Review of T K Govinda Rao concert at Asthika Samajam

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 16 Feb 2006, 23:35

T K Govinda Rao - Vocal
M Chandrasekaran - Violin
Palghat Suresh - Mrudangam

Asthika Samajam, Thiruvanmiyur at Amarabharathi on 16th Feb 05 6:30 pm

Thyagaraja aradhanai series.

ragunAyakA - hamsadvani - Adi (RS)
appa rAma bhakti - kAmavardini - rUpakam (NS)
evarani nirNayincirirA - dEvAmrutavarshini - Adi (S)
vidhi shakrAdulaku dorakunA - yamunakalyani - rUpakam (RS)
rAga ratna mAlikacE - rItigauLa - rUpakam (RNS)
tani
sAntamulEkA - sAmA - Adi (S)
pAhi rAmacandra rAghavA - yadhukula kAmbhOji - rUpakam
nI nama rUpamulaku - saurASTRam - Adi
mangalam kOsalEndrAya - madhyamAvati

The concert started with a short and crisp expansion of hamsadvani and the kriti was rendered well with nicely structured svarams in various nadais. The kAmavardini kriti was rendered with the usual vigour with neraval and svarams at 'kapi vAridhi dATunA kaliki rOta gaTunA'. The kriti in dEvAmrutavarshini was rendered in an amazing kAlapramANam which was too good and so were the svarams.

The ultimate treat of the evening was a 12 minute yamunakalyANi AlApanai. The AlApanai took one complete round of the rAga svarUpam and it was too good to say the least. The kriti taken up couldn't get rarer. 'vidhi shakrAdulaku' was rendered with absolute bhavam and it was just ecstacy to listen to the kriti and the svarams which followed.

The main course was even more interesting and enjoyable. rItigauLa was elaborated to all its limits. All sancarams that could show the rAga svarUpam were interwoven in the AlApanai. The kriti was rendered very well with neraval and svarams at 'bhAgavatOttamulu gUDi pADE kIrtanamulaTa'. The sAmA kriti and svarams and yadhukula kAmbhOji kriti were rendered in true TKG style.

To go to a TKG's concert, one must go with a mindset which will not expect anything from the voice. All those who entered the hall with the same mindset will definitely agree with me that it was a rare treat to listen to him singing.

Sri M Chandrasekaran on the violin was his usual self. He was visibly clueless during all parts of the yamunakalyANi. One could actually see him sitting enjoying all that TKG did that he forgot to play when his turn came, more than once.

Palghat Sri Suresh played with good anticipation. One was quite worried as to how a man could sit in such an uncomfortable position for not less than 2 hours and play so good. His tani was good also.

bharath

Sivaramakrishnan · Post by **Sivaramakrishnan** » 14 Jan 2010, 09:00

"To go to a TKG's concert, one must go with a mindset which will not expect anything from the voice. All those who entered the hall with the same mindset will definitely agree with me that it was a rare treat to listen to him singing."

rbharath, you have said it all! It's more of 'lakshana' and not the 'lakshya' aspect you get from TKG.

dundubi1944 · Post by **dundubi1944** » 17 Jan 2010, 11:36

Sivaramakrishnan wrote:"To go to a TKG's concert, one must go with a mindset which will not expect anything from the voice. All those who entered the hall with the same mindset will definitely agree with me that it was a rare treat to listen to him singing."

rbharath, you have said it all! It's more of 'lakshana' and not the 'lakshya' aspect you get from TKG.

This is excellent mindset which is setting apart carnatic from other narrowminded musics. we have tje long tradiotion of supporting sruthi challenged singers. now we are supporting the vocal challenged singer. its very inclusive accessible and poltically correct. even western can take the cue from us. i suggest we become more progressive and support mute artists also to be fully accessible and inclusive. they can put talam on stage and intellectual audience like rbharath can imagine what they are wanting to sing and we can discuss and analyse it in details on this website.

we should also support voice synthesiser concert maybe sir hawking will inaugurate. please arrange. our great music can get guiness record for progresive developments along with other great indian acheivments like longest mustach fingernails etcetra

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 17 Jan 2010, 16:56

I admire DUNDUBHI1944's astute, accurate observations with penetrating insights.....His sense of humour is also good & as one who follows at least part of what Stephen Hawking has said about the Black Hole etc I hope he will continue to regale us with his observations on the curent day scene which is pretty close to what he has described. VKV

uday_shankar · Post by **uday_shankar** » 17 Jan 2010, 19:52

dundubi1944,

Ouch!

ROTFL

.

Somebody please post something sad to arrest my laughing fit.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 17 Jan 2010, 21:35

Once again,
The refrain will be...
tunbam
nErgaiyil

:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:( =========
== \\\\///////
==== \\\\/////

yAzh eDuttu...
In your case...
kuzhaleDuttu nI
inbam sErkka mATTAyA?

Tunbam and inbam are cyclical...

Could have done a better job of the yAzh.

CML,
Is this a yAzh muRip paN??

arvindt · Post by **arvindt** » 18 Jan 2010, 09:27

dundubi1944 wrote:
Sivaramakrishnan wrote:"To go to a TKG's concert, one must go with a mindset which will not expect anything from the voice. All those who entered the hall with the same mindset will definitely agree with me that it was a rare treat to listen to him singing."

rbharath, you have said it all! It's more of 'lakshana' and not the 'lakshya' aspect you get from TKG.
This is excellent mindset which is setting apart carnatic from other narrowminded musics. we have tje long tradiotion of supporting sruthi challenged singers. now we are supporting the vocal challenged singer. its very inclusive accessible and poltically correct. even western can take the cue from us. i suggest we become more progressive and support mute artists also to be fully accessible and inclusive. they can put talam on stage and intellectual audience like rbharath can imagine what they are wanting to sing and we can discuss and analyse it in details on this website.

we should also support voice synthesiser concert maybe sir hawking will inaugurate. please arrange. our great music can get guiness record for progresive developments along with other great indian acheivments like longest mustach fingernails etcetra

Sorry, I disagree with your (implied) opinion.

Have you been to a TKG concert before? You need to have gone to one to understand
what rbharath is trying to say. I fully agree with him, and no, i'm sorry, one doesn't
have to support "shruthi challenged" singers in general to appreciate the music of
masters like TKG who have none too great a voice by the usual standards. Bhava and
emotion can be quite independent of voice quality -- I still remember TKG's
Hameer Kalyani two or three years ago (bharat was there too I think), almost brought
us all to tears.

ganeshkant · Post by **ganeshkant** » 18 Jan 2010, 13:10

My brother still remembers with reverence the Saveri, TKG sang in Delhi 25 yrs.before.

Once a rasika matures he can appreciate artists like TKG.

I remember an interview of SSI in 'Shubamangala' ( a high quality magazine which was closed after 2 years.How else it could be ?)

Q:The youth listen to artists like Yesudas who have good voices and shun from artists like U ? What do you feel ?

A:Let them listen to anybody.Finally they will come to me only.
(Ellaraiyum ketttuttu kadaisila engittadhan varuvaan)

The reply brought tears in me.What a determination !

By the by there is no mention about the untimely demise of Palghat Suresh last year.

A very good mridhangist;heard him accompanying for TVS,TNS,Dr.SR,etc.

uday_shankar · Post by **uday_shankar** » 18 Jan 2010, 13:18

arvindt,
I don't think anything is "implied" by dundubi1944. T K Govinda Rao is one of my favorite artists and I have some cherished recordings that I listen to again and again. In any case, few are qualified, certainly not me, to pass an opinion on a great master like him. We can only learn from masters like him.

But I see no contradiction between all that and enjoying dundubi's hilarious post which is of a much more general nature.

arvindt · Post by **arvindt** » 19 Jan 2010, 01:37

uday,

I agree dundubhi1944 was trying to be funny, but the comments on
allowing a mute concert etcetera i felt were a bit too extreme and unwarranted,
especially in a thread about a musician of the calibre of TKG. Of course
I agree he's entitled to his opinion.

Each one has his own personal taste, that's fine. But IMO there is quite a
difference between someone like TKG, who has so much music in him but
can't always express it in the best of voice owing to physical limitations at
his age -- versus careless shruti lapses or poor voice production by a youngster
who otherwise has a potentially good voice, owing to lack of practise or
application, which is not to be condoned. I feel his original post, though it
was in a light vein and reasonably funny, was conflating the two things, that's
why I spoke out.

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 19 Jan 2010, 02:20

I would have enjoyed dundubhi's good humor, especially a vidwan just putting thalam and not singing and us intellectualizing about it ( the joke is on us )

, had it not been in response to rbharath's post about TKG's concert. Context carries weight.

Beyond the mis-fired humor and on to the content of what rbharath said, it is the old debate that has been had here and elsewhere about medium and message. A medium even if not at full fidelity can carry a weighty/beautiful/important message ( Bob Dylan, anyone?

it is not just CM ). I understood the drift of rbharath's statement in that vein.

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 19 Jan 2010, 11:49

Such interpretations are one of the reasons for me to stop writing very elaborate or technical details in concert postings. It is easier to write similar sounding 3 cliched lines for everybody with some minor difference to make it look good and appealing but still have a catch

dundubi1944 · Post by **dundubi1944** » 21 Jan 2010, 10:34

sorry to tkg fans. my comment was on listeners more than singers. the musician knows when he is singing badly and it happens to everyone. some listeners dont and they sing praises of anything and everhting dragging the gloriousmusic to the mud. they will listen to anyone who has sangeetha kalanidhieven if they can only cough into the mike. i was only halfjoking. someone organise mute kurchery and ask hindu paper to give usual hype. surely the usual suspects and twits will show up and give the applause.

yours_truly · Post by **yours_truly** » 21 Jan 2010, 12:34

dundubi1944 wrote: they will listen to anyone who has sangeetha kalanidhieven if they can only cough into the mike.

Is this a comment on the listeners or singers or both? Sorry, couldn't resist this question!

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 29 Jan 2010, 09:53

ganeshkant wrote:
Q:The youth listen to artists like Yesudas who have good voices and shun from artists like U ? What do you feel ?

A:Let them listen to anybody.Finally they will come to me only.
(Ellaraiyum ketttuttu kadaisila engittadhan varuvaan)

The reply brought tears in me.What a determination !

Terrific anecdote. Thank you for the post.

PS: Incidentally this is the only search result for "kadaisila".