Dr. M.Balamuralihrisha and Vikku at Kamaraj Hall

ssv · Post by **ssv** » 31 Aug 2009, 11:10

A program of two maestros that very few knew about. The hall was less than a quarter full.

Vikku started the rock concert with his extremely loud and jarring cacophony. His entourage forgot that there was a mike and that it was a closed auditorium. They sounded like a bunch of monkeys who were handed the percussion instruments.

Dr.Balamurali tried to add some decorum when he sang a new raga called Siddhi. His booming yet melodious voice filled the room with the raga Siddhi. With just four notes ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Â

coolkapali · Post by **coolkapali** » 31 Aug 2009, 11:39

SSV...be more careful with your choice of words...Shri Vikku is a very senior and respected artist ....u might have a point in what you tried to convey but be careful about ur choice of words.

ssv · Post by **ssv** » 31 Aug 2009, 12:21

I am sorry, if I have offended the fans of Vikku. I agree that the Vikku is a vidwan in his right and deserves more respect.

But, I stand by my review of the 'pakka vadhyams' sabotaging the concert.

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 31 Aug 2009, 12:38

ssv: You have the choice to edit your post and possibly reword it, if you indeed feel that your words may offend Vikku fans.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 31 Aug 2009, 13:03

I think ssv's observation is quite on target albeit somewhat harsh. The entire audience had their hands over their ears at one time or the other.

rajesh_rs · Post by **rajesh_rs** » 31 Aug 2009, 13:47

vasanthakokilam wrote:ssv: You have the choice to edit your post and possibly reword it, if you indeed feel that your words may offend Vikku fans.

When someone feels really bad about a concert and wants to express it, this is, in my humble opinion, not the sort of moderation or advice he should be getting. Reasoning it out with the person is a better method of maintaining decorum. Instead, if stifling and impractical rules without regard for one's opinion are posited, no one actually benefits and everyone will reduce participation.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 31 Aug 2009, 13:54

Me too.

Age and seniority do not protect an artist in any way from the impressions of an audience. There are no rules. Rasikas should speak as they find.

However...

I was not there, but I wonder, none the less, whether the artists can really be blamed, or, if as is often the case, their performance was ruined by the sound engineers. It is really, really difficult, even for a grand master, to deafen anybody with a ghatam!

rajesh_rs · Post by **rajesh_rs** » 31 Aug 2009, 14:27

nick H wrote:Me too.

Age and seniority do not protect an artist in any way from the impressions of an audience. There are no rules. Rasikas should speak as they find.

However...

I was not there, but I wonder, none the less, whether the artists can really be blamed, or, if as is often the case, their performance was ruined by the sound engineers. It is really, really difficult, even for a grand master, to deafen anybody with a ghatam!

Good point. The sound engineering could be much of the problem in these sorts of situations. One little mistake there and the whole experience of a concert could be ruined. I sincerely believe that for the level of talent and virtuosity we have in music we have outdated methods of presenting it to an audience. In the realm of non-live concerts, I guess Margazhi ragam sets a standard.

semmu86 · Post by **semmu86** » 31 Aug 2009, 18:03

nick H wrote:. It is really, really difficult, even for a grand master, to deafen anybody with a ghatam!

It is quite possible nick.. In fact one very senior mrudangam artiste almost made me deaf in one concert last december to such an extent , that i heard almost the entire concert with cotton in my ears.. of course i was forced to stay because of the main artiste..
At most cases , the fault seems to be with the musicians who keep on demanding high volumes ( one of the reasons could be the lack of feedback given to the stage )...

But there is also the other side. Again , last year in one of the concerts of the same mrudanga vidwan , he refused any feedback to be given ( if there is no feedback given to the stage , how can he have a feel of the sound system ?? ) but kept on demanding increase in mike volume.. I just couldnt stop thinking how foolish that was...

In some cases , the culprits would be the army of disciples who accompany senior vidwans ( PS : am not targetting anyone here ) ..Many a time i have seen them going here and there and persuading the mike man to increase the volume for their guru alone..

Its only two things in my opinion.. The artistes should leave the sound arrangement entirely to the mike men.. Or if the volume level is imbalanced for vocalist/accompanyinng artistes , we rasikas should take the initiative in intimating them..or even better , the artistes themselves can ask for a feedback from the audience about the sound arrangement after the first piece or so like how ravikiran generally does in his concerts..

Arvind..

rajesh_rs · Post by **rajesh_rs** » 31 Aug 2009, 19:08

semmu86 wrote:
nick H wrote:. It is really, really difficult, even for a grand master, to deafen anybody with a ghatam!
It is quite possible nick.. In fact one very senior mrudangam artiste almost made me deaf in one concert last december to such an extent , that i heard almost the entire concert with cotton in my ears.. of course i was forced to stay because of the main artiste..

Could it be that the mrdangam being capable of generating more bass sounds than the ghatam is more adept at making one go deaf if amplified badly?

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 31 Aug 2009, 19:12

Can this be moved to Kutcheri Reviews?

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 31 Aug 2009, 19:45

I am reminded of an accident report on a motoring forum: one bike causes eight-car pile-up. No, it was not the fault of the bike that the other seven cars hit each other, it was the fault of their drivers for driving too close to the vehicle in front of them.

It is a case of responsibility. Whilst we can criticize artists for asking for more volume, they usually do so because they have no feedback and the stage is an acoustic void. Even though it may be make it hard for the the artists sometimes, the audience is the priority and the sound engineers, and the organisers, need to know, and use, the word no. Ultimately we have them to blame for bad sound, either being deafened, or not being able to hear a particular musician at all.

Unfortunately, part of the problem is that artists tend to be revered, and nobody wants to say no to them. I don't know how many artist actually want reverence; I'm sure there are more than a few that do. The others, I'm sure, would rather have their music appreciated than their feet touched!

Err... we've been here many times before...

(actually, an over-amplified concert is a bit like a multiple-car pile-up! Thank god, though, the audience usually survices!)

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 31 Aug 2009, 22:18

rajesh_rs wrote:
vasanthakokilam wrote:ssv: You have the choice to edit your post and possibly reword it, if you indeed feel that your words may offend Vikku fans.
When someone feels really bad about a concert and wants to express it, this is, in my humble opinion, not the sort of moderation or advice he should be getting. Reasoning it out with the person is a better method of maintaining decorum. Instead, if stifling and impractical rules without regard for one's opinion are posited, no one actually benefits and everyone will reduce participation.

Rajesh, My post was more like an FYI. The OP felt sorry for wording it in such a way that may offend vikku fans while standing by the content of his post.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 31 Aug 2009, 22:56

Sometimes a post is just a post... meaning just a subjective opinion of one person on one day... and a review sometimes just says more about the reviewer and their mental state at the time of the concert than anything else!

rajesh_rs · Post by **rajesh_rs** » 01 Sep 2009, 11:30

sureshvv wrote:Sometimes a post is just a post... meaning just a subjective opinion of one person on one day... and a review sometimes just says more about the reviewer and their mental state at the time of the concert than anything else!

Or their mental state when typing the post out.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 01 Sep 2009, 11:47

I was at the concert and I felt severely let down even with MBKs singing. He just seemed bent on singing unlikely notes together in sequence and the whole alapana went that way. Varadarajan on the violin mimicked this with great aplomb when it was his turn. Thankfully the kritis retained their beauty and made the experience somewhat worthwhile. MBKs voice is still phenomenal and his ability shows no sign of aging. But it felt to me that MBK has stopped listening to good carnatic music and is more into Jimi Hendrix now

coolkapali · Post by **coolkapali** » 01 Sep 2009, 11:57

What BMK sings is anything but Carnatic, i am tempted to say, but then i will go back on my own suggestion to respect seniors......so i take it back....

saianamika · Post by **saianamika** » 01 Sep 2009, 13:16

Maybe there were just not made for each other?
Just my feeble attempt to be humorous, sorry.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 01 Sep 2009, 21:21

Some experiments do not succeed. Perhaps this was one of those. In chemistry and in content--the sound system plotting against it too.

Nick,
Yes, we can speak our minds--but how we do it is another thing. You do it well, without being impulsive and insensitive in your utterings.
I am not thinking of being 'polite, polite', but about saying things about any artiste, big or small, with the thought in the back of our minds that we are supporters of the art (friends?) and not just idle nay sayers. Just as the musicians have the responsibility to deliver what is expected, we in turn are expected to respond responsibly. It is nice to keep in mind that we love our music while we express our opinions. Even with concerts which we pay for, we cannot act like irate customers who are dissatisfied with the goods.
Again, to speak your mind is fine. But how?

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 01 Sep 2009, 21:50

Very well put, Arasi, as ever.

Actually, I seldom write about concerts that I don't enjoy. I often wonder if it wasn't down to my state of mind anyway, if the cause was not obviously external.