Ensemble of Ragas, Veena, world music and dance

The Magic of Veena - Vol 2

2011-09-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

A refreshingly vibrant smooth play of the traditional South Indian instruments Veena and Mridangam, emanating an elegant grandeur and timeless appeal that is at once sparkling, energetic and uplifting.

Ensemble of Ragas presents its next music album "The Magic of Veena - Vol 2"

This album captures the melodies of Veena in conversation with the enthralling Mridangam in the hands of two highly talented artists - Saraswathi Ranganathan and Patri Satish Kumar.

If you have always been looking for a Veena recital that resembles vocal music, yet delightfully brings out the beauty of the instrument - you have come to the right place! Perfect for listening to any time of the day. Great for special occasions. Stressed out? Listen to the soothing Endaro Mahanubhavulu. Want something peppy? download Raghuvamsha Sudha. Are you a fan of Purandara Dasa krithis? then listen to Rama Mantrava Japiso intricately embellished in Jonpuri raaga. For all you Mridangam fans, Patri Satish Kumar has enticingly accompanied the Veena - giving the music an added joyful pulsing energy.

Don't forget to check out the Laya Madhuryam in Rupaka talam which is a solo by Patri Satish Kumar - must listen to anyone interested in learning Patri-style solo (Mridangam) drums!

If you are looking to unwind at the end of the day - relaxing on your couch or squatting on the yoga mat or doing meditation - or simply introspecting, then consider listening to Saveri Alapana - a pure improvisation piece on the Veena by Saraswathi. You know, sometimes, cooking your favorite dish becomes more pleasurable than less of a chore when you have this music running in the background.

so, if you are cooking, exercising, unwinding, de-stressing, learning, meditating, simply relaxing or exploring another genre of world music, or want to listen to Indian classical instrumental music on Veena, this is a really really good buy - definitely no post-purchase remorse here - you are sure to enjoy this instrumental journey!

Recommended for listening : "The Magic of Veena - Vol 1" and "Thiruppaavai"

Ensemble of Ragas press review Chicago Tribune Apr 2011

2011-05-10T20:50:00.000-07:00

Ganesh-Kumaresh Violin Concert Lemont temple, IL

2011-05-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

Original – Creative – Energetic - Violin Duet

…those are the words that come up when one reminisces about the spectacular violin concert by Ganesh-Kumaresh brothers held on April 29, 2011, graciously hosted by HTGC Lemont, IL.

Here are some highlights from the evening. The concert started off on an in depth purely classical note with the unique multihued bowing techniques and almost vocal-like handling of the violin that sent the rasikas on a delightful journey to musical paradise.

A music-lover’s treat, Raaga Naasikaabhushini was given excellent treatment in the hands of Ganesh and Kumaresh with the subtle nuances of the raaga brought forth beautifully through swara prasthaara.

The duo presented Saragunapalimpa, the grand stately krithi in Kedaragowla raga with all its royal bearings – embellishing with alapana and swara prasthaara. Ganesh surprised the audience by picking up the mic and singing kalpana swaras. Especial mention should be made of the pattern – sndpmgrs – ndpmgrs – dpmgrs – pmgrs – mgrs – grs – rs – s used as a muktaayi. The audience was very appreciative of that!

The piece de resistance of the evening came in the form a Ragam Tanam Pallavi in tri-raaga-maalika: Ranjani, Janaranjani and Shreeranjani. When asking the audience to pick a raga for RTP, some voted ranjani, some voted Shreeranjani: so Kumaresh quipped: “buy one get two free (ragas)!!” and they played the pallavi in all three ragas.

The presentation of the pallavi seemed meticulously planned: they played alapana in Ranjani, tanam in Janaranjani and pallavi in Shriranjani!! Tanam in Janaranjani was exquisitely ornamented with bowing and plucking techniques on western music-like notes in the lower octaves Ps Ps ps -Pr Pr pr – Pg Pg pg – Pm Pm pm - Ps Pr Pg Pm. If you are like this author, you would challenge yourself to remember the pallavi notes. It went something like this: S srgm G; ;R rgmdM; G;;gmdn | S;;; grsnd rs NDM nd M,G, R,||

In addition to the conventional playing in three kalams, Ganesh-Kumaresh included a fourth kalam – which was was at an incomprehensibly blistering speed! They did neraval in Janaranjani and Ranjani followed by kalpana swaras again in Janaranjani, Ranjani but now adding a whole other dimension with ragamalika swaras in Kaapi, Vasantha, Revathi, Varaali, Naatakurunji, Hamsaanandi, Abheri, Malayamaarutha, Swarasamyojini. Subsequently they started playing swaras in the second speed of tisra nadai and in the fourth speed, leaving for tani avarthanam.

The tani avarthanam was a real treat to the rasikas: where would you have heard the kind of Mridangam playing that is as handsome as thunder and rain yet gentle and soft as a flowing mountain brook? Thanjavur Govindarajan on the thavil delighted the audience with his playing techniques. Where there were improvisations involved, what was interesting was the co-ordination between Mridangam Patri Satish Kumar and the Thavil Thanjavur Govinda Rajan. It seemed like Patri Satish Kumar could feel the pulse of the main artist and play in such perfect sync that it was temptingly – almost dangerously pleasing: the rasika felt like throwing their shoes up and dancing! Imagine over 200 people tapping feet……yes, it could be dangerous!

Patri Satish and Govindarajan interspersed their Tani with different nadais and korvais. The speed and unique handling of the left side of the Mridangam by Patri Satish seemed to emanate sounds not quite heard of before, presenting the rasikas with a delightful ‘laya madhuryam’.

Any instrumental practitioner will know that achieving technical mastery over the instrument is a lifetime saadhana: speed in itself is just one of the dream goals: what makes it beautiful is precision and melody in speed and that can stem only from 99% perspiration. Ganesh-Kumaresh played swara prasathara at a mind-blowing fourth kaalam for a whopping 8 minutes continuously! And equally talented Patri Satish displayed a highly skillful speed-play incessantly for nearly 5 minutes. Now five to eight minutes might seem less to many: but to someone who is doing saadhana on an instrument will agree that playing at such high speeds even for a minute is an extremely arduous task. The artists made it seem like it was as simple as sipping coffee!

The evening concluded with popular ‘tukkadas’ like ‘Tamburimeetidava’, Bhagayadalakshmi baaramma’, nagumomu galavani, interspersed with singing songs ‘Aazhi Mazhai Kanna’ in Behag composed by Kavi Kannan– which again was a treat to the discerning ear!

Thanks to HTGC for bringing this fantastic concert experience to the music connoisseurs of Chicago! A standing ovation to the talented artists and HTGC!

Sara Ranganathan, for India Tribune.

Ensemble of Ragas presents Abhinava Ganamritam

2010-10-30T23:10:00.000-07:00

Abhinava Ganamritam – a refreshing shower of music and dance

There were seven of them on stage - Veena, Flamenco Guitar, Jazz Guitar,
Drums, Tabla, Ghatam and Mridangam. It seemed as though they were personifications of the Sapta Swaras ( seven notes) of music !

Ensemble of Ragas School of Performing Arts, Schaumburg presented their first production "Abhinava Ganamritam" - a refreshing shower of music and dance on Friday October 29 at 8pm at the Schaumburg Prairie Arts Center.

The event featured an instrument ensemble with artists from different genres presenting classical and contemporary
music interlaced with two classical dance forms - Bharatanatyam and Kathak. The theme of the program was classical-contemporary music-dance with an international flavor and oneness of spirit. The evening was dedicated to the legendary Veena Maestro Chitti Babu.

This first production from Ensemble of Ragas School of Performing Arts featured
Saraswathi Ranganathan on the Veena,
Carlo Basile on Flamenco guitar,
Martin Metzger on Jazz guitar,
Joel Martinez on Latin drums,
Dhananjay Kunte on Tabla,
Ganapathi Ranganathan on Mridangam
and Ravi Iyer on Ghatam.
Vijayalakshmi and Katyayani were the featured Bharatanrityam and Kathak dancers. The special prayer song for the invocation was lead by
Shantha Ranganathan along with the enthusiastic student team from Ensemble of Ragas.

The program started with a beautiful group prayer
song followed by “Aavaahana” a composition
of Chitti Babu from the album ‘Temple Bells’
featuring Bharatanatyam and Kathak .

“Rhythms Indiana” – a foot-tapping tune composed by Chitti Babu from the album ‘Musings of a Musician’ got the crowd up on their feet. The artists were having fun with the beat and the music.

Saraswathi Ranganathan then started the Raga elaboration in Bahudaari followed by Thanam.
Her expertise in handling the Veena showed, especially in the Thanam. The team then performed “Bahudaari”. The “Thani Avarthanams” (exclusive round of performance) by each musician on their respective instruments were superbly presented.

“Kalyaani” – a fast classical raga (melody) based number featured dance once more.

The finale item was called “Reverie” from the album ‘Musings of a Musician’. It was both soothing and exciting at the same time to listen to this masterpiece. The exclusive Guitar solo pieces from the song was a treat to listen to.

Each instrument in the ensemble, both strings and percussion, was unique but yet , together they sounded original and well-blended at the same time.
One might have seen many "fusion" concerts
but in this concert, it felt like each style of music
stayed in its original form and was presented at its best.

Sara concluded the program with a Vedam peace mantra on the Veena.

The Senior Trustee of the Village of Schaumburg Mr. George Dunham, graced the occasion as the Guest of Honor and released the latest production from Ensemble of Ragas –
‘Thirumvempavai and Kolaru Thiruppadigam’.

Dr. (Mrs.) Sharada Sonty, Founder of SAPNA spoke
inspiring words and felicitated the artists.
Her presence was much appreciated by both the artists and the audience.

Mr. Sayee Challapally, son of Veena Maestro Chitti Babu, spoke fondly of his Dad. Throughout the
practice sessions and rehearsals, he had participated with great involvement and had given valuable feedback. He quoted thus
“ veena is as old as the vedas and as modern as tomorrow" !!

Co-sponsors for the evening included SAPNA
(Sri Annamacharya Project of North America),
an organization that pioneers the preservation and propagation of Indian classical music, TutorDoctor, a leader in providing affordable one-on-one
supplementary education to students and adults, and TV Asia represented by west bureau chief Vandana Jhingan.

The art-loving crowd was treated to unique
IndoClassical-Jazz-Flamenco instrumental beats
interwoven with fluid Bharatanatyam and Kathak movements.

It was indeed a memorable evening. Congratulations.
Well done.

PS: Thanks for all your comments. We cherish your feedback in our hearts. We have noted down points for improvement and look forward to your support and encouragement in the future.

Input for comments have been closed for this post.

Mandolin U.Shrinivas and U.Rajesh concert at Lemont Temple IL

2010-04-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

An evening of captivating heavenly music
HTGC Temple April 23, 7:45

- Saraswathi Ranganathan

It was almost 6pm on Friday and my brother and I wheezed our way through the heavy evening traffic. We didn’t want to be late to our most favorite carnatic instrumental concert! This was being hosted jointly by HTGC and CTU, the stalwart organizations dedicated to preserving and promoting classical music.

The concert started with the majestic Thodi Adi Tala varnam ‘Eraanaapai’. This was a pleasant surprise as I had not expected Shrinivas to actually play my request number – I was on cloud nine, already, and the concert had only just begun! I want to mention something here: I find that a lot of artists dwell in the raga for a long time before they actually warm up and get to the essence of the raga: not so Shrinivas - just one or two notes caressed lovingly on the Mandolin is all a rasika needs to grasp the raga: the depth and simplicity of this maestro’s music never ceases to amaze me! A couple lines of Thodi were all it took – it left everyone wanting for more: Incredible. Period.

This was followed by the famous Dikshitar krithi in Hamsadhvani, ‘Vatapi Ganapathim’. The song brought nostalgic memories to me. I remember when Shrinivas first became famous in the early eighties, I was so in love with his music (I still am, of course!), that my dad gifted me with Mandolin’s very first audio cassette that featured Vatapi Ganapathim! That was my most memorable birthday gift to date – a luxury for me! I still play all the sangathis that I learnt from this tape, especially the ones at ‘karaankusha pasha’. I was waiting for Shrinivas’ various nuances at this very spot in the charanam – I was not disappointed at all! Time, and time again, he brings out a different hue to the same raga same song even the same sancharam. Absolutely refreshing!

Jagadanandakaraka, Thyagaraja’s immortal pancharatna krithi was next. From the days that I have been following Shrinivas’ concerts, I have observed that he plays one of the pancharatna krithis in almost every concert. What is interesting about Shrinivas is that his instrument defies all tradition, his music revolutionary, he brings such youthful vibrancy to every performance, yet the total result is all purely carnatic. Not surprisingly his audience ranges from aspiring carnatic musicians to youngsters who have no idea of carnatic music, to seasoned rasikas who still walk out of the concert in complete collective disbelief at this wonderful phenomenon. Everyone seems to get a piece of what they are looking for.

A brief but very melodious alapana in Arabhi preluded Thyagaraja’s krithi ‘Nadasudha’. I especially liked the play around the phrase ‘rrmm rrpp rrdd rrRR sndpmgr’. The arabhi sancharas in all the sthayis (octaves) was breathtaking. I found that every phrase Shrinivas delivered seemed to be soaked in Arabhi!

The reader must have noted by now that the concert has been featuring common krithis: that was because Shrinivas was trying to accommodate the rasikas wish list! He even joked that the list was pretty short!

What followed was the all-time favorite of most listeners – Thyagaraja’s evergreen ‘Nagumomu’ in Abheri. A beautiful alapana, brilliant swara prastharam, a neat mukhtayi reaching a crescendo and a sudden descent to the lower octave in a different frequency gave a dramatic effect.

I must add that Shrinivas’ brother Rajesh also enthralled the audience with his command over the instrument. Rajesh gave an outstanding performance on all aspects, be it raga vinyasa, or swara prasthara, significantly embellishing the concert, to the delight of the audience.

Shrinivas handled hindolam in a simple yet grand manner, a song ‘Chandrashekara Saraswathi’ set to Khanda chapu talam. I especially loved the fast phrase sgmdmgsnS – snsgssnndd - gds

Was it lightning? thunder? hailstorm? blitzkrieg? NO. It was ‘raghunatha nannu’ in Swararanjini raga composed by Ramnad Shrinivasa Iyenger – rendered in less than 4 minutes on the Mandolin. This song has been made famous by Shrinivas: I remember it from the notes that I still have from one of his concerts way way back in Bangalore. I had to write down the notations as quickly as I could while he was playing. I didn’t have the privilege of a tape recorder at the time.

After the brilliant lightning and torrential downpour in the first half of the concert, the rasikas were treated to beautiful spring sunshine replete with gurgling mountain brooks, fragrant blossoms and a delightful waft of pleasant breeze in keeravani- ramapriya RTP entitled “rama shrirama sharanam – jaya rama jaya jaya rama”. It is a musician’s challenge playing this raga combination. It was handled with enviable ease and aplomb. The tanam was in a graceful tranquil tempo. The transition to these two ragas from the tara shadjam was sheer magic.

The rasikas had a feast in the ragamalika swarams featuring nalinakanthi, reetigowla, jingla, ranjani, alternating keeravani and ramapriya – finally culminating in a simple yet rhythmically elegant mukthayi. The feast continued with the outstanding tani avartanam by Madirimangalam Swaminathan on the Mridangam and S V Ramani on the Ghatam. These two percussionists teamed up for an extremely enjoyable, technically precise rendition that brilliantly captured every subtle rhythmic nuance of music emanating from the Mandolin: embellishing the embellished!

The listeners were enraptured in the ‘tukadas’: ‘venkatachalayam’ in sindhubhairavi, the ever-favorite ‘brahmamokkate’, ‘ennathavamseidhanai’ in kaapi, a sai bhajan ‘premamurthy’ in darbarikaanada.

The concert concluded with Lalgudi’s thillana in Mohanakalyani followed by Mangalam.

As we were driving back home, we were still in a musical dizzy. What an evening! U Shrinivas is a rare gem: Very few artists are truly great maestros - in their music the distinction between the instrument, the artist, the song, the audience, everything vanishes: all that remains is pure musical bliss – time seems to stand still – drenching us in the quintessence of nadopasana!

We reached home. I felt energized, motivated and happy - I slept soundly, still on cloud nine: one of the many side effects of being immersed and permeated in divine music! Dear Shrinivas – Chicago needs you. Again.

Article by an ardent fan of Mandolin Shrinivas:

To contact the author write to worldmuziq@gmail.com

Deepa Seetharaman Bharatanatyam performance at Shiva Vishnu Temple, Florida.

2009-12-30T19:22:00.000-08:00

Dec 20, 2009

It is rare that high-school kids these days, who move out of town, continue to work on art-forms like Carnatic music or Bharatanatyam. Deepa is a student in journalism and works for Reuters and with her busy schedule still manages to learn dance from her current Guru Mrs. Sonali Skandan of New York. She inspires the girls in the local community to continue to learn and practice their art-forms, whatever they are, wherever they are, even after they move on to universities and pursue a variety of careers.

The evening's program was kept concise with four items, starting with a Mallari. Deepa looked bright in her blue-green costume.
The stage at the Temple hall is not too big but she made good use of the available stage real-estate. Following the intro dance was the ever well-known Kalakshetra signature Varnam "Nee Inda Mayam" in Dhanyasi. For those in the audience , who were not ready for it, this came as a whopping lengthy dance sequence. For those of you who did not know about it, this varnam was originally choreographed for Kalakshetra students by Adyar K. Lakshman a very long time ago ( not to mention a gzillion other dancers have danced to it in their own jathis and abhinayams) , so to keep it looking like the original is a major task in itself. Deepa's energy level was impressive. Footwork was apt.

Following the varnam was a Padam, "Mugathai Kattiye". It seemed like it had similar emotions as compared to the varnam. So I felt that the Abhinayam did not have a different bhava/rasa effect. I liked the Thillana in Keeravani Ragam. It looked lively and gave the concert a nice finish.

The audio for one or two songs could have been of better quality. I could not hear the words clearly. The concert was free but people were requested to contribute to the temple afterward. That was a noble gesture.

Congratulations to Deepa on yet another successful Dance performance.

Thiruppavai Andal Thiruppavai Andal Kanavu

2009-12-28T16:29:00.000-08:00

We are very happy to announce the digital release of "Andal Thiruppavai and Andal Kanavu". Check out the samples on cdbaby.com. What sets this album apart from the others in the same category, is the extraordinary all-original and rare music composition by Spashta Gana Kalamani Smt. Sulochana Mahadevan and the mellifluous vocals by Smt. Shantha Ranganathan.

Vijayadashami 2009 performance by students

2009-09-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

All the kuttis from Saraswathi's music school performed at the Lemont temple, Illinois. Check out their video here.

Prem Seetharaman Mridangam Arangetram

2009-08-08T22:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Jayanthi and Seetharaman for inviting me to their son Prem’s Mridangam Arangetram. Since Seetharaman-sir always writes reviews meticulously about all local concerts, I took it upon myself to write about his son’s Mridangam Arangetram.

I had to hurry to the concert hall from my dance class so I am sorry I missed the first four songs. Mrs. Geetha Rajashekar was singing Madhyamavathi Aalapanai when we entered. I spotted Prem and Ramakrishnan-sir and Geetha and Sanjay Chandran on stage. I sat down, listening to the music, while gazing at the stage decorations. They looked beautiful. The best part was the Ganapathi vigraham. It reminded me of the Ganapathi in Sringeri during Vakhyartha Sadas marking Vinayaka Chaturthi. The Nandi center-stage ahead of the artists was something novel.

Mrs.Geetha started to sing Sharavana Bhava and it brought my focus back on the concert. Here’s where the percussionists were going for the Thani Aavartanam. The Mridangam sounded vibrant. Mr.Ramakrishnan had fun with the Khanjira, bringing out different sound effects – booming, ringing, etc. Prem did a good job through the Thani Avartanam, playing different nadais, plus the half and one-fourth Avartanams. A quick song in Vasantha – Rama Rama, followed.

Mrs. Geetha announced that the next item would be a Ragam Thanam Pallavi in Begada Ragam and Mishra Chapu Talam. The Ragam Alapanai was pleasing to the ears. I have to give credits to Sanjay. He never seemed to overpower the vocalist and provided adequate support. Tirupathi Venkata Ramana – Sankataharana was the Pallavi. I thouroughly enjoyed it as Mrs. Geetha and Sanjay rendered it beautifully, transitioning from begada, to Hindolam, to Ranjani, to Varali and back to Begada. Prem and Ramakrishnan-sir took turns playing for Geetha and Sanjay respectively. They seemed to be enjoying it as well.

The RTP was followed by three verses of Shyamala Dandakam, followed by a song in Valaj by Swathi Thirunal on Devi.

By this time Prem had settled down. It showed - as all the theermanams such as kitataka-tharikita-thom-s fell in place during the next two songs in Adi Talam : an Ashtapadi and a song on Sai - Muzhuday Unarndavar Yaro. The Sai song was beautifully rendered by Mrs. Geetha in Behag Ragam.

Ok. I have to admit. Shivaranjani and Revathi are not my favorite Ragams. They make me feel uneasy…but I was very eager to find out about the Shiva-Vishnu-Temple-song and wondered what Mr. Seetharaman had penned. As Mrs.Geetha inaugurated the song, it sounded good. I noticed the lyrics carefully written – Haran-Hari-Aalayam so it did not sound like Hari-Haran aalayam although there is a shrine inside the temple for Lord Ayyappa. Credits to Seetharaman for writing a song exclusively for the temple.

The only distraction was the word “thenpoovagam” that kept repeating as the opening word for the pallavi, but the rest of the lyrics were good.

..And then it was time for the guest-of-honor to talk and for the vote of thanks. It was sad to see many people leave the hall. Come on..it was not even a Sunday..and they were going to miss the Thillana and Thiruppugazh ?

I have to mention here that Prem’s sister Deepa did a fine job as Master of Ceremonies.

Although the vote-of-thanks seemed to drag on, I have to consider that this one’s also a personal event for the family. It gives the family and their closest friends, a chance to express their emotions. Andy and Usha mentioned their hometown-Chicago-Prem-Kellogg connection. Mrs.Bhavani spoke kind words. She also mentioned an odd term regarding Mridangam – inhomogeneous circular membranes - and I thought – what! Anyway all four of the speakers plus Prem’s parents had to mention multiple times how he could not stay put in one place, as a child. I think Prem forgave them since he now seemed like a nice person.

Fine choice for Thillana – composed by L.Jayaraman. It gave the Mridangist an opportunity to play with the math for the beats. Thiruppugazh was fast-paced and well presented. Then the Guru spoke. He pronounced Prem Seetharaman a Mridangam graduate. It was Prem’s turn to speak. He hurried through his write-up so much that it sounded like the fine-print-reading of a cellphone contract on radio. But we could still figure out what he was saying. He conveyed his thanks to his family and Guru and the artists.

By this time I was really hungry and I was wondering what I would eat for dinner. I did not know dinner would be served. So, God bless you for providing me with dinner.

The entire crew of the Arangetram including the volunteers had defied many hurdles to make the event happen, what with a last-minute change in Venue. I think they put up a heroic effort together, to make the Arangetram happen. Congratulations and here’s wishing Prem many Kucheris and Thani Aavarthanams and east-west fusion experiments.

- Vijayalakshmi Ranganathan

Veena conference

2009-04-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

The very first veena conference in the US was held on Apr 25th 2009 by the Sri Annamacharya Project of North America (SAPNA) and the India Classical Music Society of Chicago, Illinois (ICMS). It featured individual and group recitals plus a panel discussion by five music teachers. The conference was aimed at exploring the mysterious transcendence of the veena.

This festival was held at the Sama Rathi Auditorium of the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, Lemont, Illinois. The teachers representing different schools were Saraswathi Ranganathan, Rajeswari Pariti, Dr. Jai Shree Prasad, Vasanthi Iyer and Rama Gurupalli. Featured Mridangam Artists were Athrey Nadhan, Ganapathi Ranganathan and Vinod Gopinath.

A book "Veena in the Theory, Practice and Experiment in Carnatic Music" written by Dr.K.S.Raghavendra Rao and Dr.Prasad , was released.

Welcome to our blogspot

2009-01-12T20:37:00.000-08:00

We just set this up..more later.