Ramakrishnan Murthy@MusicAcademy On Dec 28th,2017

[rajeshnat]

Ramakrishnan Murthy@MusicAcademy On Dec 28th,2017
-------------------------------------------------
Vocal: Ramakrishnan Murthy
Violin : Charumathi Raghuraman
Mrudangam : N C Bharadwaj
Ghatam : N GuruPrasad

Concert Type : Nirvana - No concert to follow (but it does not matter between morning and evening it is same exact 150 mins)
Day/Duration : Thursday/ 2 hours and 30 mins (06:45 PM to 09:15 PM)
Concert Type: Ticketed Concert
Hall : Music Academy

1.saranAgatham enRu(S) - gowlai - GKB
swaras for 4 mins
2.ninnu vinA marigalada - reetigowlai - SS

3. amma rAvamma(R,N,S) - kalyani - T
6 mins alapana and 4 mins violin return
neraval in tAmarasa dhala nEtrudu for 5 mins
5 mins of swaras
4. rAma rAma kali - ramakali - MD

5A. chakkani rAja (R N S T)- kharaharapriya - T
11 mins alapana and 6 mins violin retun
neraval in kantiki sundara taramagu rupavE for 8 mins
swaras for 8 mins
5B. tani for 14 mins

6. RTP in jaganmOhini for 33 mins
alapana for 10 mins
taanam with taanamaliga in jaganmohini + bahudari?? + hamsanAdam for 8 mins
pallavi in mishra jathi triputa
Pallavi line - nad(g)arAja nandini tri jaganmOhini jagadA nanda kArini jayati shiva bhavAni
swaras in jaganmohini + nAttai+ kamAs+ bhavani

7. jayathi jayathi bhAratha mAtha - kamAs - Mayuram vishwanatha sastri
8A. slOkham - shringAram kshiti nandini - kApi + kAnadA + mukhAri + mohanakalyani + navarasakannada???+ Ahiri + revati + hamsanandi+ shyamA - rAmakaraNamrtam
8B. janaki ramana - kApi - vanamalai jeeyar
9. varugalAmO - mAnji - GKB
10. managalam kosalendrAya - mAnji

[rajeshnat]

This was my 4th concert of the day after vidushi kanyakumari. Instrument and vocal go well to me and i also make a strategic time out where I skip the first tani of evening I concert ,the fatigue overload of sound should not come in the way to the muse of the subsequent evening II concert.

I think this concert is one concert where I can sum up to say a really a great team of pakkavadyam artist who know proportion and giving more air time to vocalist is the key for success of the concert.

RKM is surely a fine KVN protege and sowkhyam superking was adequately there . The start in gowlai with saranagatham was just ok, voice of RKM did not open out , gowlai swaras as start is usually a lot of fireworks , i found a bit of wanting and cannot say the kutcheri kalaikattufied. It is customary for having a definite trinity compositions in academy. The first was reetigowlai of SS , the curves of reetigowlai usually has so much facets but i felt RKM just did not give that aesthetic superspot of reetigowlai. kalyani as a RNS came next with amma ravamma , the alapana was a clean copy book one , but the krithi and neraval did not have that much kalyani aesthetics , from swaras in kalyani it zoned into excellence and from there on he was sailing with lovely aesthetics

I was first introduced to the same rare ramakali when suryaprakash sang and then TM krishna sang somewhere , but i forgot all of that, i only had textual recollection and completely lost in my head the musical recollection . This is season time you also revisit what you have forgotten . Ramakali was very nice and the third trinity krithi after T and SS came , dikshitar gives a slightly nottuswaras like touch in ramakali , the mmg and ramakali have a sure parent and child relationship in both textbooks and emote.

The main was taken next , while SSI is considered the kharaharapriya king but when the krithi is chakkani raja only i adore the mmi and ssi renditions . There was also a great mahavidwan KVN who gave a distilled essence you dont have much of tara stayi but a well sung madhyama kala rendition is also great , sadguru creates a rAja margam way in all speed tracks . The alapana was nice and chArumathi added shine, the krithi chakkani raja is a celebration krithi for all rasikas it ups each of rasikas ego a bit as though they also know to sing , the kantiki sundara neraval was measured as with swaras and I will give it to him it is an exact 2 and half hours so certain censor is due.

Jaganmohini as RTP was taken next. I personally recollect the jaganmohini raga RTP when nityashree sang this as RTP in academy, i was thinking if he is heading for that famous DKP vidushi jaganmohini pallavi but it was different pallavi line . The alapana of jaganmohini was slighly circling not with ideas but the voice quality and shruthi was right there. He made a lovely triple sundae small scoops and the contrast of taanamAliga scoop in ragas jaganmohini , bahudari and hamsanadam were all in that lovely emote - power intersect zone,taanam returns by charumathi pepped up the concert .

The pallavi he explained as something like pallavi in 1 kalai and taalam is in 2 kalai. The explanation was creating only a great feel that he is going to do something but the pallavi was very ordinary in neraval , i think he also skipped the trikalam . The pallavi was not a pallavi for pallavi sake . But who cares about laya vinyasam when you have lovely ragabhavam , the lines were crafted well with 4 ragas , nad(g)arAja nandini tri jaganmOhini jagadA nanda kArini jayati shiva bhavAni. . The 4 ragas in swaras were jaganmOhini, nattai , kamas and bhavani were equally in measure and each of the last 3 ragas had popular krithi names of that raga embedded in pallavi.For many years i used to think only sanjay created this idea of wrapping with the last swara ragamaliga raga and then seguing to the krithi of the same raga .But afte many posts in the forum i came to know that it was GNB who did that for the first time of taking a swararagamaliga and taking a course with a followup of a krithi in that raga. jayathi jayathai bharatha mata in kamas was a nice followup. Recollection of ragas and keeping with rasikas is more worthy than showing that i know this krithi also .

Since he did not sing a detailed neraval even though he made an announcement that it was as though a tough uphill but pallavi neraval was very ordinary (intelligent showmanship in announcement), That idea was good as he moved to navarasa slokha. It is so important to sing ragamaliga slokham or viruththam to convey emote. All 9 ragas he sang well but i felt he moved with lot of atanish phrases in kAnada . incidentally when chAru traversed she only played atAna and not KAnada and she skipped one raga mukhAri.Kind of one rasa violin and vocalist , i suspect RKM went by mistake to KAnadA land than staying in atAnA land. I guess only me in the audience would know as i have the habit of writing immediately in notebook. This does not take the aesthetics at all in navarasa slokham from both vocalist and violinist. He moved to janaki ramana in kApi and then following with varugalAmO was lovely. He said he started and will end with Gopalakrishna bharathi and it was a hidden annoucement that I follow intensely KVN and I am one protege of KVN (another intelligent showmanship in announcement)

Many concerts go bersek with accompanist definitely taking lot of cycles sometimes the baton passing is delayed but if as a team the accompanist work to give that exact proportion there is just joy. The first time eveninig slot promotion of NC bharadwaj is surely footed for success and he played beautifully with lovely sound . What can I say his play even in the last faceless mAnji ,the mrudu angam moonji was full of aesthetics with the same silence that UKS gives for a typical MDR and KVN varugalAmO. The most experienced GuruPrasanna was lovely his taps in tani had so much aesthetics and I generally love ghatam to kanjira that too considering it is my 4th concert of the day. Tani was strictly metered to give RTP and ragamaliga slokham airtime.

In the concert , there is no man of the match . There is only woman of the match . I look intensely the schedules of academy and many sabhas , very few accompanist like trichy sankaran, UKS , S varadarajan , and charumathi raghuraman have 2 slots.Nagai sriram has 3 slots . Sudha Ragunathan and RKM have paired with charumathi raghuraman , the pakkavadyam in academy indicates where A+ quality resides . She played so beautifully ,had lovely shruthi sense and most importantly she never plays full note so vocalist is not interrupted in idea and rasika never hears intrusion .All sangathis enhanced the rAga bhavam and at times when vocal RKM needed vocal clearance she gave it seamlessly. She is just a phenomenon , I am glad she got loud applause when both she and RKM sang in many places .

Overall an excellent concert for 2 hours and 30 minutes.

[sankark]

nagharAja nandini - malaiyarasan peN

KHP - unfortunately 3rd time wasn't charm for me either so got turned off. And KHP followed me the next day too for a 4th time with chakkani chakkani rAjamArgathula T seems to have created 11 songs, 9 if you discount rAma nIyada as dilIpakam and chetulAra as bhairavi. But the rest, other than pakkala, chakkani and nadaci (rarely) languish unsung.

Overall average one in my books.

[rajeshnat]

nagharAja nandini - malaiyarasan peN.

What does malaiarasan peN mean , i get it somewhat throw some more light?

[sankark]

nagharAja nandini - malaiyarasan peN.

What does malaiarasan peN mean , i get it somewhat throw some more light?

The pallavi was on ambAL. So I think it was nagharAja as nad(t)arAja nandini doesn't make sense.

[Sachi_R]

Well said:

charumathi raghuraman , the pakkavadyam in academy indicates where A+ quality resides . She played so beautifully ,had lovely shruthi sense and most importantly she never plays full note so vocalist is not interrupted in idea and rasika never hears intrusion

I think violin accompaniment in CM has reached a kind of zenith. Sweetness, style, on-the-spur response, poise, consummate virtuosity in solo passages, specialisation in Tanam, modulation, a smiling demeanour - all signify a great mastery. And Charumathi stands for all of that.
Charumathi means in Samskrita a beautiful mind/sense like Sumanas. In Tamil it means I think a beautiful moon. Both terms apply here.

[rshankar]

Should be nagarAja (not nagha) - king of the mountains (naga) = malai arasan
aga, naga, adri, Saila, giri all mean mountain.

pArvati is called nagajA, adrijA, SailajA, girijA etc. Remember the nATTai song namO namO raghukula nAyakA? rAmA is described as one who worships Siva and pArvati (Sankara nagajA nuta).

[SriKrishnan]

As in the Krithi "Gana Murthey" - krishna being described as the brother of Parvathy, the daughter of Mountain
"Nava Megha Theja "Nagaja Sahaja ".

[Rasika_first]

This was probably one of the best concert this season. Rajesh nice review covering all the aspect of the concert. RKM seems to be getting better with every concert. May this youngster continue to grow more and enthrall us for years to come

[rshankar]

What does malaiarasan peN mean , i get it somewhat throw some more light?

malaiarasan peN - SrI PS called her “veRparaiyan magaL” in his valaji kRti, right?

[HarishankarK]

Wow

[quote=rshankar post_id=328813 time=1515518614
malaiarasan peN - SrI PS called her “veRparaiyan magaL” in his valaji kRti, right?
[/quote]
Wow, just heard Vijaya Siva sing this krithi on youtube
And was wondering the meaning of charanam lines

Verparaiyan magal karpaga nayagi vinnumor bagane maavilai vagane ??? Have i even got the words correct?
Can someone explain the meaning? Thanks

[hnbhagavan]

charumathi raghuraman has very quickly rose to best accompanist position.