Kalarasana
Clear diction, amazing precision
G. SWAMINATHAN
Their intelligence in fascinating the listeners were evident in Trichur Brothers’ recital.
ENTHUSIASTIC and SINCERE: Trichur Brothers
It is, indeed, gratifying to note that the younger artists of today are emerging into competent performers. Trichur Brothers, Srikrishna Mohan and Ramkumar Mohan, are on the wings to take off with several favourable aspects on their side like youth, strong vocal power coupled with clarity in delivery, pleasant stage presence and good foundation. The duo’s Tamizh Isai was well planned and accomplished. The ragas chosen, the compositions identified and the layout o f the programme proved their diligence and intelligence in fascinating the listener.
Sriranjani and ‘Gaja Vadana’ of Papanasam Sivan set the concert on the right note of spirit and speed. A notably Hindustani accented Hindolam alapana gave a relaxed feel that was followed by equally serene ‘Ma Ramanan’ (Sivan). Purvikalyani was launched on the upper registers which later encompassed the other regions in an enchanting way. Can there be a better option for them here than ‘Aananda Nadamaduvar’ by Neelakanta Sivan? The kalpanaswaras were bouncy with contributions from Usha Rajagopalan on the violin, Trichur Mohan on mridangam and D.V. Venkatasubramaniam on the ghatam. The raga expositions alternatively offered by Srikrishna and Ramkumar are always zealous. The output demonstrates their affection in complementing each other musically. The main piece Thodi was imposingly handled and here the choice once again went in favour of Sivan. ‘Karithikeya Kangeya’ and a comprehensive niraval which was developed at ‘Malmaruga Shanmuaga Muruga Guha.’ The swara sallies were dynamic and competitive. Passion packed Ritigowla in ‘Guruvayoor Appane’ (Ambujam Krishna), joyous Suddhasaveri through ‘Thaye Tripurasundari’ (Thooran), soft and lingering Devagandhari with ‘Enneramum’ (Gopalakrishana Bharati), piety Ragamalika viruttam followed by ‘Srichakra Raja’ were part of the package that concluded with the Hamsanandi tongue twisting Thiruppugazh. Usha Rajagopalan’s participation is encouraging and impeccable. Trichur Mohan kept a low profile but was fire and brimstone during thani with Venkatasubramaniam.
http://www.hindu.com/ms/2008/12/23/stories/2008122350110600.htm (Link to the review)
Dec 23, 2008
Nov 23, 2008
As the curtain raises to usher the December Season
December 8th:
Sabha: Kalarasana
(Exclusive Tamil Songs)
Venue: Swamy's Hall
Time: 6.00 p.m.
Violin: Usha Rajagopal
Mridangam: Trichur R Mohan
Ghatam: Venkat
December 12th: Yuva Kala Bharathi title bestowed on us at 6.30 pm at the YGP auditorium
December 16th:
Sabha: SAFE
Venue: Sastri Hall
Time: 4.00 p.m.
Violin: Sanjeev
Mridangam: Trichur R Mohan
Ghatam: Venkat
December 17th:
Sabha: Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha
Time: 2.00 p.m.
Violin: Madurai Balasubramaniam
Mridangam: Trichur R Mohan
Ghatam: B. Subbarao
December 20th:
Sabha: Kapali Fine Arts
Venue: Sastri Hall
Time: 9.00 A.M.
Violin: M.A. Sundaresan
Mridangam: Trichur R Mohan
Ganjira: Anirudh Atreya
December 21st:
Sabha: BrahmaGanaSabha
Venue: Sivagami Petachi Auditorium
Time: 3.45 pm
Violin: M.A. Krishnaswamy
Mridangam: Trichur R Mohan
Ghatam: Uduppi Shreedhar
December 23rd:
Sabha: Nalinakanthi
Time: 6.30 p.m.
Mridangam: Trichur R Mohan
Will provide the rest of the details asap.
December 25th:
Sabha: GK Foundation
Time: 6.30 p.m.
Violin: Madurai Balasubramaniam
Mridangam: Trichur R Mohan
Ghatam: B. Subbarao
December 29th:
Sabha: Mylapore Fine Arts
Time: 3.00 p.m.
Violin: Rajasri
Mridangam: Trichur R Mohan
Ghatam: Venkat
December 30th:
Sabha: Thyagabrahma Gana Sabha
Venue: Vani Mahal
Time: 4.00 p.m.
Violin: Sivakumar
Mridangam: Trichur R Mohan
Ghatam: Trichy Murali
Nov 7, 2008
Concerts for November
November 8th,
PSBB Millenium School,
Time: 6.30pm
Violin: MA Krishnaswami
Mridangam: Trichur R Mohan
Ghatam: Venkat
Time: 6.30pm
Violin: MA Krishnaswami
Mridangam: Trichur R Mohan
Ghatam: Venkat
November 15th,
Time: 6.30 pm
Ayyappa Temple, Anna Nagar (Sreekrishna Sweets Organised Only Tamil Concert)
Violin: Shertalai Sivakumar
Mridangam: Trichur R Mohan
Oct 17, 2008
Press clipping that appeared in the Hindu this morning
Excerpt from the article written by Jaya Narayanan in the Friday Review , Trivandrum Edition
Trichur Brothers, Sreekrishna and Ramkumar Mohan have become regulars at Navaratri concerts in Kerala.
Their hearty performance took off with Bhairavi varnam and ‘Mahaganapathe’(Gowla- Mishra Chapu-Dikshitar). The brothers chose Abhogi (Sabhapathi) as the second raga and delighted the audience with their musical sparring. ‘Gangeyavasana’(Hameerkalyani-Adi-SwathiTirunal) and ‘Ranganayakam’ (Nayaki-Adi-Dikshitar) were rare treats. An assortment of Ranjini, Janaranjini, Megharanjini and Sreeranjini came as a pleasant surprise.
Their main raga, Mohanam was a tribute to their maturity as well as sheer talent. The alapanam was full of promise and the delivery of the kriti did not disappoint. Even in the lower register, their singing was powerful and Sreekrishna rendered a brilliant burst of manodharma swaras. ‘Nanupalimpa,’ the well-known Tyagaraja composition was sung with devotion.
Complementing each other with perfect harmony, the brothers kept up the audience interest with alternate slow and fast-paced songs. Their father, Trichur Mohan played the mridangam, accompanied by Udupi Sridhar on the ghatam and Trikkakara Y.N. Santharam on the ganjira.
The promising youngster, Viju.S. Anand was the violinist.
Sep 26, 2008
Concert Schedule
October 1, 2008; Wednesday
Venue : Uttar Kamakshi Temple
City : Mumbai
Violin: Madurai Balasubramaniam
Mridangam: Trichur R Mohan
Ghatam: Shakthidharan
October 4, 2008; Saturday
City : Nedumbacheri, Kerala
Violin : Viju
Mridangam : Trichur R Mohan
Ganjira : Shantharam
Ghatam : Udupi Sridhar
October 5, 2008; Sunday
Venue : Shri Katyayini Amman Temple
City : Trichur
Time : 06-30 PM
Violin : Viju
Mridangam : Trichur R Mohan
Ganjira : Shantharam
Ghatam : Udupi Sridhar
October 7, Tuesday
Venue: Pullayar Koil, Srinagar Colony, Saidapet.
City: Chennai.
Time: 6.00 pm
Violin: M A Krishnaswamy
Mridangam: Trichur R Mohan
Ghatam: Venkat
October 8, 2008 ; Wednesday
Venue : Adambakkam
City : Chennai
Violin : Madurai Balu
Mridangam : Trichur R Mohan
Ghatam : D Venkatasubramaniam
October 12th; Saturday
Venue: Bharath Kalachar, Chennai
Time: 6.00 pm
Rest of the details asap.
Sep 15, 2008
A press clipping from Malayala Manorama Newspaper, that appeared on the 14th of September, 2008.
മനംകവര്ന്ന രാഗങ്ങളുമായി തൃശ്ശൂര് സഹോദരന്മാര്
കോഴിക്കോട്: മികച്ച ആലാപനശൈലിയാല് കൃതികളുടെ ഈണത്തെയും സാഹിത്യത്തെയും സമ്പന്നമാക്കിക്കൊണ്ട്, തൃശ്ശൂര് സഹോദരന്മാരായ കൃഷ്ണമോഹന്, രാംകുമാര്മോഹന് എന്നിവര് ചേര്ന്ന് തളി ജയ ഓഡിറ്റോറിയത്തില് അവതരിപ്പിച്ച സംഗീതക്കച്ചേരി ശ്രോതാക്കളുടെ മനംകവര്ന്നു. ശങ്കരാഭരണരാഗത്തിന്റെ പ്രയോഗശൈലി തികച്ചും രൂപപ്പെടുത്തിക്കൊണ്ടായിരുന്നു മുഖ്യമായും ഇവര് 'എന്തുകുപെദല' എന്ന ത്യാഗരാജകൃതി ആലപിച്ചത്. ഇതില് നിരവലിലെ, മര്മപ്രധാന ഭാവങ്ങളും സ്വരസഞ്ചാരങ്ങളുമെല്ലാം സംഗീതപ്രിയര്ക്ക് പുതിയൊരനുഭവമായി. നാട്ടക്കുറിഞ്ചിയിലെ, 'ചലമേല' എന്ന വര്ണത്തോടെയാണ് പരിപാടിയാരംഭിച്ചത്. ഹംസനാദത്തിലെ ത്യാഗരാജകൃതിയായ 'ബണ്ടുരീതികോലു' (ആദി) സാമരാഗത്തിലെ ദീക്ഷിതരുടെ 'അന്നപൂര്ണേ വിശാലാക്ഷി' (ആദി) തുടങ്ങിയ കൃതികളുടെ ആലാപനവും ഭാവലയമുള്ളവയായിരുന്നു. ഗാനത്തിന്റെ മര്മസ്ഥാനമറിഞ്ഞ് മൃദംഗത്തില് വാദനമൊരുക്കിയ തൃശ്ശൂര് മോഹനും ഘടത്തില് ഗോപിനാഥപ്രഭുവും ചേര്ന്നവതരിപ്പിച്ച തനിയാവര്ത്തനവും ശ്രദ്ധേയമായി. പക്കാലാ രാമദാസായിരുന്നു വയലിന് വാദകന്.
Aug 28, 2008
When Semmangudi mama stayed at our place.......
Hi ,
It’s quite some time since I wrote anything. It is imperative that one keeps going once they start on something. Have kept postponing my post for such a long time now that the only thing that regularly appears on our blog seems to be our concert schedules.
Last month saw various events happening all across the country to celebrate the centenary of Shri Semmangudi Mama, the Pitamaha of Carnatic Music. Even though this is a bit late, I thought it would still be a good idea to share some of our experiences with Semmangudi mama with all of you. You must be made aware that Mama generally stayed with us whenever he toured Trichur for his concerts. He was a great friend of our Grand Dad, Shri T.B. Ramachandra Iyer and our dad also frequently accompanied him on the Mridangam.
Semmangudi mama was very strict about his routine. He would do all his Anushtanas and only then have even a cup of coffee. During one occasion he was coming to Trichur from Mumbai and his train was quite late. He reached our house well past 12 noon and in spite of incessant requests from the entire family, refused to have anything to satiate his hunger until he was finished with all his Anushtanas. Just to give you an idea about how disciplined he was regarding his Anushtanas.
I must tell you in advance that my brother and I were only in our school going days when this incident that I am going to relate happened. Me in my 3 rd grade, my brother doing his first grade, if my memory is fault less. It was a Sunday, and our entire gang of cousins and friends in the Gramam (village) had arrived for a game of cricket. We never play the game in silence and no sooner than the first ball being delivered, the habitual noise and pandemonium created by this game was gaining in its momentum. Nobody was aware of the decibel levels achieved by their respective vocal chords once they were into the thick of the action. There were guys shouting for so many different reasons. Some of us were cheering our team, some were fighting over the rules and decisions, some voiced their valuable comments about the foot work and bowling action, of which they had no clue, (Definitely an impact of television commentary), some shouting merely for the sake of it, and over and above all this the thundering voice of my Grand ma, who somehow found her way into the scheme of things by incessantly commenting quite loudly about what a big waste of time and energy it was and nevertheless watched every bit of the action attentively. There was also our uncle who was just waiting for one of us to hit the ball at the glass windows or garden, so that the match can be abandoned with immediate effect. Okay, this will give an idea about how electrified the situation was.
Our dear Semmangudi Mama, in the meantime was taking his afternoon nap. He was also under going some Ayurvedic treatment and had to get some good rest. He also had a couple of concerts coming up.
A mind that is tuned to our system of music can indeed have very sensitive ears, I must say. No wonder, that mama was disturbed from his sleep the moment we started playing. And the noise that followed would have created near panic in his heart. As we were playing, we suddenly heard a soft voice from the Balcony above the space where we played. “All of you please go to your houses and take rest. Please do not disturb.” We were used to such comments from our grand mother, but were surprised to hear a different voice express the sentiment. Nobody replied, but the game came to a stand still. Many of us were not even old enough to appreciate the gravity of the situation. For us, then, Semmangudi mama was just another person and he also behaved like a normal person with all of us. Already we were playing against so many odds and protests, and we were like, “just when everything looked okay, who is trying to stop us now”. Anyways finally my brother found courage to reply. “Mama today is Sunday, it is our day, we cannot be quiet, and if you want you can go and sleep in some other room”. Hearing this Mama burst into laughter and asked us to continue to play. For so many years he would recount this day and have a hearty laugh. Years later when we started appreciating the intricacies of Carnatic Music and the contribution of Semmangudi mama to this art form, we can only laugh at our childishness. But of course we were only children then. Belated Centenary Wishes, Semmangudi mama.
Musically yours,
Trichur Brothers
I must thank our parents for refreshing my memory about this incident.
It’s quite some time since I wrote anything. It is imperative that one keeps going once they start on something. Have kept postponing my post for such a long time now that the only thing that regularly appears on our blog seems to be our concert schedules.
Last month saw various events happening all across the country to celebrate the centenary of Shri Semmangudi Mama, the Pitamaha of Carnatic Music. Even though this is a bit late, I thought it would still be a good idea to share some of our experiences with Semmangudi mama with all of you. You must be made aware that Mama generally stayed with us whenever he toured Trichur for his concerts. He was a great friend of our Grand Dad, Shri T.B. Ramachandra Iyer and our dad also frequently accompanied him on the Mridangam.
Semmangudi mama was very strict about his routine. He would do all his Anushtanas and only then have even a cup of coffee. During one occasion he was coming to Trichur from Mumbai and his train was quite late. He reached our house well past 12 noon and in spite of incessant requests from the entire family, refused to have anything to satiate his hunger until he was finished with all his Anushtanas. Just to give you an idea about how disciplined he was regarding his Anushtanas.
I must tell you in advance that my brother and I were only in our school going days when this incident that I am going to relate happened. Me in my 3 rd grade, my brother doing his first grade, if my memory is fault less. It was a Sunday, and our entire gang of cousins and friends in the Gramam (village) had arrived for a game of cricket. We never play the game in silence and no sooner than the first ball being delivered, the habitual noise and pandemonium created by this game was gaining in its momentum. Nobody was aware of the decibel levels achieved by their respective vocal chords once they were into the thick of the action. There were guys shouting for so many different reasons. Some of us were cheering our team, some were fighting over the rules and decisions, some voiced their valuable comments about the foot work and bowling action, of which they had no clue, (Definitely an impact of television commentary), some shouting merely for the sake of it, and over and above all this the thundering voice of my Grand ma, who somehow found her way into the scheme of things by incessantly commenting quite loudly about what a big waste of time and energy it was and nevertheless watched every bit of the action attentively. There was also our uncle who was just waiting for one of us to hit the ball at the glass windows or garden, so that the match can be abandoned with immediate effect. Okay, this will give an idea about how electrified the situation was.
Our dear Semmangudi Mama, in the meantime was taking his afternoon nap. He was also under going some Ayurvedic treatment and had to get some good rest. He also had a couple of concerts coming up.
A mind that is tuned to our system of music can indeed have very sensitive ears, I must say. No wonder, that mama was disturbed from his sleep the moment we started playing. And the noise that followed would have created near panic in his heart. As we were playing, we suddenly heard a soft voice from the Balcony above the space where we played. “All of you please go to your houses and take rest. Please do not disturb.” We were used to such comments from our grand mother, but were surprised to hear a different voice express the sentiment. Nobody replied, but the game came to a stand still. Many of us were not even old enough to appreciate the gravity of the situation. For us, then, Semmangudi mama was just another person and he also behaved like a normal person with all of us. Already we were playing against so many odds and protests, and we were like, “just when everything looked okay, who is trying to stop us now”. Anyways finally my brother found courage to reply. “Mama today is Sunday, it is our day, we cannot be quiet, and if you want you can go and sleep in some other room”. Hearing this Mama burst into laughter and asked us to continue to play. For so many years he would recount this day and have a hearty laugh. Years later when we started appreciating the intricacies of Carnatic Music and the contribution of Semmangudi mama to this art form, we can only laugh at our childishness. But of course we were only children then. Belated Centenary Wishes, Semmangudi mama.
Musically yours,
Trichur Brothers
I must thank our parents for refreshing my memory about this incident.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)