Dr. K. J. Yesudas | K. Puttu Rao Memorial Festival 2013 | Part 2 | Rare Carnatic Concert.

The second chapter of this remarkable three-part concert takes us deeper into the musical world of Dr. K. J. Yesudas, recorded at the K. Puttu Rao Memorial Music Festival, 2013, at the historic Jaganmohan Palace Auditorium in Mysore. If Part 1 introduced the atmosphere of the concert, Part 2 reveals the extraordinary versatility of the vocalist and the intimate conversation between melody and rhythm. 🎶 PART 2 — TRACKS 1. SPEECH — About Voice Range 2. SRI RAMAM — Narayanagowla — Muthuswami Dikshitar 3. TANI AVARTANAM 4. NINNA NOKI DHANYANADENO — Pantuvarali — Purandara Dasa 5. RANGA BARO — Nagaswarali — Purandara Dasa 6. LAVANYA RAMA — Poornashadja — Thyagaraja 7. SEETHAMMA MAYAMMA — Vasantha — Thyagaraja THE MANY COLOURS OF ONE VOICE One of the most fascinating moments in this part comes before the music itself—the speech about Yesudas's vocal range. For an artist celebrated for the depth and richness of his voice, range is not simply about reaching high or low notes. It is about maintaining identity, tonal stability and expression across the entire musical landscape. The voice carries remarkable weight in its lower register and yet moves towards higher passages without becoming disconnected from its foundation. The colour changes, but the character remains. Beneath the apparent ease lies disciplined control of breath, pitch, resonance, diction and phrasing. FROM NARAYANAGOWLA TO VASANTHA Sri Ramam in Narayanagowla opens the musical sequence with Thyagaraja's composition. Then comes the rhythmic centrepiece: Tani Avartanam. 🥁 WHAT IS A TANI AVARTANAM? In a Carnatic concert, the Tani Avartanam is the dedicated percussion solo in which the mridangam and accompanying percussion take the spotlight. The percussionists explore the tala through intricate rhythmic patterns, subdivisions and structured exchanges, building towards an exciting and mathematically precise conclusion. Here, Neyveli Venkatesh on mridangam and G. S. Ramanujam on ghatam reveal another dimension of Carnatic music—where rhythm itself becomes a language. It is a conversation in rhythm. DEVOTION THROUGH DIFFERENT MUSICAL LENSES The compositions that follow create beautiful changes of mood. Ninna Noki Dhanyanadeno in Pantuvarali brings an introspective devotional character. Ranga Baro in Nagaswarali offers another colour, followed by Lavanya Rama in Poornashadja. The sequence concludes with Thyagaraja's beloved Seethamma Mayamma in Vasantha, returning the listener to the expressive world of kriti and devotional poetry. The voice does not simply reproduce the notes—it changes its emotional weight according to the raga. The raga begins to feel like a living atmosphere. THE ARTISTS BEHIND THE MUSIC Vocal: Dr. K. J. Yesudas Violin: Mysore Manjunath Mridangam: Neyveli Venkatesh Ghatam: G. S. Ramanujam The accompanists are essential to the experience. The violin follows and reflects the vocalist's melodic ideas, while percussion provides the rhythmic foundation and, during the Tani, takes the music into another dimension. This is music created through musical relationships. A DIFFERENT SIDE OF YESUDAS Listeners who know Yesudas mainly through his celebrated film recordings may find this part particularly revealing. The familiar sweetness remains, but here it is surrounded by something more austere and exploratory. There is no need for a cinematic arrangement to create the atmosphere. The raga itself becomes the landscape, and the voice becomes the guide. Here we hear a quality generations of listeners have admired in Yesudas: immense technical ability presented without unnecessary showmanship. The music speaks first. For many admirers, a voice like this inspires an almost spiritual sense of wonder—as though such a rare gift were bestowed so that millions could share in its beauty. Part 2 is a meeting of three forces — voice, melody and rhythm. From the discussion of vocal range, through contrasting ragas, to the percussion dialogue of the Tani Avartanam, this chapter reveals another facet of an artist whose journey has crossed classical, devotional and film traditions with remarkable ease. 🎧 Listen closely. Let the voice, the raga and the tala reveal themselves gradually. This is Part 2 of 3. The musical journey continues. #KJYesudas #Yesudas #DrKJYesudas #YesudasLive #YesudasCarnatic #CarnaticMusic #CarnaticConcert #IndianClassicalMusic #KPuttuRaoMemorial #JaganmohanPalace #MysoreManjunath #NeyveliVenkatesh #GSRamanujam #Narayanagowla #Pantuvarali #Nagaswarali #Poornashadja #Vasantha #TaniAvartanam #Thyagaraja #PurandaraDasa