiri’, the swarajati by Syama Sastri, was introduced subsequent. The alapana was carved by Thodi’s maze of curves and layered intricacies. A particular contact got here throughout the kalpanaswara, the place the inspiration drawn from the unique chittaswara construction created a way of continuity between the composer and the performer.
Encompassing all the trikalams, ranging from the keezh kala and ending with the mel kala, the tani avartanam elevated the temper of the complete concert. Arun’s readability and precision on the mridangam was meticulously adopted by Guruprasad on the ghatam. The easy but aesthetic korvais, embedded with variations in a easy thathikitathom phrase — have been a deal with to laya admirers.
The ‘Peru lenna mata’ in Kapi, a rakti raga, was taken up subsequent. Semmangudi’s fondness for rakti rāgas is well-known. He made this javali, composed by Dharmapuri Subbaraya Aiyyar, his personal.
‘Sapashya kausalya’ in Jhonpuri arrived like a well-recognized face in the crowd. With the change to madhyama śruti, the Chenchurutti thillana introduced in the sparkle of laya and melody that Semmangudi himself relished in closing moments. The mangalam ‘Rama chandraya janaka rajaja manohara’, wrapped up the night.
