Aruna Sayeeram,H.N.Bhaskar,J.Vaidhyanathan,Karthik@Music Aca

srinivasrgvn · Post by **srinivasrgvn** » 26 Dec 2009, 20:15

1) viribhOni - bhairavi - ata - Pachamiriyam Adaiyappa
2) bAlakanakamaya(Ela nI) - athAnA - Adi (S)
3) neelakantam - kEdAragaula - rUpakam - Muthuswamy Dikshithar(R)
4) ennagAnu rAmabhajana - panthuvarAli - rUpakam - Bhadrachala Ramadasu (RNS)
5) viruttam followed by enraikku shiva krupai - mukhAri - rUpakam - Neelakanta Shivan
6) sharavanabhavA - pashupathipriyA - Adi - Harikeshanallur Muththayya Bhagavathar
7) RTP - tOdi - 'thAmadham En swAmI bAlasubrahmanyA' - Adi 2 kalai
Kalpanaswaras in tOdi,kalyAnI(foll. by vAsudEvAyani),hindOlam(foll. by sAmagAnalOlE),behAg(foll. by dhikku theriyAdha),yaman kalyAni(foll.by rAdhA samEtha krishnA)
8) rAjasa sukumAr - abhang - Sant Tukaram
9) vishama kAra kannan - chenchurutti - Adi - Ooththukkadu Venkatasubbier

srinivasrgvn · Post by **srinivasrgvn** » 26 Dec 2009, 20:58

sivapriya · Post by **sivapriya** » 26 Dec 2009, 23:15

If anybody can brazenly, boldly sing a medley of lines from various compositions, calling it an RTP, altering all the grammar of how an RTP should be sung, then this one was the best example. !!

The whole concert was very loud !!

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 26 Dec 2009, 23:27

srinivasrgvn wrote:-

What happened to your review , why you deleted that , you wrote well.

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 26 Dec 2009, 23:39

sivapriya wrote:If anybody can brazenly, boldly sing a medley of lines from various compositions, calling it an RTP, altering all the grammar of how an RTP should be sung, then this one was the best example. !!

The whole concert was very loud !!

Arun Sairam should read this and justify what she tried to do?

aDANA · Post by **aDANA** » 27 Dec 2009, 00:00

VK RAMAN wrote:
sivapriya wrote:If anybody can brazenly, boldly sing a medley of lines from various compositions, calling it an RTP, altering all the grammar of how an RTP should be sung, then this one was the best example. !!

The whole concert was very loud !!
Arun Sairam should read this and justify what she tried to do?

I DONT GET U... U mean its wrong to choose lyric from compositions to make RTP's? pls be clear

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 27 Dec 2009, 00:34

I am not suggesting anything. We take part of the Vishnusaharanamam and chant and if that is what was done by Aruna Sairam in her ragamalika, I am OK.

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 27 Dec 2009, 03:40

>Kalpanaswaras in tOdi,kalyAnI(foll. by vAsudEvAyani),hindOlam(foll. by sAmagAnalOlE),behAg(foll. by dhikku theriyAdha),yaman kalyAni(foll.by rAdhA samEtha krishnA)

Sounds like a nod to Sri. GNB, doesn't it? If so, nice gesture.

rajaglan · Post by **rajaglan** » 27 Dec 2009, 13:51

vasanthakokilam wrote:>Kalpanaswaras in tOdi,kalyAnI(foll. by vAsudEvAyani),hindOlam(foll. by sAmagAnalOlE),behAg(foll. by dhikku theriyAdha),yaman kalyAni(foll.by rAdhA samEtha krishnA)

Sounds like a nod to Sri. GNB, doesn't it? If so, nice gesture.

Indeed it is a nice gesture to GNB.

perarulalan · Post by **perarulalan** » 28 Dec 2009, 08:38

She sang VAsudevayani in Bangalore Academy of Music Festival recently and she dedicated the song to Shri GNB. Looks like she would have done this rAgamAlika along the same lines

shankarabharanam · Post by **shankarabharanam** » 28 Dec 2009, 18:36

Well I have been reading all the reviews here..But I disagree with sivapriya... If TMK and Sanjay can sing then whats wrong with Aruna trying the same. I didn't attend the concert. But am really disappointed with people here who worship certain artists..Personally I listen to all but blindly accusing someone and supporting the same when their favourite sings is simple unacceptable..

shriroop · Post by **shriroop** » 29 Dec 2009, 10:09

I fully agree and support Shankarabharanam. Some people in this forum are very much biased. If you don't enjoy the music of certain artist please don't attend their concert and you need not review their performance. This is my personal opinion.

Shriroop

rajaglan · Post by **rajaglan** » 29 Dec 2009, 12:48

shankarabharanam & shriroop,
The situation is same in all threads this year including TMK and Sanjay.
If you like to see threads without controversies this year, it is all stalwarts concerts
like nedanuri, TNS, parasalaP, vedavalli, rudrapatnam, RKS....

MV · Post by MV » 29 Dec 2009, 14:04

Yes, I would like to know why srinivasrgvn has deleted his reviews. He (she?) writes well and I enjoy their comments

HarishankarK · Post by **HarishankarK** » 29 Dec 2009, 15:06

I wonder whether God himself wrote the grammar for RTP and carnatic music. Why are so many people so against Aruna Sairam. See how the audience enjoys her concerts, the audience expect her to sing a few light classical / devotional songs in a carnatic music. I think when we compare our concert format with hindustani format already our concerts (for the past many decades) are dilute only. In a 2.5 hour concert only 1 or 2 ragas are taken for elaborate treatment and that too with a lot of compromise whereas in Hindustani music there are many 3 hr conerts featuring only 3-4 items maximum but justifying the ragas handles completely and without compromise.
But in our music we are giving importance to tukkadas also and even very senior artistes sometimes sing light numbers (in mishra ragas) can we say the concert is dilute or not pure.

Aruna Sairam's audience expects her to give a balance and she does the same and therefore crowds attend. Am sure definiltely that no carnatic music lover would ever go to a concert by an artiste without any vidwath (knowledge) but just becuase Arunaji is now having a good audience people are saying that her performances are dilute etc. All crap by few people who pretend to be traditionalists,
There are very senior artistes singing RTPs today - pallavi line being exactly the same as a krithi line and then jumping to the krithi directly without completing RTP - are we criticising them ? Others are experimenting saying that they will elevate the status of small duration items like varnam as main - but they are discussed as pathbreakers and pioneers and vidwans but Arunaji is said to be singing dilute music.

If we are accepting several ragas in an RTP and also up and down of ragamalika swaras, withou or without any order just as a display of technique then what is the issue in using lines from krithis as pallavi lines and including them in the RTP - if an RTP has a number of raga swaras in the end - why can't there be a minor change in the text - that too at the end of the RTP - can't u accept it as creativity !!

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 29 Dec 2009, 15:22

We are talking about 3 pallavi types here, possibly each of us have misunderstood and caught in wordly crossfire

Type 1. If the rAgamAliga is sung and the original pallavi line is always taken as the line that is fine .

Type 2. If the rAgamAliga is sung and the pallavi line itself has few rAga names or pointers embedded in it ,that is also fine

Type 3. But ArunA is singing rAgamAliga and then randomly going to that famous krithi of that rAgam without landing in the original pallavi line.

I guess the people who crib about aruna's style in this thread are only talking about Type 3 which is not to their liking.

aDANA · Post by **aDANA** » 29 Dec 2009, 15:27

Its again another branch of innovation.... pls don demoralise someone even if u can not appreciate.. THERE IS NO HARD AND FAST RULE WRITTEN ANYWHERE its just our perception.

grsastrigal · Post by **grsastrigal** » 29 Dec 2009, 15:35

Yesterday, Sudha rendered Dasavathara pallavi (10 ragas in one pallavi). I could not go to the concert. No review of that. May be if some one explains, it will be good....

Matsya - Hindolam
Koorma - shanmugapriya
Varaaha - Kedaragowla
Narasimha- Hamsanatham
Vaamana Maam Paahi- Vasantha

Parasu- Karaharapriya
Srirama- Saaveri
Baladeva - Natakurinji
Krishna - Sindubhairavi
Kalki - Sri.
Dasavadhara...

I don't know which category it belogs to. No review of Sudha. Hence, Iam bringing this in this session.

CRama · Post by **CRama** » 29 Dec 2009, 15:48

The great singer Aruna Sayeeram has come a long way from the path laid down by her mentors including the doyen of music T.Brinda. The audience of Chennai also likes her singing of more tukkadas and so she had formulated a format which consists of mostly tukkadas. This goes well with herself as well as her diehard fans. This has influenced her so much that now when she attempts to sing some heavy songs, she is unable to bring the effect on the trained listners. Last week her concert was relayed in AIR and she started with Veena pustake in Vegavahini- one of my favourites. I was recording the concert. Then came Pakalanilabadi. Both the songs immortalised by the great MSS. But when AS sang, the songs did not have any life in it and halfway I stopped the recording!

shankarabharanam · Post by **shankarabharanam** » 29 Dec 2009, 15:55

@Rajeshnat: I agree with you. But what about 15 mins RTP that I have been witnessed to sung by TMK. Even that is applauded by his fans here... I am just saying why do we have to appreciate such music whether it is by TMK or Aruna or any other artist.
@harishankar: Well said.
@grsastrigal: Waiting for the review of Sudha's concert at the Academy

Instead of 15 min RTP I would any day prefer a full length krithi rendition in one of the rakthi ragas like Thodi, Bhairavi, Kamboji... At least one does justice. Also tradition is subjective. For instance singing a Varnam as main is considered path breaking. I am in no way defending Aruna Sairam or attacking any other artist. But why have double standards..

CRama · Post by **CRama** » 29 Dec 2009, 16:17

Regarding the dasavathara pallavi, is there any relationship between the avatar and the raga chosen for the same?

nyanasthan · Post by **nyanasthan** » 29 Dec 2009, 20:01

No artist has the right to alter the grammar of a RTP, as sivapriya said the whole concert was very loud,

All the artists should have the responsibility to adhere to the convention and tradition. Audience like her music i accept but the artist can very well please the rasikas without deviating herself from the traditional format, carnatic music itself is at stake in most of the concerts now.

rajaglan · Post by **rajaglan** » 29 Dec 2009, 20:19

rAjasa sukumAr - abhang - Sant Tukaram....
is this a new new abhang by Aruna Sairam...

How was the mukari piece?

DhwaniB · Post by **DhwaniB** » 30 Dec 2009, 07:27

Having sat thro most concerts at the academy, I am truly drawn to expressing myself in this discussion cos my point of view stems from the same observations as rajesh nath and a few others.

Saastrigalji, I presume Sudha Raghunathan's concert clarifications were raised here as the debate is on pallavi format. I will put in my experiences under SR's thread so as to not dilute this debate.

All due respects to ASji for bring music to the masses, creating a different package and having her own explanations for the 'innovations'. But somewhere down the line in the name of innovation, it becomes a parallel delivery completely digressing from the essence and the norm. As CRama has mentioned I too felt the same - somewhere i stopped emoting.

A cue on Type 3 (Rajeshnat) - its my humble opinion that raagamalika can be sung in different swaras, indicatve of famous kritis, no doubt and no harm!!But finally is it not correct that u have to land on the original pallavi line?One needs to come back each time...that is completeness and correctness too.

Music can be sound, music can be melody...beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. While we have other friends here who have emphasised crowds and applause...well is that the only yardstick for performance? Classicm should not be marred in the name of innovation. There is a tradition and there is a boundary. Otherewise it defies the very aspect of carnatic music being pristine, pure, handed down by stalwarts, grammar, precision, math, et al...well all these terms become redundant in this instance and it only meshes with a kind of a lite music...Somehwere there seems to be a dilemma in the music and the masses..its actually not so thin a line...its quite stark and bold. It's little wonder then that the discerning seek clarity.

Would it be prudent for the Organizers and sabhas which claim to be the launch pads and keepers of the pristine carnatic music unique to this place, this season, this time and this band of stalwarts from this special place called Chennai, to express their views and endorse in their worldly wisdom what the appropriate deliveries are all about?? Am sure the reputation of their sabhas also are in terms of what they host?!

aravind. g · Post by **aravind. g** » 30 Dec 2009, 10:09

Yaaawwwn ..... I am bored of talking against wannabe musicians ... I am totally against all these fancy RTP's .. I have seen Aruna Sairam singing such rtps always ....from 2007 Narada gana sabha rtp live recording "Thyagarajaya namaste, guruguhaya namaste , Shyama krishna namaste" Towards the end she sang the ragamalika swarams in nattai,gowlai,arabhi.varali,sree then she sang pallaviÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s of the pancharatna krithis of thyagaraja etc etc ..These musicians with the term creativity they easily get claps and crowd for no good reason....

Two yrs back our TNS had sung Chatsura ragam tanam pallavi - Shankarabharanai azhaitodi vadi kalyani durbarruke he glided from one ragam to another with amazing gruha bedham .. Artist pls experiment ur gynana and creativity in such things .. not with fancy krithis topped aftah every ragamalika swaram ....

@crrama - Relevance of ragam ... when Aruna concert -Tribute to GNB .. Then why singing "Thamadam yen swami bAlasubrahmanyA" and singing Radha Sametha Krishna ??? ROFL ... It is better to just sing couple of ragamalika swaram and end the concert without relating it to some krithis ... If anyone cud enlighten me the relevance btw thodi rtp on Balasubramanian and radha sameta krishna.That wud be gr8. Note our music is all abt bhakthi - dieties ... not musicians

...

CRama · Post by **CRama** » 30 Dec 2009, 10:12

Regarding the linking of ragamalika swaras to the famous songs on the respective ragas, this is not a new thing. Some twenty years back I heard Sirgazhi, Madurai Somu , Kunnakudy etc follow this pattern. I personally do not like this pattern.
If it is done as an innovation, I bring to you another innovation done by Semmangudi in 1960 concert with MSG. In the RTP in Keeravani, while rendering ragamalika swaras, for eg, if it is raga nata, he sings nata swaras then the poorvange of pallavi in nata, then sings swars in Keeravani and sings uttaranga of pallavi in Keervani. Same way he renders ragamalike in 5 ragas. That concert is a mind boggling concert and I think it has been released commercially. I have never heard this pattern of pallavi singing from any other musician. I wish somebody follows this pattern.

HarishankarK · Post by **HarishankarK** » 30 Dec 2009, 10:46

aDANA wrote:Its again another branch of innovation.... pls don demoralise someone even if u can not appreciate.. THERE IS NO HARD AND FAST RULE WRITTEN ANYWHERE its just our perception.

EXACTLY !! I think we should send this as reminder everyday in the morning !!

kharaharapriyajanyam · Post by **kharaharapriyajanyam** » 30 Dec 2009, 11:38

It was a tribute to GNB? Maybe that is why she sang 'thAmadham En bAlasubrahmanyA!! Just a joke. Don;t take it seriusly.

rajaglan · Post by **rajaglan** » 30 Dec 2009, 12:14

HINDU REVIEW BY V. SUBRAHMANIAM attached below
http://www.hindu.com/ms/2009/12/30/stor ... 040300.htm
Is cut and paste here against copyright... in which case I can delete ? Please clarify

The Music Academy witnessed a full turn out for the vocal concert of Aruna Sairam with H.N. Bhaskar on the violin, Vaidyanthan on the mridangam and S. Karthik on the ghatam. From the word go, Aruna's music dumbfounded the rasikas as her super-charged energy levels were so high that it burst out into a grand flow of ideas. She was in complete control of the stage.

Possessing a voice which she has tamed to obey her musical commands implicitly through untiring practice, she could hold the audience almost mesmerised with the powerful delivery of music of immense magnitude. The amplification of the hall was also under her dictate balancing it to her full advantage.

The unparalleled Bhairavi Ata tala varnam of Pachi Miriyam Adiappayya was the first song sung in 2 speeds. After a couple of phrases of Atana ragam ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Elaneedayaraadu' in Adi Talam, supposedly the first creation of Tyagaraja, was Aruna's second presentation. The kriti traditionally starts from anupallavi, the opening words being ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Balakanakamaya.' After this, Aruna's kalpanaswaras were also at this point and it was in second speed.

Her opening phrase for the Kedaragowla raga alapana triggered memories of drama of yore where the hero used to appear shooting a phrase of a raga. The phrase was ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Ma Pa Ni Sa Ri Gaa Ri Ri' from madhya sthayi madhyama to tara sthayi rishabha, this sanchara of Kedaragowla exposing the raga in the first stroke itself. Aruna's raga alapana was blemishless and scintillating. The kriti was ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Neelakantam' in Rupaka tala of Muthuswami Dikshitar .

ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Ennaganu Ramabhajana' in Rupaka talam of Bhadrachala Ramadas was prefixed with a fine alapana of Pantuvarali and suffixed with niraval and kalpanaswaras in the line ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Rama Rama Rama Enuchu.'

A virutham on Lord Siva in Mukhari made many rasikas anticipate the song which was coming, ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Entraiku Sivakripai Vaarumo' of Neelakanta Sivan in Misra Chaapu tala. Incidentally, Aruna had not given the list of songs to the Academy which artists are requested to do.

ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Saravanabhava' in Pasupathipriya, Adi talam, of Muthiah Bhagavathar was an engaging filler. Aruna moved on to the alapana of Thodi for RTP. She commenced when she had enough time to execute a pallavi, indicating her time management skills. The alapana was thoroughly exploratory as no corner of Thodi was left unexplored. The grandeur of the ragam was fully on display. The violinist's version was also executed with equal aplomb. During the tanam, mridangam and ghatam artists joined, as it is the practice in Thiruvananthapuram during Navarathri Mandapam concerts. The mridangam and ghatam entry heightened the melody quotient.

The pallavi line was ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Thamadham En Swami Bala Subramanyane' in Adi talam 2 kalai with eduppu in samam. Aruna announced that this being the centenary year of GNB, she had conceived the pallavi to suit the occasion. Her handling of the pallavi stood musically exalted but did not adhere to the pallavi's norms strictly as the eduppu and aruthi kept on varying. Perhaps the pallavi line was considered to be a convenient medium to showcase her music prowess. The Ragamalika swara session for the pallavi saw Aruna's unique way of ending the swaras of the raga not in the pallavi but in the lines of a keerthana in that particular raga. Kalyani ended in ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Vasudevayani', Hindolam ended in ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Samagana Lole', Behag in ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Dikkuteriyada Kattil' and Yaman in ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Radha Sametha', all GNB's famous songs. This novel practice would certainly thrill the audience but could lead to the dilution of the sanctity of the pallavi culture. Musicians of the present generation look up to seniors such as Aruna as their role model and innovations such as these could send out wrong signals, ultimately resulting in the loss of the age-old pallavi singing tradition.

Vaidyanthan and Karthik excelled in the thani session. Aruna kept the accompanying artists on their toes throughout the concert. She ended with an abhang and a folk song which is doing the rounds these days ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Vishama Kara Kannan.' She totally enjoyed her singing and was given a standing ovation at the end of the concert. Aruna has literally re-engineered her style to capture both the mass and the elite alike.

againstattentionseeking · Post by **againstattentionseeking** » 01 Jan 2010, 00:36

I don't only sing all the swaram ... SA RI GA MA PA DA NI ... But i stitch those even on my blouse that i wear ....Am i not creative ??

check jaya tv Aruna Sairam concert video ... Height of creativity ..such are her rtps

If she had dedicated the concert to GNB at the academy.. She could have attempted gruha bedham ... not all these fancy rtps singing radha sameta krishna while rendering rtp on Balasubramanian (I prefer interpreting god balasubramnian as a diety not GNB)

aDANA · Post by **aDANA** » 01 Jan 2010, 18:29

nyanasthan wrote:No artist has the right to alter the grammar of a RTP, as sivapriya said the whole concert was very loud,

All the artists should have the responsibility to adhere to the convention and tradition. Audience like her music i accept but the artist can very well please the rasikas without deviating herself from the traditional format, carnatic music itself is at stake in most of the concerts now.

PLEASE TELL THE GRAMMAR OF A RTP.. just for our knowledge..

sivapriya · Post by **sivapriya** » 01 Jan 2010, 23:18

Pallavis are meaningful lines creatively worded, in any tala, with a certain nadai or gait as units of 3,4,5,7,9.

It has three parts, Purvanga , Arudi Karvai, Uttaranga. The Purvanga or the former half starts at a point called eduppu and goes on till the arudi or the major beat after the laghu counts and then alongwith the arudi karvai goes on till the finish.

This line is treated with neraval , keezh kalam or slow speed , fast speed, tisram. Any other speed variation, is left to the imagination and capability of the artist. During neraval , one has to come back to the eduppu and arudi with the karvai counts correctly. This is a must in the rule of the game. Some schools even insist on the spacings between words to be constant, though this is restictive for imagination. The general rule is that the eduppu and the arudi karvai has to be kept and is sacrosanct.

After this the swaras are sung . Ragamalika is optional, but adds to the charm of the exercise.

Many innovative and imaginative pallavis have been and are bing sung fitting into this basic grammar and rule. Every activity has a certain rule and every game is played within the rule formats. So also for pallavi singing. The whole challenge is being creative within rules.

Abhishek · Post by **Abhishek** » 01 Jan 2010, 23:35

Did Aruna sing a Todi RTP 2 years in a row at the Academy? Her RTP last year too was in Todi.
it says right here: http://www.hindu.com/ms/2008/12/31/stor ... 130400.htm

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 02 Jan 2010, 03:38

Looks like there was no Thyagaraja kriti sung (barring the reference to Vasudevayani in the RTP). Where is the uproar that erupted in the Sanjay music academy concert thread?

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 02 Jan 2010, 04:08

Mohan, different detractors! different complaints!!

Or if there are no other complaints, then one has to scrape the bottom of the barrel. Just theorizing!!

Abhishek · Post by **Abhishek** » 02 Jan 2010, 05:50

mohan wrote:Looks like there was no Thyagaraja kriti sung (barring the reference to Vasudevayani in the RTP). Where is the uproar that erupted in the Sanjay music academy concert thread?

I think bAlakanakamaya in Athana is a Thyagaraja kriti. Could someone confirm?

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 02 Jan 2010, 06:31

Ela nee dayaradu (Balakanakamaya) is most certainly a Tyagaraja composition.

Enna_Solven · Post by **Enna_Solven** » 02 Jan 2010, 07:29

CRama wrote: If it is done as an innovation, I bring to you another innovation done by Semmangudi in 1960 concert with MSG. In the RTP in Keeravani, while rendering ragamalika swaras, for eg, if it is raga nata, he sings nata swaras then the poorvange of pallavi in nata, then sings swars in Keeravani and sings uttaranga of pallavi in Keervani. Same way he renders ragamalike in 5 ragas. That concert is a mind boggling concert and I think it has been released commercially.

CRama, could you please give details of this CD if you know?