amrutha venkatesh@hamsadhwani on March 12th,2010

[rajeshnat]

amrutha venkatesh@hamsadhwani on March 12th,2010
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Vocal : amrutha venkatesh
Violin : Lalgudi vijayalakshmi
Mrudangam : B . Ganapathiraman
Venue : hamsadhwani,adyar
Concert duration : 2 hour 10 minutes

1. KAnadA varnam
2. brOvabArAmA (?)- bahudAri - T
3. lAthAngi???
I was late missed the first three entered only after 20 mins.

Carnatic musicians should strive to give a completeness in concert ,one of the key attributes to accompolish is to vary the kAlapramAnam and bring in different speeds with different numbers . To an extent did amrutha venkatesh give that in this concert is what my review is centered on.

As I entered she sang a beautiful alApana of vasantha , she certainly has a great voice and to an extent a very good azhuttam , not even a shade of lalitha in any sangathis , her alApana started with swati's paramapurushA krith, the swaras were well done with very noticeable manodharma and I enjoyed it and was my top pick.The vara nAradA was the usual fast filler before main, but certain I did spot that amrutha could make little faster turns in the krithi

.This concert was paying homage to Smt DKP and when she took kAmbOdhi it sounded a great choice for few sangathis in the alApana , then to an extent her package of kAmbOdhi lost steam , to an extent this kAmbOdhi with its aggression and little higher tempo and quick turns paved way and morphed into a sedate treatment with quick turns paving way to more gentler turns.The krithi was sung quite good and the neraval vAsavAdhi was well done , though her emphasis was on emote and in that process it was dharnA on expression , in short kAmbOdhi stayed to me in the contours of BodhgayA calmness.Her slow tempo in swaras was good , but instead of going with different speed in swaras she settled at the most to only pure madhyama kAlam tempo.

In the tukkadas she started with a nice pAsuram and she manoevered and presented it very well and ended with kalyAna vasantham , kalyAna vasantham never lets down any musicians , she sang nadoPasanA sreenivasan's kalyAna vasantham number and was well done.Both the behAg and the tillAna which had the nearly same tempo was not that enjoyable.

In the violin Lalgudi vijayalAkshmi was hyper melancholy , at many places beyond vasanthA her play was not lifting that much the concert. GanapathirAman played beautifully with nice left right combination and he indeed lifted the concert

This is my second concert of amrutha venkatesh. She is indeed gifted and her voice is comfortably reaching the lower octaves too , her emotive quotient is quite high. But to negate that she appears to sing not varying that much the tempo and to that extent the attentiveness of rasika like me was not sustained .

.4. paramapuRusha(R S) - vasanthA - ST
7 mins alApanai, 5 mins violin and 6 mins swaras
5. vara nAradA - vijayashri - T

6A. shree subramanyAyA namasThE (R N S T) - kAmbOdhi - MD
13 mins alApanai , 8 mins violin return
9 mins neraval in "vAsavAdhi sakala deva vaNditAya", 10 mins swaras
6B. tani for 8 mins

7A. viruththam "kulam tharum selvum thandidum" -??? + rasikapriyA + kalyAnavasantam - thirumangai AzhwAr
7B. sreedharA kesava nArAyanA - kalyAna vasantham - nadopasana sreenivAsan

8. samayamidhE rA rA nA swami - behAg - patnam??
9. thillAna "tana dheem ta dhirana UNNai sharAn aDaindhen" -mAnd - LGJ??
10. pavamAnA

In general she just has to work on presenting concerts with varying tempo and sequencing well to keep the audience glued . In short this basketball player turned carnatic musician should focus on quick 2 pointers instead of shooting more 3 pointers . Overall a good to very good concert

[Lakshman]

Item 8 is by Patnam
Item 9 is the mAND tillAnA by Lalgudi Jayaraman

[kssr]

I understand that Amrutha quite consciously has chosen the ultra vilamba kaala singing as her forte. We hope that she knows which audience group she is singing to. After all, a concert singing is to please the audience and not exclusively to please oneself. Amrutha is an extremely talented young girl and we wish that she develops into one of the foremost artists in the years to come.

[malavi]

The first 3 items sung by Amruta Venkatesh were
Neranammiti -- kanada--ata talam
Brovabharama --bahudari--adi --T
Mariveredikkev varu --latangi--k.chapu--PS

Amruta s short aalap for bahudari was very good and she sang kalpana swarams for these 2 kritis .this was a nice beginning for the concert.Her vasanta was the best that evening.she sings with such confidence and maturity.
Audience was not much, only few had turned up.Her virutham for the kalyanavasantham song was very good.It was really a very good concert.
.

[rajeshnat]

The hindu has partially reviewed this crt, wish they write more about one concert and also not lift any thing written before like some reference of 2009 and 2007. Amrutha needs better writeup than this which only shows possibly she has few connections to the hindu
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2010/03/26/stor ... 170400.htm

[rajeshnat]

mAlavi
Do u recollect the first rAga in viruththam before rasikapriyA

[dikshitarbhaktha]

Review looks heavily loaded
Looks more like a good PR job than anything else...
The Ravi Verma mentorship is surprising to say the least...

[keerthi]

Review looks heavily loaded
Looks more like a good PR job than anything else...

Idisagree. the review betrays a lack of knowledge/ competence on behalf of the reviewer, who has :

1. made vara nArada nArAyaNa gallop.
1a. Made varanArada nArAyaNa gallop in hamsadhwani!

2. made her take this and another song in a light vein (??)

Also, the very idea that the author of the review has had to pad it with borrowed verbiage like 'solidity of patanthara-reinforced compositions' reveals some deficiency in the writing.

[wordpecker070]

Review looks heavily loaded
Looks more like a good PR job than anything else...
The Ravi Verma mentorship is surprising to say the least...

Absolutely, Since Ravi VArma l(April 29, 1848 - October 2, 1906) was a painter and lived more than a hundred years ago!!!!

[Tarun]

I totally agree with Rajesh. Amrutha deserves a better review than this. Also there is no mention of the accompanists. Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi on the violin was radiating brilliance in a very understated and supportive way. I thoroughly enjoyed Ganapatiram's playing too.

[malavi]

Prince Ramavarmas mentorship is mentioned in the review and not Ravi varma. Prnce Ramavarma is a musician and
Ravi varma is a famous artist whose paintings are worldfamous.