Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar
w/ Madurai N. Krishnan (vocal support), T.N. Krishnan (violin), Pazhani Subramania Pillai (mridangam), Bangalore Manjunath (ghatam)
EMI India CDNF 147750 AIR Release

Contents:

  1. Tana Varnam: Inta Chalamu - Begada/Adi - Vina Tiruvotriyur Kuppayyar (4'23)
  2. Sarasijanabha Sodari - Nagagandhari/Rupakam - Muthuswamy Dikshitar (2'51)
  3. Koti Nadulu - Todi/Adi - Thyagaraja (14'58)
  4. Jnanamosagarada - Purvikalyani/Rupakam - Thyagaraja (9'34)
  5. Palinchu Kamakshi - Madhyamavati/Adi - Syama Sastri (13'05)

Sound quality: fair (compressed dynamics, but little static)

Recording date: unknown; CD issue: 1994

Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar (1890-1967) was one of the most influential singers in the history of Carnatic music. This CD release is correspondingly valuable.

The program presents an interesting selection of ragas, with the kritis in Todi & Madhyamavati being the clear highlights. Ariyakudi comes off as distinctly modern in style here.

This disc is mysteriously titled parenthetically with a "1989" -- one might assume that this is the date of the recording, except that Ariyakudi was some twenty years deceased at the time.

To purchasing information for this disc.

To Carnatic CD list.

T. M. McComb