Margazhi Musings 2017

[Nick H]

I heard recently that a visitor called Raintree Hotel to book a table for herself for dinner. The do not make bookings for one.

No problem for Harimau.

[sureshvv]

Sabhas, will you please cease this increasing use of colour in The Hindu advertisements.

Some of these color combinations are atrocious and totally obscure the text. I know they have proof readers but they need some color decoders!

[sureshvv]

So I walk into the Gnanambika canteen (Vani Mahal) at 2pm and ask for a cup of coffee, only to be told that Coffee timings start at 3.30pm.

What kind of hopeless canteen cannot serve coffee any time they are open?

[sureshvv]

Sangeetha Swaminathan @ MA

Violinist looks uncannily like Kanyakumari!

[sureshvv]

K.Gayathri @ MFAC

Vocal volume at Srimushanam levels in spite of request to turn it down. Rest of the ensemble at perfect level.

[HarishankarK]

K.Gayathri @ MFAC

Vocal volume at Srimushanam levels in spite of request to turn it down. Rest of the ensemble at perfect level.

She tends to shout out too

[sureshvv]

One mami's phone ringing from inside her purse & the mami next to her attempting to answer her phone with the ring still going loudly

[sureshvv]

So I go into the NGS canteen for a quick coffee so I don'r fall asleep during the morning's concert & who do i meet there? Our own CRama who then tells me he read my reviews & has come out to check for himself!

No pressure

[sureshvv]

So while checking rasikas, I come to know that vk is possibly attending the concert. Have never met him before. So come out & hang around for a while, evaluating potential likely candidates. Give up and head downstairs & someone whirs past me & I blurt out, "vasanthakokilam"?

[sureshvv]

She tends to shout out too

The correct term, Ahem, I believe is "open throated singing".

[sureshvv]

Sitting with vasanthakokilam & enjoying Maayanai mannu vadamadurai maindhanai from Sandeep Narayan @ SPSS. Poor vk getting a carnatic primer from a long time septagenarian rasika from the other side.

[sureshvv]

vk & I enjoying Sankarabharanam tanam with pori urundai together. This may be the start of something beautiful. Until he reads this

[sureshvv]

The wall paper on the phone of the gentleman next to me is a portrait of the RaGa sisters!

[arasi]

veRum vAyai mella avaluNDu, pori uruNDaiyumA?
They say: flaked rice while shooting the breeze--puffed rice balls too? KArthikai left overs? Are they Nick's favorite munchies too?

[Nick H]

And this year's announcement is:

There is no need to turn off your phones.

Please feel free to make and receive phone calls whenever you wish,
Whether you are old enough to know better or too young to care,
Just do it.

But please, don't do that silly thing of putting your head down, like a
mouse with its head in a hole. We can still see you, we can still see you.

You are just as much of a nuisance as you would be sitting proud and upright.

Remember: the music is loud, so you may have to talk a little louder than
you would at home. Don't worry about it. Just go ahead.

Thank you for your cooperation.

[sureshvv]

Sriranjani Santhanagopalan @ Vani Mahal

RTP

Rasike kala rasike navarasa kala rasike
Nalinaknthi ragapriya

in misra jhampa 2 kalai

Ragamalika swaras in Hemavathi & amirthavarshini

Abhirami Andadhi + Bharathiyar again. Same chandiran oliyil.

[sureshvv]

Fantastic neraval @ "kannai thirandhaal un rupam, kadhai thirandhal un gaanam" by Anahita & Apoorva.

Bhairavi OVK kriti for main!

Song continues with something like "vinnai nokkinaal un vannam, vin mathyai nokkinaal un kannam". Am sure we will hear this more

Thought violinist was Akkarai. Looks a lot like her. It is Apoorva Krishna.

Ravikiran tillana in Shudh Saarang? in sankeerna chapu

[sureshvv]

Thoomani maadathu already! December slipping thru our fingers.

[sureshvv]

Nice to hear Va Muruga Va in Begada making the rounds this year as submain/main. Used to be hardly heard.

[Sachi_R]

Nice to hear Va Muruga Va in Begada making the rounds this year as submain/main. Used to be hardly heard.

One of my favourites!

[sridhar_ranga]

One ceiling fan, just this one out of 40 odd hanging over MA’s balcony, keeps rotating at very slow speed all the time. Seems to happen regardless of if it’s a morning, afternoon or late evening concert. Wonder if it has an ear for good music, the real “CM fan” if there ever was one?

[sureshvv]

Vani Mahal - Metallic casing of speakers vibrating & distorting the sound terribly. All it needs is a dampener but no one seems to bother.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

An ethnic yet very attractive stage backdrop is at the Big Brother's.
The Music Academy.

[arasi]

Yes! To both--may be?

[ratanabhinav]

Bye bye MA , with lots of sad tears ,

[ratanabhinav]

This season saw lots of thodi and kamboji , and rare compositions , at MA

[Sivaramakrishnan]

So also Purvikalyani & Varali

[Vocalist]

And this year's announcement is:

There is no need to turn off your phones.

Please feel free to make and receive phone calls whenever you wish,
Whether you are old enough to know better or too young to care,
Just do it.

But please, don't do that silly thing of putting your head down, like a
mouse with its head in a hole. We can still see you, we can still see you.

You are just as much of a nuisance as you would be sitting proud and upright.

Remember: the music is loud, so you may have to talk a little louder than
you would at home. Don't worry about it. Just go ahead.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Add: during a natya performance when the lights are dimmed, don’t worry about letting the light from your phone annoying others or spoiling the intent of dimming the lights.

[sureshvv]

Kapi is the new Todi.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

The final question :
The Margazhi season in Chennai is from........................... To............................. ( English calendar dates pl)

[Vocalist]

Kapi is the new Todi.

It's no longer Sindhubhairavi?

[sureshvv]

Although closer to Todi, Sindhubhairavi has not seen that much of a central role in Carnatic concerts. Some have explored it fairly well, but still not commonplace.

[Nick H]

Kapi is the new Todi.

Misread that. Thought you were talking about the thani exodus for kaapi. I suppose that would be the new toddy.

[sureshvv]

So (degree) Kaapi is your new Toddy?

[HarishankarK]

She tends to shout out too

The correct term, Ahem, I believe is "open throated singing".

Pl I know the difference, in this case it's definitely shout
Nirmala Sundarajan - open throated singing