Vijay Siva & T.M. Krishna at Krishna Gana Sabha on 28th June

Enna_Solven · Post by **Enna_Solven** » 29 Jun 2009, 13:01

Jugal Bandhi:
N Vijay Siva and T M Krishna,
R K Shriram Kumar (Violin),
Arun Prakash (Mridangam) and
B S Purushothaman (Kanjira).

- Viribhoni (Vijay)

- Rama Nannu Brovara - Harikambhoji (Krishna short alapana, kriti, swarams; Vijay finished it)

- Sadananda Thandavam - Bahudari (Vijay started, Krishna joined and finished it)

- Main piece: Ninne Namminanu - Thodi - Syama Sastri: Vijay and Krishna alternated in all phases but sang the krithi together. It was amazing. The audience gave a rousing applause as they did for almost all songs.

- Slokam from Krishna Leela about a conversation between Krishna and a gopi girl. They explained the slokam before Vijay sang the gopi's part and Krishna Krishna's.

- Mamava Pattabhirama

- Thiruppugazh

- Mangalam

I think I am missing one or two more pieces that they sang.

The concert was held in Sri Yagnaraman's memory and was free. It started at 6 pm and ended around 8:30 pm. There was overflow and the sabha had set up projectors outside.

It was a very enjoyable experience and the two experts alternated so seamlessly. Many phrases of Vijay were very delightful. TMK was in his usual vigor. The contrast between the two in terms of delivery was pleasing. RKSK added to the pleasure.

The announcer made a blunder; she read from a script and said: "Krishna continues to receive advanced training from Shri Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer." The audience went silent for a moment and then there were a lot of disapproving voices. I couldn't see Krishna's reaction, if any. It was a bad start for a wonderful program.

Today's jugalbandhi:
Catch the Yagnaraman July music fest and presenting Jugal Bandhi concerts featuring Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi (Carnatic Violin) and Pravin Godkhinde (Hindustani Flute) - instrumental Jugal Bandhi, Parupalli Phalgun (Mridangam) and Pandit Ravindrayavagal (Tabla).

coolkapali · Post by **coolkapali** » 29 Jun 2009, 13:20

Oh oh...when i started writing the review your post was not there. We seemed to have done it at the same time. heheh.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 29 Jun 2009, 13:23

coolkapali · Post by **coolkapali** » 29 Jun 2009, 13:28

The stage was set. By 5 pm, when i arrived, people had already started gathering outside the hall. And we could hear the sound balancing. TMK was doing Viribhoni and Vijay Siva was singing Mahaganapathe in Natanarayani. And I could hear a lot of murmuring around me especially from mamis who had already decided that these are the first two songs for the concert. They were not entirely wrong. While i would like to thank Krishna Gana Sabha for offering such a wonderful concert, they could have definitely organised it better to control the crowd. We had people behaving in a very indescent manner, pushing and throwing their weight to get in. However, I did manage to find a seat.

Bang six the concert started, i was so happy at the punctuality, which shows that the current crop are trying to be really professional about this. There was a mami who made pre concert announcements and she had the audience in splits when she announced that TMK is currently training under Shri Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer.

The concert started with Viribhoni rendered by Vijay Siva. Both Arun and Purushothaman were pretty good and RKS was in perfect harmony with the main artiste. The next krithi was Rama nannu in Harikambhoji rendered by TMK. This had the audience guessing as to when they would start singing together. TMK exhibitted Semmangudism throughout the rendering and the audience burst into a thundering applause after the second speed neraval.

Raghuvara in Panthuvarali was the next and the raga by TMk was descent. Vijay siva started singing the Krithi and TMk joined him for neraval and swara. This was followed by a combined rendition of Ranganayakam. The percussion was very soothing that it suited the mood of the singers. Sadananda Thandavam had Vijay doing the Ragam and TMk joining him for swaras and then taking it from there to complete the Krithi. Semmu masterpiece Vinaradhana in Devagandhari followed but somehow the actual Semmangudi magic was missing. It was well rendered though. Ninne Nammi, Shyama Sastrigal krithi in Thodi followed. Raga, Neraval and swaram were shared by both the artistes. The two schools of singing, ie Semmangudi and DKJ was quite evident. And TMK tried singing in the upper octave and reached Nishadham, but the effect was not very pleasing on the sound buds. However, he was so amazingly able to reach the Melsthayi Dhaivatham with a lot of ease. Thani was descent and I had to leave as it was getting a bit late for me. Just when i stepped out , i could hear Vijay Siva making an announcement, through the giant screens placed outside the hall. They were going to render a sloka and Vijay was to sing the Gopika's part and TM will be Krishna. I cursed my luck that I had to leave. Please somebody can tell me what happened after this.

In a nutshell it was an amazing concert.

Enna_Solven · Post by **Enna_Solven** » 29 Jun 2009, 13:29

coolkarni wrote:Any one here attending today and tomorrow.I plan to be there.
For Guys who know me .. I am with the Yul Brynner Hairstyle

Coolji,

I would like to say hi. Could you please distinguish yourself? Yul Brynner hairstyle is common

srirangam_chandru · Post by **srirangam_chandru** » 29 Jun 2009, 13:46

Following the announcement, both rendered a shloka from Krishna Karnamrutham (Leelasukhar) in Ragamalika. It was well done. Following that, tiirrupugazh (iyalisaiyusitha) was taken up. Each line of the song in two kalams. TMK sang it in madhyama kala and Vijay Siva followed it up in dhurita kala. It was a treat to listen that. As the final piece, both sang Mamava Pattabhirama together.

Overall, it was a treat to listen to this concert.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 29 Jun 2009, 13:57

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 29 Jun 2009, 19:55

Thanks Enna_ Solven and Coolkapali for the long awited review. A very intersting idea and execution of it too. Hope there are going to be more--a few in the season too.
Instead of jugal bandhi, we could call it IRUVAR ISAI (iruvar iSai), I suppose!

arunk · Post by **arunk** » 29 Jun 2009, 21:09

Enna_Solven wrote:
coolkarni wrote:Any one here attending today and tomorrow.I plan to be there.
For Guys who know me .. I am with the Yul Brynner Hairstyle
Coolji,

I would like to say hi. Could you please distinguish yourself? Yul Brynner hairstyle is common

I thought it should be obvious. A respectable gentleman i.e. "ji" who looks like this:

i.e. "cool" - perhaps a rare combination

Arun

vganesh · Post by **vganesh** » 30 Jun 2009, 09:47

I reached late. Just first song was over. There was a big crowd outside too. Too much of people movement. They have put a screen/CCTV. I tried to sneak in but was unsucessful. Outside the music system was bad. Some times it was blaring some time it was OK. Concert was nice. but I was not very comfortable.
I also left during the 'Thodi'. Collected some sweet poli from the Canteen

Could see the difference between Agastheeswarar Temple and KGS.

Today I am planning to attend. CoolJi if possible I will meet you there.

keerthi · Post by **keerthi** » 30 Jun 2009, 12:13

coolkapali wrote:And TMK tried singing in the upper octave and reached Nishadham, but the effect was not very pleasing on the sound buds.

have heard of taste buds and earbuds and rose buds, this is a new one.. interesting coinage, coolkapAli...

It must have been quite tough for the artistes, reconciling sruti and pATAntara-s..

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 30 Jun 2009, 12:47

it was apparent that they had rehearsed some aspects of it - which made for an impeccable performance. Krishna was subdued in the beginning and his booming energy surfaced only towards the end, but I found his presentation more nuanced and tender than usual. Although Vijay Siva's voice was slightly overshadowed, his creativity and commitment to this music were roundly demonstrated.

cienu · Post by **cienu** » 30 Jun 2009, 13:23

This was a cracker of a concert. Both artists were in sublime form and RKSK's support was outstanding. The hall was jampacked and there was a huge crowd outside too. Glad that I did not miss.

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 30 Jun 2009, 13:44

Looking forward to Part - 2 in Mumbai in October!!!

srikant1987 · Post by **srikant1987** » 30 Jun 2009, 13:55

And TMK tried singing in the upper octave and reached Nishadham, but the effect was not very pleasing on the sound buds.

Not everything done is meant to be very pleasing on the sound buds. TMK must have done that just as an added challenge to himself, especially in the somewhat higher shruti he must have taken up for the concert. I believe Vijay Siva sings at a higher shruti ... they must have taken something in between to sing together, I expect.

Jigyaasa · Post by **Jigyaasa** » 30 Jun 2009, 14:37

I might not have been "very pleasing" but admirable it definitely was... There's no doubt that he has AMAZING vocal range.

As for the mishap abt TMK STILL learning from Sri Semmangudi, it sounded more like laughter emanating from the crowd to me than disapproval. In fact, I wasn't too close to the stage but I'm certain that both the vocalists at least smiled if not laughed at what the lady said. Poor thing, it was the height of embarrassment for her. She was bewildered for quite a while cuz she couldn't make out WHAT it was that she'd said wrong...

The artists coordinated BEAUTIFULLY for mAmava paTTAbhirAma. 99% similarity in pATAntaram... They sounded more cohesive than MSS and DKP (the famous rendition by the two of the same song), whose traditions they represent (MSS <--- SSI)

coolkapali · Post by **coolkapali** » 30 Jun 2009, 17:19

I think they sang in D or 2 kattai which is what TMK usually sings in.

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 30 Jun 2009, 20:08

Great to hear about this! Looking forward to the Mumbai concert too!

harimau · Post by **harimau** » 30 Jun 2009, 20:52

Jigyaasa wrote:
As for the mishap abt TMK STILL learning from Sri Semmangudi, it sounded more like laughter emanating from the crowd to me than disapproval. In fact, I wasn't too close to the stage but I'm certain that both the vocalists at least smiled if not laughed at what the lady said. Poor thing, it was the height of embarrassment for her. She was bewildered for quite a while cuz she couldn't make out WHAT it was that she'd said wrong...

Hey, everybody fully understood what the announcer was saying: folks are still learning from Semmangudi tapes!

karthit · Post by **karthit** » 01 Jul 2009, 23:37

What an innovative idea! Such an exciting experience it really was! 2 exceptionally good CM vocalists coming together on stage after tremendous homework and preparation to give a thoroughly professional performance speaks volumes about the dedication and commitment these 2 artists. Such an overflowing crowd with elderly people sitting and even standing with great difficulty and enjoying the music was incredible. The Krishna-Gopi conversation was very special and what i thought really sealed it all was the rendition of mamava pattabhirama! 'Glorious', would an understatement to describe that one. I really hope more such CM jugalbandis happen in the near future, possibly something like the T20s in cricket!! I cant wait to attend a TMK-Sanjay jugalbandi concert!!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 02 Jul 2009, 04:25

Wonder if TMK has any plans in the future of giving a concert with his own Sangeetha Sivakumar.
I know Vijay too would be pleased no end if that happens!

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 02 Jul 2009, 07:16

Arasi, TMK and Sangeetha have released a cd with songs describing episodes from the rAmAyaNa

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 02 Jul 2009, 07:26

Ah so?

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 02 Jul 2009, 07:29

It is not so novel!

Rasika911 · Post by **Rasika911** » 02 Jul 2009, 07:41

karthit wrote:I cant wait to attend a TMK-Sanjay jugalbandi concert!!

What a sell-out that would be

A problem for artists with carnatic jugalbandhis is that musicians have different styles and so they wont be able to synchronize well.
Arasi mentioned tmk and sangeetha sivakumar jugalbandhi one follows semmangudi bani and another follows the gnb school so it can get a little complicated performing together. This is perhaps why tmk and vijay siva sang portions of the krithis individually.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 02 Jul 2009, 09:29

At least, singing and practising in the same house, teaching each other a kruti or two would mean it not so difficult for TMK and Sangeeta to sing together. Of course, the concert has to be planned in such a way that the differences in schools do not matter. That is what must have happened in the Vijay Siva & TMK concert. Planning and a bit of rehearsing together.

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 02 Jul 2009, 09:36

The female-male jugalbandhis have the major problem of matching sruthis. Either the male voice ends up being very bass or the female voice too shrill. For any jugalbandhi, planning and rehearsing together is necessary for the pieces that are sung in tandem. Where this doesn't occur (for example in some north-south jugalbandhis I have heard), the show ends up being a flop.

coolkapali · Post by **coolkapali** » 02 Jul 2009, 11:59

One point we miss is that when two popular artistes perform together there could be a lot of ego clash.....Vijay and TMK went off well as both of them respect each other....which is an extremely rare scenario...in any performing art.....but yes if that barrier can be broken ....it will be a treat of the highest order.

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 02 Jul 2009, 13:59

I am not a big fan of such dual (or is it duel?) performances. Somehow I feel that instead of synergy happening, it's mostly a 1+1=1.5 - or even 0.8! - that results.
Hope this doesn't become a regular circus on the concert circuit from now on.

coolkapali · Post by **coolkapali** » 02 Jul 2009, 16:04

Ragam-talam.....u have a choice not to attend..

keerthi · Post by **keerthi** » 02 Jul 2009, 17:11

mohan wrote:The female-male jugalbandhis have the major problem of matching sruthis. Either the male voice ends up being very bass or the female voice too shrill. For any jugalbandhi, planning and rehearsing together is necessary for the pieces that are sung in tandem. Where this doesn't occur (for example in some north-south jugalbandhis I have heard), the show ends up being a flop.

Sruthi matching isn't really an unsurmountable problem..

exhibit A : DKP-DKJ.. of course, DKJ enjoyed the felicity of a rather high pitched voice..

b. If there is decent alignment, there can be nothing like a duo singing, with one singing to the tambura sruti, and the other, one octave lower.. The effect can be mesmerising.. the MSS-RAdha versions of JananI - rItigauLa, or the gauLipantu padam (KuvalayAkSirO/EvatE; as you like it..!) is proof enough.. Also the Brinda-muktha renderings, with B's precise, crystal clear mandra sombreness; embroidered with M's wispy, but chaste tAra singing..

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 03 Jul 2009, 04:03

Review from 'The Hindu'.
Date:03/07/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/200 ... 340200.htm

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 03 Jul 2009, 04:49

ragam-talam wrote:I am not a big fan of such dual (or is it duel?) performances.

I like dual as well as single. One cannot be compared with the other.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 03 Jul 2009, 05:14

Thanks Punarvasu. A great review of what appears to be a new mode in CM--by which I mean it is not brothers or sisters of the same school singing together.
Jugalbandi or iruvar iSai

seems to have attained a new meaning.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 03 Jul 2009, 05:44

Punarvasu wrote:Review from 'The Hindu'.
Date:03/07/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/200 ... 340200.htm

Thank you Punarvasu - what a wonderful review by Smt. Gowri R!

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 03 Jul 2009, 06:36

keerthi wrote: Sruthi matching isn't really an unsurmountable problem..

The dual octave singing although an option, is not delectable to my ears. The higher voice drowns often out the lower voice as in MSS/Radha. Recently i heard a North-South Female-Male jugalbandhi and and the high pitch of female voice was extremely shrill on the years

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 03 Jul 2009, 13:24

The review of the same concert in the hindu by Smt Gowri ramnarayan
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/07/03/stor ... 340200.htm

On a side note , I just recollect that krishna gana sabha is one sabha that always has a right principle say for the last 30 years to always keep the concerts as ticketed for their prime evening concerts. This way they atleast did not fall in all are welcome trap, to an extent that promotes and sustains livelihood for all the performing musicians and brings more longevity for all sabhas and artists.

BUt why is that they hold these concerts for free , that too these two artists combo will fetch a full house even if charged Rs 100 per ticket .Would be nice if Shri Prabhu of SKGS follows truly in the footsteps of his dad Shri yagnaraman and eliminate these free for all concerts in the future.

coolkapali · Post by **coolkapali** » 03 Jul 2009, 13:43

I beg to differ, in this case, as this was one of its kind and it was a wonderful thing that sincere rasikas could walk in. Rs 100 is not a small amount for the majority. I understand and appreciate your intention but I will go with KGS this time.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 03 Jul 2009, 22:24

A token nominal fifty rupees for all? With seat numbers? The stampedes are avoided this way.
Tamizhisai has hundred and fifty rupees seats with seat numbers on the tickets, and I found it heaven. This way, the process of getting into the hall is orderly. You do not have to get primitive in your effort to find a decent seat...

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 03 Jul 2009, 22:29

I like TMK and SAngeetha individually but am not sure their coming together might hold any interest other than curiosity value. Of course one might be pleasantly surprised. I think they did say in some interviews that their Shrutis do not match. OTOH I have heard about the Ramayana album

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 04 Jul 2009, 00:22

Vani Mahal also assigned seats last year when I attended Sanjay's concert there. Everyone behaved in an orderly manner there as well.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 04 Jul 2009, 03:08

Narada Gana Sabha and KGS too.

coolkapali · Post by **coolkapali** » 04 Jul 2009, 15:20

I still maintain my stand and its nice to get PRIMITIVE once in a while.

Hehe....

Svaapana · Post by **Svaapana** » 04 Jul 2009, 16:46

Talking of duets, does anyone remember the great music of TMT and Thiruvarur Namasivayam?