N Ravikiran

The recipient of the coveted ‘Sangeeta Kalanidhi’ is a great musician and I don’t believe that I need to elaborate much about his genius, his contributions etc and simply look forward to listening to him for a long long time and his further contributions to the music world.

A couple of concerts from the 80’s when the instrument was called ‘Gottuvadyam’ are representative of his genius and maturity and which I listen quite frequently are ‘must hear’ in my opinion. And here they are for your enjoyment.

Music Academy – 29th December 1986

Kamalakara Rao – Mridangam
K M Vaidyanathan – Ghatam

  • taruNam eedammA – gowLipantu
  • pAhimAm ratnAcalanAyaka – mukhAri
  • nee vADa – sArangA
  • ninnu cheppa – mandhAri
  • RTP – kAmbhOji
  • smara janaka – behAg
  • various

Music Academy 28th December 1985

Yella Venkateswara Rao – Mridangam
K M Vaidyanathan – Ghatam

  • varNam – sankarAbaraNam
  • kanukonu sowkyamu – nAyaki
  • sArasAksha paripAlaya – pantuvarALi
  • mAnasa guruguha – Anandabhairavi
  • banTureeti kolu – hamsanAdam
  • RTP – karaharapriyA
  • neekE dayarAka – neelAmbari
  • gangAdeeswaram – sindhubhairavi

I got these recordings directly from Music Academy. In the 80’s they were facilitating the copying of the concerts for a fee and that I gave them the tapes. It would take a couple of months, but it was worth the wait given the quality of the recording and that it was coming from the source 🙂

The announcement of him being the awardee was picked up by my good friend Ravi Balasubramanian in our kitchen, a well established ghtam player, who was visiting us in July. Ravi happens to have played for Ravikiran many times and here is a recording of a concert with Ravi (recording from Ravi).

with Ganesh on Chitraveena, Srivatsan on Mridangam and Ravi B on Ghatam

Theophysical Soceity – Dec 2004

  • sri mahAgaNapatE – nATa
  • pAlintuvO – kAntAmaNi
  • tyAgarAja yOga vaibhavam – Anandhabhairavi
  • ninnADa – kannaDA
  • dinamaNi vamsa – harikAmbhOji

The first time I met him was in 1993 when he was visiting Pittsburgh along with K R Ganesh on the mridangam. He gave an excellent concert at the CMU as part of Spic-Macay. Here is the recording of that lec-demo type of a concert.

with K R Ganesh

CMU, Pittsburgh – Spic Macay – 1993

  • Intro to carnatic music – talk
  • varNam – nATakurunji
  • raghunAyakA – hamsadwani
  • Description of chitraveeNA
  • ninnu nEra nammimAnu – pantuvarALi
  • raghuvamsa – kadanakuthoohalam
  • dEvi pAvanE – sAvEri (navarAtri kriti)
  • Discussion about different types of music
  • jAvaLi
  • viswEswara – sindhubhairavi

Embar Kannan
Mannargudi Easwaran
Tirupunithura Radhakrishnan
Anirudh Athreya

Music Academy Dec 16, 2007

  • rave himagirikumari – todi
  • swaminatha – nATa
  • sogasujooda tarama – kannadgowla
  • pankajalochana – kalyani
  • mAyammA – Ahiri
  • neela lOhita ramaNi – balahamsa
  • ennai nee maravadE – amrutavarshini
  • RTP – bhairavi
  • thillana – dwijavanti

Sort of a mix

  • mamava meenakshi – varali
  • manavyala – nalinakAnti
  • maragata vallim – kAmbhoji
  • ETi janmamidi – varali
  • vinanAsakoni – pratapavarali
  • samajavaragamana
  • giripai
  • various

Part of a concert

  • paralOka baya – mandhAri
  • bhuvini dAsudanE – sriranjani
  • RTP – rasikapriyA
  • moDi jEsitE – kamAs
  • various

K V Prasad

AIR Madras – July 28, 1986

  • varNam – bhairavi – aTa
  • ninnu cheppa – mandhAri
  • mAyammA – Ahiri
  • paritAmu – manOhari
  • RTP – dharmavati

Mysore Nagaraj
Guruvayur Dorai

For High School, Banagalore 1989

  • varNam – kEdAragowLa
  • tera teeyaga rAdA – gowLipantu
  • brOchevArevarurA – kamAs
  • paramapurusham – lalitapanchamam
  • dayamADO ranga – kalyANi
  • ninnu sEvincina – yadukula kAmdhOji
  • bhAvayAmi raghurAmam – rAgamAlikA

P Sundaresan
Vellore Ramabhadran
Cleveland Balu

S V Temple, Pittsburgh – Apr 8, 1994

  • mahAgaNapatim – nATa
  • gAnamoortE – ganamoorti
  • tera teeyaga rAdA – gowLipantu
  • mariverE – Anandabhairavi
  • hiranmayim – lalitA
  • padavi nee – sAlagabhairavi
  • swara rAga sudhArasa – sankarAbaraNam
  • rasikapriya rAga – rasikapriyA
  • various

P Sundaresan
Vellore Ramabhadran

Philadelphia – 1994

  • gajavadanA – sriranjani
  • shObillu – jaganmOhini
  • sEvikka vEnDum ayyA – AndOLikA
  • rAvE himagiri – tODi
  • banTureeti – hamsanAdam
  • enduku peddalavalE – sankarAbaraNam
  • raghuvamsa – kadanakuthoohalam
  • RTP – varALi
  • various

S V Raja Rao

1990’s

  • vallabha nAyakasya – bEgaDA
  • parama pAvanA – poorvikalyANi
  • RTP – tODi
  • enna tavam seydanO – kApi

Some other concert

  • rasikapriya rAga – rasikapriyA
  • dayamADO ranga – kalyANi

T K Murthy
T H Vinayakaram

AIR Sangeet Sammelan 1980’s

  • vallabha nAyakasya – bEgaDA
  • marivErE – Anandhabhairavi
  • raguvara – pantuvarALi
  • smara janka – bEhAg
  • venkaTAchala nilayam – sindhu bhairavi

V Tyagarajan
Palghat Kunjumani

Washington DC – 1988

  • vAdErA – pantuvarALi
  • marivERE – Anadhabhairavi
  • neekEla dayarAdu – sarasAngi
  • parama purusha – vasantA
  • RTP – kAmbhOji
  • smarasundarAnguni – paras
  • tirupugazh
  • mangalam

V Tyagarajan
Palghat Kunjumani

S V Temple, Pittsburgh – 1988

  • Introduction of the Artists
  • Introduction by Ravikiran
  • raghunAyaka – hamsadhwani – Thyagaraja
  • ennagAnu rAma bhajana – pantuvarALi – Bhadrachala Ramadas
  • chinna nADE nA – kalAnidhi – Thyagaraja
  • ???? – Hindolam
  • aruL seyya vEnDum – rasikapriyA – Koteeswara Iyer
  • ksheera sAgara – dEvagAndhAri – Thyagaraja
  • bhuvanEswariya – mOhanakalyANi – Muthiah Bhagavatar
  • EmandunE muddhu – saindhavi – Dharmapuri Subbaraya Iyer (Intelligent guess)
  • smara janaka – bEhAg – Swathi Thirunal (intelligent guess)
  • ??? – Yamunakalyani
  • Tiruppugazh
  • mangalam – sowrashtram – Thyagaraja