The Malladi Brothers use Hindustani Raag Rageshwari as the setting for a lively thillana, a Carnatic song form based on strong rhythm and dance-like interplay.

Learn more about the music:
The Malladi Brothers (Sreeramprasad and Ravikumar) sing Carnatic vocal music together. They hail from an illustrious Andhra Pradesh musical family, training under their grandfather Srirammurthy and father Suri Babu, as well as Nedunuri Krishnamurthy and Sripada Pinakapani. Their style of singing blends a deep approach to composition with extended forays into improvisation, covering rare ragas and commanding stages around the world.

A thillana is a form of rhythmic Carnatic song, often used to end performances. It is strongly influenced by Indian classical dance forms, and is intended to bring a satisfying conclusion to long kutcheri [Carnatic concerts]. Some believe that the form is in part derived from the North Indian tarana, a fast-paced style influenced by Persian and Arabic music.

This particular thillana composition was written by the legendary 20th century musician Lalgudi Jayaraman, one of Carnatic music’s ‘violin trinity’. He borrows from North Indian music, using the framework of Hindustani Raag Rageshwari - a melodious raga drawing from Khamaj thaat [SRGmPDnS - the equivalent Carnatic scale is Harikambhoji]. Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi, Jayaraman’s daughter, plays violin in this performance.

Recorded at Darbar on 26 Oct 2018, at London’s Barbican Centre
-Malladi Sreeramprasad (vocal)
-Malladi Ravikumar (vocal)
-Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi (violin)
-Trichy Sankaran (mridangam)
-Giridhar Udupa (ghatam)
-Priya & Srutti Suresan (tanpuras)

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