Semmangudi R Srinivasa Iyer | Live at Shanmukhananda Fine Arts, Bombay, 1964

A moment suspended in time — the year is 1964, the stage is the grand Shanmukhananda Fine Arts Hall in Bombay. The air is electric with devotion and expectation. Before the packed audience stands the Pitamaha of Carnatic Music, Semmangudi R Srinivasa Iyer, alongside the inimitable violin maestro Mysore Chowdiah — two titans whose collaboration is the stuff of legend, yet whose recorded evidence is vanishingly rare.

This concert, one of the few surviving documents of their musical union, unfolds like a long twilight — filled with the fragrance of a bygone era. Over the course of three and a half hours, Semmangudi leads us through an expansive terrain of ragas — from the noble gravitas of Harikambhoji and the poignant depth of Kharaharapriya, to the stately elegance of Shankarabharanam and the lilting sweetness of Anandabhairavi and Khamas.

There’s a tender, human moment preserved forever in this recording — Semmangudi, with his characteristic wit, remarks on how demanding it is to sing 3½-hour concerts back-to-back, hinting that this was likely the second day of a two-day marathon at Shanmukhananda. Semmangudi, ever the consummate artist, responds to his colleague’s request with the radiant “Idadhu Padam”, a moment of camaraderie and grace that bridges generations.

Digitally remastered from the original reel for pristine listening, this archive is a pilgrimage into the heart of bhava and tradition.

Vocal: Semmangudi R Srinivasa Iyer
Vocal Support: Unknown
Violin: Mysore T Chowdiah
Mridangam: Vellore G Ramabhadran

00:00:00 - Harikambhoji - Dinamani Vamsa - Adi - Tyagaraja
00:10:19 - Pantuvarali - Alapana
00:13:18 - Pantuvarali - Sarasaksha - Adi - Swati Tirunal
00:25:43 - Reetigowla - Alapana
00:30:41 - Reetigowla - Dwaithamu Sukhama - Adi - Tyagaraja
00:41:33 - Kambhoji - Alapana
00:50:38 - Kambhoji - Ma Janaki - Deshadi - Tyagaraja
00:59:22 - Devamanohari - Kanna Tandri Napai - Deshadi - Tyagaraja
01:03:44 - Kharaharapriya - Alapana
01:20:12 - Kharaharapriya - Chakkani Raja - Adi (2 Kalai) - Tyagaraja
01:31:18 - Tani Avarthanam - Adi (2 Kalai)
01:38:04 - Anandabhairavi - Nee Mathi Salaka - Adi - Kavi Mathruboddaya
01:42:38 - Saveri - Alapana
01:46:17 - Ragamalika - Saveri, Nattaikurinji, Dhanyasi, Mohanam, Mukhari, Purvikalyani & Madhyamavathi - Bhavayami Raghuramam - Rupakam - Swati Tirunal
01:57:33 - Shankarabharanam - Ragam
02:15:45 - Shankarabharanam - Thanam
02:20:08 - Ghanaragamalika - Thanam in Natai, Gowlai, Arabhi, Varali & Sri
02:35:05 - Shankarabharanam - Pallavi - Chakkagani Bhajana, Jesevariki Takkuva Galada Sri, Rama Dina Dinamu - Adi (2 Kalai)
02:49:11 - Khamas - Marubari Talalenura (Javali) - Adi - Dharmapuri Subbarayar
02:53:50 - Anandabhairavi - Vanitaro Ee (Javali) - Rupakam - Dasu Sriramulu
02:57:04 - Ragamalika - Mohanam, Dhanyasi, Shanmukhapriya, Sama, Nadanamakriya, Surutti - Kodanda Deeksha (Viruttam)
03:14:33 - Varali - Ka Va Va - Adi - Papanasam Sivan
03:19:13 - Khamas - Idadhu Padam - Adi - Papanasam Sivan
03:22:38 - Neelambari - Panchasayaka Janakan - Adi - Swati Tirunal
03:26:05 - Bhairavi - Srita Kamala (Ashtapadi) - Thisra Triputa - Jayadeva
03:28:51 - Sowrashtram - Ni Nama Rupamulaku (Mangalam) - Adi - Tyagaraja

#Semmangudi #Chowdiah #CarnaticMusic #VaakArchives #Shanmukhananda #Tyagaraja #SwatiTirunal #PapanasamSivan

Playlist - Shanmukhananda Sabha, Bombay:    • Shanmukhananda Sabha, Bombay | A Legacy in...  
A curated collection of legendary performances held at the iconic Shanmukhananda Sabha in Bombay, one of India’s most prestigious concert halls. From inaugural recitals by titans like Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar to later-era classics, this playlist captures the grandeur, acoustics, and cultural spirit of a sabha that shaped the course of Indian classical music.
This archive is a tribute to the timeless artistry and the enduring stage that has witnessed it all.


Through this initiative we aim to archive concerts by various artists and bring to our viewers the experience of listening to complete concerts. These concerts are carefully chosen from Vaak's archives and cleaned up for the best listening experience.

The purpose of this upload is to assist the students and the lifelong learners of India in their pursuit of an education so that they may better their status and their opportunities and to secure for themselves and for others justice, social, economic and political. This has been posted for non-commercial purposes and facilitates fair dealing usage of academic and research materials for private use including research, for criticism and review of the work or of other works and reproduction by teachers and students in the course of instruction. Many of these materials are either unavailable or inaccessible in libraries in India, especially in some of the poorer states and this collection seeks to fill a major gap that exists in access to knowledge.