காவிரி முதல் வோல்கா வரை ! - Day 5

21/5/09:

Check-out from the Mirage Hotel in Kazan and leaving for Moscow.





















(From R to L: Sanchari Bakshi (Sitar player from Delhi),myself,Sanchari's mother and interpreter Guzel)


















(Waiting to board flight at Kazan. I don't think people could have looked more tired:-))















(A student of the Kuchipudi dance form, Katerina, who came and met me at Hotel Borodino,Moscow).









After this its going to be two days of hectic travel.

காவிரி முதல் வோல்கா வரை ! - Day 4

20/5/09:





(With our interpreter Zakirova Guzel.Photo taken at the lounge of the Mirage Hotel, the hotel we were staying)











Concert was held at the Piramida Concert Hall, Kazan at 7 p.m.





(The Piramida Concert Hall)















(Sanjeev on violin,J.Vaidhyanathan on Mridangam,Sethuraman on Kanjira,Sundar on Morsing)














(Members from the audience posing for group photographs after the concert.)

காவிரி முதல் வோல்கா வரை ! - Day 3

19/5/09:

We traveled from Moscow to Kazan and did some sight-seeing in Kazan after lunch.


The Kazan Kremlin is the chief historic citadel of Tatarstan, situated in the city of Kazan. It was built on behest of Ivan the Terrible on the ruins of the former castle of Kazan khans. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Year 2000.







(The Kremlin [fortress] at Kazan seen at a distance )













(The Kul Sharif mosque inside the Kremlin)












(The mosque at close quarters)












(With our tour guide.The Suyumbika Leaning tower seen in the background)














(Photo taken just outside the Kremlin.The Volga river seen in the distant background.)














(Group photo taken just outside the entrance to the Kremlin grounds.L to R: J.Vaidhyanathan,Sanjeev,myself,Sundar and Sethuraman)
(In front of the Spasskaya Bashnya (Tower) stands an imposing statue of the famous Tatar poet Musa Jalil. The poet is depicted with his arms tied behind his back and his legs entangled in barbed wire: a tribute to his heroic efforts fighting in World WarII, where he ultimately met his end. This spot also offers great views onto the intersection of the Kazan and Volga Rivers.)










(The Kremlin at night)

Concert at The Great Hall,Dom Muziky,Moscow - 17/5/09

Here are the photos of the concert at Moscow on 17th May:

காவிரி முதல் வோல்கா வரை ! - Day 2

Today we did quite a bit of sightseeing in the historic city of Moscow.

The weather today was very pleasant.
We first visited the Kremlin:




























The Red Square is another important landmark in the city. All along the Red Square are beautiful monuments:
































































Standing alongwith our tour guide, in front of the Lenin Mausoleum (Lenin's tomb), situated in the Red Square:















We went inside a beautiful cathedral (Cathedral of Christ the Saviour)and took a look at the ancient carvings on the walls and ceilings. Unfortunately,photography was prohibited inside the cathedral:





















After this,we went to a beautiful garden. Such bright-colored flowers ! It was nature at its best here:






























We finished all this and came back to the hotel,quite exhausted.

I have to now sit and pack- we leave for Kazan tomorrow morning.

I will write more from Kazan...

காவிரி முதல் வோல்கா வரை ! - Day 1

(Title courtesy : Mr.Jeeva's comment in my previous post !)

Today (or rather yesterday!- its already past 12.30 a.m now in Moscow) has been a long day at Moscow.

We boarded the Aeroflot flight at Delhi at 7 a.m on Sunday morning(May 17th). I personally felt that the food on flight was very mediocre.

Reached Moscow at 12.20 p.m(Russia local time.)The Embassy people received us at the airport and we reached the hotel around 2.30 p.m.

They provided us with good Indian food (pulao and Aloo parAtas) and we barely had some time to freshen up,have lunch and leave for sound check by 4p.m.

The moment we entered the auditorium,we were awestruck by the acoustics,the wooden paneling done and the marvelous structure of the hall.

Here is a photo:

















Here are a few snaps taken during the sound check procedure:




























At 7 p.m, when we entered the hall again after the formal introduction of the artists',we saw the hall filled with almost 900 people (almost all Russians).

What perfect discipline among the audience !! There was absolute silence during the concert. No mobile phones ringing, no one walking in or out of the auditorium.

We were honored by the huge applause after each song and especially after the last song vandE mAtaram.

I will post photos of the concert after I get them from the organizers.

We are planning to do some sight-seeing of Moscow tomorrow, so I will be back with more info and photos..

Year of India in Russia-2009

By God's grace, I have been given the privilege of representing the nation in the "Year of India in Russia 2009",organized by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR),Delhi.

I am leaving tonight for Moscow where we are performing tomorrow and we have another concert at Kazan on the 20th of May.

V.Sanjeev (violin),J.Vaidyanathan (mridangam),Papanasam Sethuraman(Kanjira) and N.Sundar(Morsing) are the accompanying artists.

The other groups performing in this "Festival of India" are : a tALavAdhya group from Hyderabad and a Hindustani sitar recital.


More updates from the historic city of Moscow in the forthcoming week..

Sri Krishna Fine Arts Society-25/4/09

Sri Krishna Fine Arts Society-Nanganallur

















Accompanists:
L.Ramakrishnan - Violin
Shertalai Ananthakrishnan - Mridangam

Song List:(R-Raga Alapana,N-Neraval,S-Kalpanaswaram,T-Tani Avarthanam)


1.varNam-ranjani-Adi-G.N.Balasubramaniam
2.sivakAmasundari-jaganmOhini-rUpakam-gOpAlakrishna bhArati (S)
3.gnAnamosagarAda-pUrvikalyANi-rUpakam-tyAgarAja (R,S)
4.AdAdu asangAdu-madhyamAvati-Adi-UthukAdu vEnkatasubbier
5.sarasa sAmadAna-kApinArAyaNi-Adi-tyAgarAja
6.kaligiyuntE-keeravANi-Adi-tyAgarAja (R,N,S,T)
7.rAmakrishNaru-tilang-Adi(misra)-purandaradAsa
8.pravisha rAdhE-misrasivaranjani-kantachApu-jayadEvar
9.tEdi unnai-sindubhairavi-Adi-mahAkavi subramanya bhAratiyAr
10.mangaLam