S Aishwarya and S Saundarya at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 2nd Dec 2018

[SrinathK]

Vocal : S Aishwarya
Vocal Support : S Saundarya
Violin : Dr. M. Narmadha
Mridangam : M. S. Venkatasubramanian
Ghatam : H. Sivaramakrishnan
Tambura : S. Balaji

Song list :
dakshinamurthy stotram (invocation)
1) sarasuDA ninnE kOri - sAvERi varnam - Adi - Kotthavaasal Venkatrama Iyer (3 speeds - chatushra and tisra naDai)
2) tanavAri tanamu - bEgaDa - Adi (1 1/2 eDuppu) - Thyagaraja - Short alApanA.
3) enna gAnu rAma bhajana - pantuvarALi - roopakam (1/2 eDuppu) - Bhadrachala Ramadas - R,N,S - Neraval & Swaras at rAma chiluka nokati
4) raghuvamsa - kathanakuthoohalam - Adi (1 1/2 eDuppu) - Patnam Subramania Iyer
5) shankarAchAryam - shankarabharanam - Adi (2 kaLai 1/2 eDuppu) - Subbarama Dikshitar - R,N,S,TA - Neraval & Swaras at parama jnAnalatAlavAlam
6) kanTi kanTi niluvu - nAdanAmakriyA - Adi (1/2 eDuppu) - Annamacharya
7) gangE mAm pAhi - jinjhOTi - khanDa chApu (khanDa Ekam??) - Muthuswami Dikshitar
8) maitreem bhajata - yamuna kalyAni, kApi - Adi (1/2 eDuppu) - H H Chandrashekara Saraswati Swamigal of Kanchi Math

For those who haven't been hit by it, there's a particularly nasty strain of flu that's been spreading all over the city since October when the rains came in. It knocked me to quarter strength for a week and sent virtually everyone from my mom to my boss to all my uncles and aunts and my 7 month old niece to the hospital. And anyone who comes to Chennai from outside doesn't miss the train either.

So why such an intro to a concert review? Well, when I turned up at the venue, it was clear that Aishwarya too had been hard hit by the virus (to put it mildly), and by all logic shouldn't have been in any position to sing. But my worries melted away and what unfolded was a very good concert.

I admit, concert reviewing is something I do rarely, partly because of lack of time, partly because of the few concerts I get to attend and partly because I prefer vivid reviews that take quite a lot out of me. I promise I will start reviewing others as well down the road. But here goes :

After the invocatory prayer to Lord Dakshinamoorthy, the concert began with a solid rendition sAvEri varnam in 3 speeds (chatushram, tisram, and chatushram 2x speed). They had not the slightest discomfort in handling the naDa bhedam. A very short alApana of begaDa was followed by a surprisingly brisk rendition of tanaVari tanamu of Thyagaraja by the sisters, and somehow Aishwariya managed to get her voice to get going through both the varnam and the kriti.

The alapana in pantuvarALi that followed was remarkable, given that the infection had almost totally cut off Aishwarya's normally huge range in the upper octave (forcing her to sing softly only when absolutely needed) as well as clipping her reach in the lower octave. Sometimes, creativity finds another gear when it is faced with numerous constraints and this was one of those occasions.

So the alapana was mainly in madhya sthayi and Aishwarya showed great imagination and control, with some very good and original brighas all falling in place without any slip. enna gAnu rAma bhajana was rendered in a masterful manner that would have rendered their grandmothers proud, with the neraval at rAma chiluka nokati instead of the usual rAma rAma rAma yennuchu. Aishwarya resorted to sarvalaghu kalpanaswaras with good flow and imagination, including a couple of MMI plot devices (or should I just call it the Madurai style), revealing her skill in this department.

With someone as accomplished as Dr. M. Narmadha on the violin, the concert always finds another gear. She brought out the trademark virtuoso phrases of the Parur school (where Pantuvarali is a speciality) and her replies to both neraval and swaras were superb and enhanced the aesthetic created by the sisters.

Raghuvamsa was rendered as well as we've come to expect from the MS Bani.

The shankarAbharanam that followed was again quite original and right up there with the pantuvarALi, though the virus wouldn't concede without a battle and so struck down several brighas. The kriti shankarAchAryam was yet another heavy number and the sisters rendered it so well the joy on the accompanists faces was palpable. Aishwarya didn't allow her voice and struggles to handicap her and instead tactically came up with several good alternative ideas in both the neraval and the sarvalaghu swaras in the middle octave, sometimes descending downward to Sa. But there was a korvai to end the final round. I would actually wish to hear more of that sarvalaghu swara singing in the future - it was special and out of the box. Expertise in this department is what separates the merely good from the great swara masters - so it will be great if Aishwarya explores that dimension further down the road. Dr. Narmadha's replies in the alapana, neraval and swaras also matched Aishwariya note for note and kept the momentum going, while also showcasing her virtuosity in the left hand brighas and slow slides unique to the Parur school.

Both M S Venkatasubramanian on the mridangam and H Sivaramakrishnan on ghatam gave a good tani avartanam with a complex korvai to round off the main number. Their support throughout the concert was energetic, melodic and unobtrusive and I say the continuity of the flow couldn't have happened today without their support. The mridangam artiste's handling of the toppi was also well done and the mic system was also set up well that we could hear even subtle details.

Then came a new Annamacharya number which I heard for the first time - a ragamalika in the trio of nAdanamakriya, punnAgavarAli and sindhubhairavi. And then the surprise was the gangE mAm pAhi of Dikshitar, in true MS style, which brought back the vivid images of the time I spent a week at Rishikesh watching the mighty river flowing down from the hills to the plains. It takes an experience like that to appreciate Dikshitar. Something in the whole concert (and especially gangE mAm pahi) really made me think for a second I was watching MS Amma and Radha mami on stage (somehow the thicker timber of the older Aishwarya and the thinner tone of the younger Saundarya further strengthens that idea). The concert ended with Maitreem Bhajata.

The special appreciation of the day has to go to Saundarya for her vocal support. She totally filled up every nook and crevice in the singing right from the savEri varnam in all speeds to the last note of Maitreem bhajata, rising to the occasion wherever Aishwarya had to pause and struggle. It allowed her to be heard separately many times from her sister. I observed that her range is as impressive as Aishwarya's and her flow and shruti shuddham doesn't bat an eyelid even in fast, tough sangatis or high notes. The upper octave phrases all owed their day to Saundarya. In the opening of the pallavi, Saundarya sang in the upper octave to Aishwarya in the lower octave and it was nicely done. The singing wouldn't have been anywhere near as seamless as it turned out had it not been for Saundarya's support as well as that of the accompanists. The accompanists for their part were also cheering the girls on.

Some things really stood out - the maturity of the sisters' singing, the weighty renditions of the compositions and the polishing of the gamakas and sangatis. The overall level of this concert was of very high order -- what you would expect from seniors having an additional 2 decades of experience. There wasn't a single note out of shruti till the end, and this despite battling a terrible flu and a malfunctioning electronic tambura, leaving only a small acoustic tambura to carry the shruti for the day. The tactical planning of the concert and the kind of ideas adopted for neraval, alapana and swaras also deserve praise.

This concert very nearly did not happen. From start to finish, Aishwarya was literally fighting just to sing and had to pause often, putting the weight on Saundarya's shoulders, and also had to be assisted by Dr. Narmadha in bringing some phrases to conclusion. What happened in spite of that was a cracker of a concert and for this the credit must go to both Aishwarya's determination and the dedicated support of everyone on the team to hold the concert up. Vidwath wise, this is one of the best I've heard Aishwarya yet and I say this despite the difficulties she faced yesterday. It was not really a long concert, so things were tight and limited. But if Aishwarya and Saundarya put in the kind of effort they are at the moment, they will be at the top in the not so far future.

Overall, an excellent concert lasting for 2 hours.

[kvchellappa]

Thanks for the promise to file in more reviews.
Regarding voice problem, I remember Sri R Suryaprakash once advising her to sing Pantuvarali to get it going.

[cienu]

Thank you so much Srinath for your review. This was a concert which almost did not happen. I had called Sri K N Ramaswamy (Sec - Bhavan) a day before from Bengaluru requesting if the concert could be cancelled as S Aishwarya was having a severe chest congestion.

He said "Just pray to Mahaperiaval and come"

I am attaching a few pictures from my end. All pictures credit (except one) to Mr N J Roy the passionate photographer from Bhavan - Chennai

The concert began with a brisk “Sarasuda”


Great coordination and understanding between the sisters S Aishwarya and S Saundarya


Dr M Narmadha was just phenomenal in her support



S Aishwarya was at her imaginative best during Pantuvarali Swarams.


Another picture of the concert



Aishwarya and Saundarya (who is also a budding violinist) keenly observe Dr Narmadha’s bowing and fingering techniques during the Raga Alapana (This picture alone is to my credit)


In a way it was a concert in which Saundarya revealed her prowess . She was actually not supposed to accompany her sister for this concert as she had her Science Exams – 8th Standard - the next day (3rd Dec). We literally forced her into the car (from Bengaluru) with her science books so that she could support Aishwarya . And what a concert it tuned out to be for the younger sister ! I am especially thankful to Saundarya's Guru Vidushi Smt Neela Ramgopal Mami.



Sri K N Ramaswamy (Sec Bhavan) shares a joke with Aishwarya, Dr Narmadha and myself after the concert.

[cienu]

Thanks for the promise to file in more reviews.
Regarding voice problem, I remember Sri R Suryaprakash once advising her to sing Pantuvarali to get it going.

That was in the Music Academy concert on Sep 16th 2016 on the occasion of the MSS Centenary.
I remembered Sri Suryaprakash's advice and included Pantuvarali for this concert too.

[arasi]

In every way, what a review, of what an extraordinary concert!
Srinath, expecting many more from you, certainly

The young vidushis make my heart swell with pride. Having been an observer of their growth, being aware of each sister's qualities, talents, the dedication of both, their heritage and of their worthy gurus, this does not surprise me.
Narmada's role in making the concert a winner is also not surprising. I can imagine the sweet sound which went into her playing too

Aishwarya,
Speedy recovery. Looking forward to your gaining back the strength and sweetness in your voice pronto.

Srinath,
Wishing all your family good health...

[pattamaa]

This concert was in my radar but some important assignment kept me away. May be I could have worked out priorities differently. What a costly miss

I definitely want to hear begada keeetha and also my fav shankaracharyam, just last month ilatathangudi periava gave me darshan and it had provided a turning point in my life

Periava karunai indded for young sisters. Hope science exam went well.

[rajeshnat]

Srinathk
Thank you for writing a great review , please do write more. You are a big asset to our forum kind of spearheading the next gen with always great posts . The two young vidushis have taken the raga shankarabharanam as main which is a favorite raga of Ms amma . I have no idea about how their voice was overcome by anti inflammatory pantuvarali but I do know that to get bit better shankarabharanam main, it is not a bad idea to take pantuvarali as anti inflammatory.

[rajeshnat]

Cienu
Take a break please 8th standard that too second term science exams . If Saundarya does not know any answer let her write a page full of "pantuvarali -anti inflammatory" as sri rama jayam like in the answer. She will clear.

[kvchellappa]

The great MS amma too sang pantuvarali before sankarabharanam in UN concert where she found her lost voice after praying to Mahaperiyava.