Chennai Margazhi Season
Aishwarya N. Balasubramanian. Photo: N. Sridharan
Riveting show by young dancers
The Music Academy Dance Festival served as a platform to bring to the fore the proficiency of the artists as well as the expertise of their acharyas
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Variety of composers
Aishwarya is equally adept at handling fast and slow paced numbers. This was evident in her presentation of the Mukhari raga kriti Karu baru seya (Tyagaraja) in chowka kala, the fast items ‘Ika nai...
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Scintillating performance
The Swarajati was one of the most memorable segments of the festival.
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Spotlight on the unusual
The repertoire was rich and varied but Lakshmi Ramaswamy did not give it her best shot.
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Straight from the heart
Veteran violinist Kanyakumari once again showcased her mastery over the instrument. SVK
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January 26, 2012
Touched a chord
Dynamic Bharatanatyam dancer Mythili Prakash's musical ensemble can easily be termed as the ‘best of the season.' With dancer-choreographer Sheejith Krishna conducting the show and Mythili's tal...
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January 19, 2012
Taking a fresh route
Conscientious and painstaking, Revathi Ramachandran can serve as a poster figure for good footwork, consistent araimandi and enjoyable nritta passages. Along with some ‘original' choreographies of...
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January 19, 2012
Pleasant in the lower registers
The morning concert of Manimaran began with the varnam in Saveri and moved on to a brief essay of Shanmukhapriya. The effort by Bangalore Balu Raghuraman on the violin was a little better. The kri...
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January 19, 2012
Musicscan: Magic touches were many
There were several factors which made Prince Rama Varma's recent vocal recital at the Vinayaka Temple in Besant Nagar a memorable exercise in excellence. Playing the mridangam was veter...
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Bharat Kalachar,
January 18, 2012
Dynamism on show
At the fag end of the Chennai's magnificent music season, artists were bound to lose energy and momentum. But Mohan Santhanam did not. His rescheduled concert (thanks to Thane) was quite dynamic....
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January 14, 2012
Awaiting a new Margazhi dawn
If Raja Raja Chola was ruling over the best part of south India today as he did in the 11th century, what would he do? My guess is he would pass a royal order to take the Margazhi music and dance...
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January 12, 2012
Intriguing blend of force and finesse
“That was a wonderful flow of music.... never let anyone tell you to moderate your style!” -- weighty words from Mrs. Y.G. Parthasarathy, the well-known patron-connoisseur of the performing art...
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MUSIC ACADEMY,
January 12, 2012
Of power and panache
Rippling movements by the gifted Mohiniyattom dancer Gopika Varma and her students of the Dasyam School, endowed ‘Ayonija Pancha Kanya’ with an idyllic air. The production was a compilat...
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January 12, 2012
Well-honed talent
Santosh G. Nair’s full-fledged dance recital for the Indian Fine Arts showed a lot of promise. Every posture, tap of the foot and bhava spoke volumes of the training given by her gurus V.S. Rama M...
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Music Academy,
January 12, 2012
The Valli charm
Visualisation on Nature flowed thick and fast in the hands of Alarmel Valli. Her stylish presentation transported beautiful streams, crashing thunder and lightning - Mother Nature in both her beni...
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Seamless blend of episodes
Thumbs up, Deepika!
Accent on bhava
Slow and steady…
Traversing many realms through music
Lively all the way
From lover to mother
Virtuosity and restraint
January 26, 2012
Revisiting Paavai Nonbu
Taking inspiration from the Trippevai and Triyampevai Thai Festival during the month of Margazhi that brings the Vaishnava and Saiva sacred poetry of Tiruppavai and Thiruvempavai on to the same pl...
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January 19, 2012
Agile and graceful
‘Azhutham' in Bharatanatyam, which at best translates as firm execution in English, was the base for Sumitra Subramaniam's presentation for Vipanchee. Sumitra's forte is her dedication to nritta...
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January 19, 2012
Oozing grace and confidence
Reinforcing the truth that command over music makes for a superior dancer was Uma Nambudripad Sathyanarayanan. The singer-dancer Uma began with a grace-filled prayer and ‘Ode to the Ganges...
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Music Academy,
January 18, 2012
Touch of novelty
Rama Vaidyanathan started on a poetic note with Mayur alarippu in misra jati triputa talam, a work of Karaikkudi Sivakumar, providing her the fractional tala points, and putting the emphasis on...
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Music Academy,
January 18, 2012
Riveting show by young dancers
The morning slot for the juniors at the Academy's Dance Festival saw mixed levels of proficiency. The line-up began with the dance recital of Madhavi Chandran, the winner of the Spirit of Youth...
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January 12, 2012
Master of rhythm
That the Cauvery basin serves as a rice bowl for millions is a given. Its contribution, however, goes beyond the palate. The proliferation of musicians, particularly in the field of nagaswaram-tha...
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January 12, 2012
A tame affair
The double professional Shankar Ramani failed to do justice to his second profession, music. The concert was well planned but suffered in execution as Shankar struggled to stay afloat. T...
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January 12, 2012
The value of rhythm
To those who thronged The Music Academy on a windy, rain-washed Saturday morning with the question ‘What are we going to learn today about the art of mridangam accompaniment?' on their lips, the re...
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Music Academy,
January 12, 2012
Giving it their best
Mambalam Sisters, Vijayalakshmi and Chitra, had diligently done their homework for their special ‘Nalu Kalai Pallavi' in Khambodi. It was credited to their sister Dr. R. Hemalatha who ha...
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Kalarasana,
January 10, 2012
A class apart
When it was time for the central piece of the concert to appear a rasika requested Neyveli Santhanagopalan to take up a vivadi raga. The accomplished singer questioned the rasika back with a...
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Now a mature vocalist
Krishna's myriad faces
Diverse styles, one idiom
Chennai’s Margazhi season, an attraction for visitors
Impeccable coordination is their strength
Journey into the realm of ragas
Exploring a raga’s dynamics
Slideshow
Arguably the biggest music and dance festival in the world, the Chennai December Season witnessed a multitude of performances spread across the entire city.
