Gayathri Venkataraghavan@BVB Main Hall on Nov 26th,2018

[rajeshnat]

Gayathri Venkataraghavan@BVB Main Hall on Nov 26th,2018
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Vocal : Gayathri Venkataraghavan
Violin : Mysore Shrikanth
Mrudangam : Sethalapathi B Sivaraman
ghatam : krishna
Tambura : ????

Concert Type : Nirvana - no concert to follow
Day/Duration : Monday/ 2 hours and 30 mins
Hall : BVB Main Hall, Mylapore

01. Shree Mahaganapthi ravathumA(?,S)- gowlai- MD
4 mins swaras
02. pirava varam(R N S) - lathangi - Papanasam Sivan
6 mins alapana and 5 mins violin return
3 mins neraval in parvathi neya bhakthi???
swaras for 5 mins

03. ninnE nAmi nannu (R , Cittaswarsas,N ,S )- tOdi- SS
12 mins alapana and 9 mins violin return
7 mins neraval for kAmkshi kanchi dhalaya DAkshi
swaras for 8 mins
04. vararAgalaya - senchukAmbOdhi- T

05A. RTP in revati for 43 mins
14 mins alapana with 5 mins violin return
taanam for 8 mins - non metered
pallavi line : mAl maruganE muruganE guhanE , umayAl maghanE aRul thiru
taalam: khanda jAthi triputa
swara ragamaliga - revati + nalinakanthi + kApi(violin) + amruthavarshini + sindhubhairavi (violin)
GV was mentioning this pallavi was originally sung by MS amma in mayamalavagowlai in 1970 .
05B. tani for 14 mins

06. krishna nee beghanE - yamunAkalyani- kanagadasa
07. sAgara sayana vibhO- bhAgeshri - MDR
08. maithreem bhajatha - Hind kapi+yamunakalyani - HH Chandrasekara mahaswami

BVB a mylapore bastion yet not adulterated with NRI is perhaps the best way to characterise Concerts in Mylapore during the month of Novemeber. Personally lucky to be at mylapore on a working day. There were two front to back gayathri concerts ,the previous concert had vidushi gayathri kamakoti and I could not make it . Just made it to the subsequent vidushi Gayathri Venkataraghavan(GV) concert.

As i entered GV started with the MD gowlai krithi. The tempo was strictly madhyamakala and she sang the krithi well with a short burst of swaras, the impact of MD krithi with a dash of swaras was not deep to me. She moved with a very slow rendition of latangi alapana , the alapana had its clear contours and there was not a bit of iota of either kalyani or pantuvarali anywhere. My hunch was right and as expected the mylapore famous vaggeyakkara popped in with the krithi pirava varum. Swaras were bit detailed and I shouldnot complain.The neraval was just standard anchor that exhibited latangi, the pep of gowali and lathangi just did not get into a zone of excellance.

Todi was really well done and indeed was the best krithi of the day . THe alapana had steady anchors in aakaram to start with and then she moved out consciously to bring bit more brigha sheen . I could spot bit more Of MLV in her there, bit away from her usual MS anchor. GV's guru Late A Sundaresan was known for his shyama sastri repertoire. GV sang very well the shyama satri krithi ninne nammi. SHe took her time to do a steady tODi anchor for each of the two cittaswaras, particularly few sangathis like kAmaKshi kalyani.. karunya all gave exquisite todi jeeva rasa and sahitha bhavam was there in plenty. The neraval was detailed , the swaras in todi did not match with her earlier excellence .

The filler sennchukAmbOdhi did not hit any great AhAspot ,the landscape was not sufficiently changed as a fast filler. I am yet to hear any great vararaga laya that has appealed to me. Revati alapana was taken next and it was obvious that the RTP was on. Her alapana was very meditative, taanam unfolded very well with a steady anchor mostly in madhyamakalam. Historically MLV and BMK were perhaps the first musicians to take revati as RTP, and I personally like these kind of expressive and emotive ragas like revati. GV announced her main manaseeka guru MS amma had taken the pallavi lines as mayamalavagowlai and she said she is going to take the same pallavi line rendered by ms amma in the ragam revati. Pallavi neraval amaippu was well done . Her swara delivery in nalinakanthi was the most impressive when compared to amruthavarshini. Shrikanth in violin rotated with kapi and sindhubhairavi and he managed it very well.GV was mentioning the date/day was connected to kanakadasa and she rendered the krishna nee beganE which was not as aesthetic as the next bhageshri. She finally ended with ms amma popularized maithreem bhajatha and she dedicated to some one connected to sabha and she mentioned her name as Kamala aunty.

Mysore shrikanth could have upped bit more . All returns were quite long for almost all songs and for the first half the tone was not very sunaadam. B Sivaraman has the closest TK murthy style and he always kind of focusses on patterns that many atimes gives sufficient contrast . The young krishna in ghatam was really good . The tani was towards the end and then just went with the flow of the earlier pallavi,not much to rave about .

Personally I was happy to hear a main followed by submain combo and that way the chance of RTP was more . GV has sowkhyam during krithi rendition I am personally able to connect much more her music during krithis. Personally I would have liked little more aggression and bit more interaction with percussionists during the creative touchpoints like swaras ,neraval etc. GV gives a bit more cliches without much landscape changes in layam at times the aroma of ragas are not getting deep to me as a rasika . All said BVB concerts in evening going for 2 hours and 30 mins is lovely , thanks to the sabha, usually it is 15 mins less.

Overall a very good concert for 2 hours and 30 mins.

[sureshvv]

The concert was designed to be "heavy" - expecting the rasikas to be ready and warmed up from the previous concert(s). The items were few and three ragas were dealt with comprehensively. Todi was sung as if it were the Academy. The thukkada section was presented with trademark GV bhavam (not sure I have ever heard her sing Krishna nee beganey before).

A memorable concert.

PS: I thought it was Sumanesaranjani (not Amirthavarshini).

[grsastrigal]

Todi - Alapana 12 minutes and Revathi Alapana is 14 minutes.
Besh Besh.

[rajeshnat]

Todi - Alapana 12 minutes and Revathi Alapana is 14 minutes.
Besh Besh.

GRS
Todi had 12 mins alapana with additional 9 mins violin return
revati had 8 mins alapana with additional 6 mins violin return

PS: I thought it was Sumanesaranjani (not Amirthavarshini).

Suresh
May be you are right on sumanesaranjani . YOur thoughts on the 3 accompanists performance please.

[ram1999]

@rajeshnat "BVB a mylapore bastion yet not adulterated with NRI is perhaps the best way to characterise Concerts in Mylapore during the month of Novemeber."

that indeed is a leading statement without substance

[sureshvv]

YOur thoughts on the 3 accompanists performance please.

Not at their best. Sivaraman was the accompanist for the previous concert also and he was even worse in that - so it cannot be attributed to fatigue. His patterns were not jelling with the gait of the kriti and they were sticking out like a sore thumb. Long theermanams at the end of the kriti did not earn any points from me. Srikanth was scratchy and creeky but displayed some inspiration here and there (like the kapi and sindhubhairavi swaras during the ragamalika swaras of the RTP). Krishna was subdued - may be he was not feeling challenged. So cannot say that the support was great.

[sureshvv]

May be you are right on sumanesaranjani .

I was wrong. You were right about Amirthavarshini. Sorry about that!