Mahadevan Sankaranarayanan on 18th July 2010

MAHADEVAN SANKARANARAYANAN belongs to an illustrious family of Carnatic Classical Musicians. He is the son and disciple of Sangita Kalanidhi Padma Bhushan Shri. T V.Sankaranarayanan the world renowned Carnatic Vocalist and is the grand nephew of the legendary Sangita Kalanidhi Ganakaladhara Shri. Madurai Mani Iyer. Mahadevan, with an innate gift of fine music has grown up in an environment filled with music from childhood. He has had formal training under his father Shri. TVS and mother Smt. Vijayalakshmi. Mahadevan has been regularly giving able vocal support to his father all over India and has earned rave reviews praising his outstanding talent on stage.In 2009 he accompanied Shri TVS on a 2 month tour of the USA and Canada giving able vocal support and earning excellent reviews. After debuting at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, he has been performing on stage regularly. Mahadevan is a creative and versatile singer imbibing the best of tradition with freshness and modernity. He sings with effervescence and grip over raga and laya. He is also a gifted composer with many compositions to his credit. A graduate in Commerce, Mahadevan is currently pursuing his Masters in Commerce and an MBA in Finance along with his profession as a performing musician.

Full Review

Carnatic music rasikas were treated to a delightful performance by young vidwan Mahadevan Sankaranarayanan from Chennai. Coming from the illustrious lineage of Madurai Mani Iyer, Mahadevan is the son of Sangita Kalanidhi Padmabhushan awardee Sri.T.V.Sankaranarayanan.

The concert had a bright start with a Vinayaka Stuthi in Nattai suffixed with a crisp swaraprastharam. After a Saveri Purandaradasa filler, the artist went on to the first detailed number in Sreeranjani. After the ragam, the audience was pleasantly surprised by the selection of a purandaradasa kriti for the important slot. Palisamma Muddu Sarade was well presented along with swaram. After a pleasant Nalinakanthi krithi which also included the raga delineation and swaram, Mahadevan went on to his sub-main in Shanmukapriya. The Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavathar composition Vallinayagane fully brought out the beauty of the raga. The main item of the evening was Kambodhi. The Muthuswami Dikshithar's Maragathavalli- which is not frequently heard as the main piece- was selected and full justice was done with elaborate raga alapana and swaraprasthara. After the tani avarthanam, which was over two and a half hours into the programme, came the surprise of a Ragam Tanam Pallavi in Kapi. No one moved from the packed hall. The pallavi Sri Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama- Sringaara Rama was extremely well presented. The poignant pauses both in the rendition as well as in the swaras captivated the audience. It was well anticipated and reciprocated by the mridangam vidwan Sri.Vadiraja Bhat. Swaras were rendered in a ragamalika of Hamir Kalyani and Sindhu Bhairavi. Seamlessly followed the sindhubhairavi Venkatachala Nilayam. Mahadevan also sang his own composition in Behag.The final pieces were the popular Madurai Mani Iyer package of Eppavaruvaro and Nottuswaram.

An important observation is that the voice of Mahadevan is of a deep and wholesome quality. It is also very different from that of Sri.TVS. Although the characteristic catches in ragam and swaram of their school is quite decipherable, one cannot at the outset relate this concert as any kind of replica of his predecessors. Listeners therefore are treated to a refreshing new young carnatic music talent. This is the first independent concert of Mahadevan in Karnataka. Still, the performance was that of a mature seasoned artist.  In the more than three hours' concert there was not a single sagging moment. The composition of the selected songs, with an obvious bent towards kannada pieces, was quite thoughtful and was suitably well appreciated.

Sri.B.K.Raghu on violin demonstrated his expertise with excellent following of the main artist and also high creativity and purity in his individual renditions of raga and swaras. Sri.Vadiraja Bhat's concentration and involvement in his mridangam support greatly enhanced the overall quality of the concert. Sri.Phanindra Bhaskara's exuberance and cheerfulness was contagious. Besides good ghatam support, he also joined in for a good thani avarthanam.

List of Songs:

1. Pranatosmidevam Vinayakam- Nattai-  Short Swaram
2. Barayya Venkataramana- Saveri- Purandaradasa
3. Palisamma Muddu Sarade- Sreeranjani -Adi Tisra Nadai- Ragam and swaram
4. Manavyala- Nalinakanthi- Ragam and swaram
5. Vallinayakane- Shanmukhapriya- Ragam, Neraval @ Sharanalayamuna, swaram
6. Sakalagrahabalaneene- Atana- Kandachapu- Purandaradasa
7. Maragathavalli- Kambodhi- Ragam and swaram
8. Saarasamukhi- Gowdamalhar- brief swaram
9. Ragam Tanam - Kapi. Pallavi- Sri Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama- Sringaara Rama- Kanda Triputa- 2 kalai
    Ragamalika swaram in Hamirkalyani and Sindhu Bhairavi
10. Venkatachalanilayam- Sindhubhairavi- Purandaradasa
11. Vaayuputrane Sri Hanumaane- Behag- Mahadevan
12. KaNNa Kaarmugil vaNNa- virutham followed by Govinda Govinda Athi Aananda- Hamsavinodini.
13. Eppavaruvaaro- Jonpuri
14. Nottuswaram
15. Mangalam.