Nirmala
Rajasekar
Into
the Raga
Innova
230
Nirmala
Rajasekar, Veena
Raghavendra
Rao, Violin
Tanjore
K. Murugaboopathi, Mridangam
V.
Suresh, Ghatam
SONG RAGAM TALAM COMPOSER TIME
1. Sarasuda
Varnam Saveri Aadi Kothavaasal
Venkatarama Iyer 6:35
2. Jaya
Jaya Nattai Khanda
Chapu Purandara
Dasa 7:55
3. Tharunam
Idamma Gowlibanthu Aadi Shyama
Sastri 3:30
4. Akilandeshwari Dwijavanthi Aadi Muthuswamy
Dikshidar 9:48
5. Niravathi
Sukhada Ravichandrika Aadi Thyagaraja 6:23
6. Ananda
Nadamaduvar Purvi
Kalyani Rupakam Neelakanta
Sivan 26:34
7. Manasa
Sancharare Sama Aadi Sadasiva
Brahmendra 3:29
8. Thavada
Soham Punnaga
Varali Aadi Thyagaraja 2:45
9. Mayi
Re Mei Tho Liyo Desh Misra
Chapu Mirabai/Nirmala Rajasekar 4:09
10. Thillana Paras Aadi Ramanathapuram Srinivasa Iyengar 3:48
— 74:50
Into the Raga is an exquisite collection of ragas (melodic modes) and their many hues. The
emotion of each raga on this album is seen and heard through the lovely alapanas (extempore melodic improvisations),
majestic thanam (pulsating melodic improvisations), and firepowered swara
prastharas
(rhythmic improvisations in defined modes and rhythm meters) – all
supporting the beautiful poetry of the compositions. In Into the
Raga Nirmala
Rajasekar, the master veena artist, is in the company
of some of the most versatile performers in the world today on the violin, mridangam (South Indian drum) and ghatam (musical pot).
Beginning with a deep-toned composition, a varnam in Ragam
Saveri, the gait switches to fives in the second piece, a 14th century
masterpiece by the grandfather of Carnatic music, Purandara Dasa, in the Raga
Nattai. Raga Gowlibanthu, known for its exotic flavor, follows next in the form
of a rare Tamil composition by Shyama Sastri. The quiet ambiance of the Raga
Dwijavanthi is uncovered gently with an alapana on the veena and violin to
reveal the magnum opus composition by Muthuswami Dikshidar, 'Akilandeshwari'.
Toe tapping rhythm lands you amidst leaps and jumps of the Raga Ravichandrika
by the great composer Thyagaraja in the composition Niravathi Sukhadha.What
follows next is the centerpiece of the album; Raga Purvi Kalyani is resplendent
in the alapana and thanam on the veena. The composition, 'Ananda Nadamaaduvar',
is about the joyous dance of Shiva. It ends with a rousing round of
mathematical combinations capped by a glorious improvised duet on the two drums. Raga Sama
comes next in the form of the well known composition
'Manasa Sancharare' which then leads perfectly into a pitch shift and the
haunting Raga Punnagavarali. Mirabai, the woman poet from North India, speaks
of the great bargain she got in her poem, 'Mayi Re Mei Tho Liyo'. This poem has
been set to music by Nirmala in the Raga Desh and set to a rhythm cycle of 7
beats. Raga Paras, an ancient traditional mode, and an exciting rhythmic
thillana, completes the jouney of Into the Raga.
Recorded at Resound India Studio,
Chennai, India.
Sai Shravanam: sound, mixing and
mastering
Design: Satheesh/Design Plus, Philip
Blackburn
Innova is supported by an endowment from
the McKnight Foundation.
Philip Blackburn, director
Chris Campbell, operations manager
www.innova.mu
Also by Nirmala Rajasekar: Song of the Veena (innova 214)