Vidwan R.K.Srikantan at Krishna Gana Sabha, 3rd Jan 2009

Review the latest concerts you have listened to.
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Jigyaasa
Posts: 592
Joined: 16 May 2006, 14:04

Post by Jigyaasa »

I've never heard Sri R.K.S live but yesterday was the most uplifting concert I heard this season (my "season" isn't over yet :) I hope my post doesn't end up sounding like a full blown encomium given that I have already accused someone of sycophancy :P

Vocal support - Sri R.K.S.Ramakant
Violin - Sri Lalgudi G.J.R.Krishnan
Mri - Prof.Trichy Sankaran
Ghatam - Sri B.S.Purushottaman

1. inta mODi (sAranga varNam)

2.shrI mahAgaNapatiravatu mAm (Gowla, mishra cApu, MD) (S at ravisahasrasannibhatEjO)

3.divAkaratanujam

4.nityarUpa evari (darbAr, rUpakam, Thyagaraja) (A, S at pallavi)

5.nI muddumOmu (kamalAmanOhari, Adi, Thyagaraja)

6.mAmava sadA (nATakurinji, rUpakam, Swati Tirunal) (A, S at pallavi)

7.varanAradanArAyaNa

8.bhajana sEyarAdA (dharmavati, rUpakam, Mysore Vasudevachar) (A, N, S, T at paranArIsahOdaruni paripUrNakAmuni)

... (unfortunately had to leave at this point :()

The alignment to shruti was perfect thru n thru... The doyen's son didn't always coordinate with him. N I thought the vocal support lacked sensitivity sometimes. But Sri R.K.S marched on enjoying every moment of the experience. It was wonderfully evident that he felt n relished every second of the music and this almost surreally reached out to the audience. Even at his age, the pronunciation was flawless, even in Dikshitar's madhyamakAla sAhitya in the GowLa kriti... The swaras were dainty and proportionate. They expressed the rAga swarUpa beautifully.

The Saturday invocation was gravid with sowkhyam. In accordance with the deity being SanaiScara, the kriti moved with a leisurely and majestic gait.

I've heard Sri R.K.S's darbAr on radio but hearing it live was truly something else. Given his predilection for this rAga, his essay was comprehensive although I somehow felt that there was a proverbial nAyaki-in-darbAr moment. Sri Padmanabha's brigas were sharp and he took up the higher octaves were his voice sounded very pleasing. nityarUpa is a relatively rare composition and it was nice to get to hear it.

#5, despite being a filler didn't quite run away before you saw/heard it, which is how these kritis usually get treated. In this respect, I felt the the whole concert had an intangible sense of balance and proportion, an intrinsic speed which was just right.

I'd heard one elaborate nATakurinji earlier this season but this one beat it by miles... Pure bliss... Every phrase... The violinist's solo was brilliant and his swara sallies were outstanding. He received applauses for two consecutive replies. It is no wonder that he prefers goin solo or with his sister only. His music is really profound n there's no scope for gimmicks.

Sri R.K.S's emphasis on pATantara was evident in #7 when his son left a sangati n he signalled to him that he'd missed it n then sang it himself. This despite varanArada again being a "filler".

I hadn't heard dharmavati even once this season n it was gr8 to hear it as main. The neraval in particular was eminently emotive n the artiste commented after an awesome reply from the violinist, "sAhityArthatta anubhavicchi pADanum". No dazzling speed, no tAnam-ish breezing thru to draw applauses. Just meaningful n touching music. The tani had its share of fireworks given the stature of the Mridangam vidwan. Had to leave midway (I hate to do this, but had no choice)

Anyway, this was one amazing concert. Period.
Last edited by Jigyaasa on 04 Jan 2009, 17:33, edited 1 time in total.

keerthi
Posts: 1309
Joined: 12 Oct 2008, 14:10

Post by keerthi »

R K Srikantan's son is R.S.Ramakanth. And I totally agree with respect to his(the father's) Shruthi Alignment and his ability to burnish krthis and infuse solidity and classicism to any piece he takes up. In as much as Nayaki phrases in Darbar, this is the Mysore treatment of Darbar - we are inured to hearing the three songs of thyAgaraja and one by Mutthuswami dikshitar in NAyaki, and have a slightly skewed idea of the RAga. A detailed analysis of the 15-20 darbar songs of ThyAgaraja and of the Darbar Varnam if?when sung in a slightly lower speed will prove the infallible legitimacy of this version of Darbar.

gardabha_gana
Posts: 1033
Joined: 24 Dec 2006, 07:44

Post by gardabha_gana »

It is really nice that Sri. GJR is accompanying.... I hope he continues to do so and hence uplifting the concerts.

Is Krishna Gana Sabha releasing this concert as a a CD by any chance ?

bilahari
Posts: 2631
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 09:02

Post by bilahari »

WOW! Sounds like some concert, and like gardabha said, excellent that GJR is accompanying at least once in a blue moon. Thanks a lot for the honest writeup, Jigyaasa. No sycophantism there!

somayajulu
Posts: 11
Joined: 29 Dec 2008, 11:19

Post by somayajulu »

Sri R K Srikantan's concert was just sowkyam pure and prestine through out, I feel blessed to have listened to such an aesthetic music .Especially I enjoyed and forgot myself when he rendered Diwakarathanujam, What a Music! simply classicism with traditional fervour and without frills and gimmicks.One of the best concert i have heard in this season.

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