Smt.Sowmya @ cleveland, april 8th

[kedharam]

Smt.Sowmya @ cleveland, april 8th, 7 – 10 PM
Lalgudi Smt. Vijayalakshmi
Mannargudi Sri. Easwaran
Toronto Sri Karthik Venkataraman
Raga vistharam - bhairavi
elucidator - Trichur. Sri. V. Ramachandran and Smt. Charumathi Ramachandran
nadaswaram - injikkudi sri. Subramaniam

Sri. V. Ramachandran and Smt. Charumathi demonstrated how GNB handled bhairavi thro bala gopala followed bt Sri. subramaniam's nadaswara pidis..

Sahana –karunimpa
Sriranjani –brocheva, S
Saraswathi – saraswathi namosthuthe , R, S, GNB
Vegavahini – veena pusthaka dharini, MD
Bahudari – marakoti sundari, GNB, R,N @ 'nAradAdi pUjita pAvani', S
Jaijaiwanthi – akhilandeshwari
Bhairavi – kamakshi, R, N,S
Thani
Left after this

The sahana varnam was the opening number rendered in two speeds.
Following the varnam, Sowmya presented the melting melody,’brocheva’.
Bahudari- in the launch of the pleasing alapana the prayogas were offered with calm deliberation as she glided the heights with seeming ease contributing to a meaningful interpretation of the raga and smt. vijayalakshmi captured the allure of the ragam in her beautifully shaded playing. The composition marakoti sundari came with an intensity that glancingly mirrored the yearning of the composer with neraval at 'nAradAdi pUjita pAvani' interweaving the soaring melodic lines over rhythm just as the composer’s music plainly intends.
The masterly rendition of bhairavi alapana was solid with her agile voice soaring effectively in her upper and lower registers. The composition, ‘kamakshi’ came infused with melody highlighting the classical shades of bhairavi in a meandering gait, and her melodic flight was artfully embellished with neraval at ‘shyama Krishna sodari…‘ with grace with fine playing from Smt. Vijayalakshmi, Sri. Easwaran amd sri. Kathik, each shining with their individuality even as they melded into united musical expression…

[arasi]

Kedharam,
Thank you for your review of what sounds like very good concert of Sowmya. It captures the essence of a typical Sowmya concert--dignified and unhurried. Wish you had stayed till the end to enjoy a bArati song or some other lyrical ones.
Yes, such accompanists too! This combo may be hard to come by during the season.

[harimau]

Kedharam,....

Yes, such accompanists too! This combo may be hard to come by during the season.

Just what we need. Karthik Vekataraman accompanying anybody, even a rank beginner, during the Season in Chennai! Can you imagine the kind of postings we would get on this website?

[arasi]

Harimau,
Come on, ease up! I am sure you knew I did not say this about Kartik (who will some day shine as a leading accompanist). How are we to know? I meant MannarguDi Easwaran and also Vijayalakshmi. My experience (though not as vast as yours) is that with so many concerts going on at that time and with the top accompanists playing every day, it is not always that you come across pukkA pakka vAdyams all the time dduring the season. Granted, Sowmya has good accompanists in most of her concerts.

[kssr]

elucidator - Trichur. Sri. V. Ramachandran and Smt. Charumathi Ramachandran
nadaswaram - injikkudi sri. Subramaniam

Sri. V. Ramachandran and Smt. Charumathi demonstrated how GNB handled bhairavi thro bala gopala followed bt Sri. subramaniam.s nadaswara pidis..

What is this new "Elucidator and nadaswaram" format before a concert. I saw this format also in other Cleveland posts. What is the purpose? What is the format? Has it been done in Chennai or elsewhere? Would the artist himself/herself not be a better person to elucidate than a third person. Or is it to make best use of the artists who have anyhow assembled in Cleveland for the aradhana?

[harimau]

elucidator - Trichur. Sri. V. Ramachandran and Smt. Charumathi Ramachandran
nadaswaram - injikkudi sri. Subramaniam

What is this new "Elucidator and nadaswaram" format before a concert. I saw this format also in other Cleveland posts. What is the purpose? What is the format? Has it been done in Chennai or elsewhere? Would the artist himself/herself not be a better person to elucidate than a third person. Or is it to make best use of the artists who have anyhow assembled in Cleveland for the aradhana?

They are trying to explain to the unwashed masses what was special about GNB's raga alapana.

As to elucidation, you should see the invitation to some programs in Chennai. There are not just elucidations but eulogies and a few other e---'s as well.

Come to think of it, eulogy to GNB would have been appropriate. After all, he is dead!

Best use of some of the artists would have been to leave them behind in Chennai! :devil:

[cacm]

PART OF HARIMAMU'S OBSERVATIONS

elucidator - Trichur. Sri. V. Ramachandran and Smt. Charumathi Ramachandran
nadaswaram - injikkudi sri. Subramaniam

What is this new "Elucidator and nadaswaram" format before a concert. I saw this format also in other Cleveland posts. What is the purpose? What is the format? Has it been done in Chennai or elsewhere? Would the artist himself/herself not be a better person to elucidate than a third person. Or is it to make best use of the artists who have anyhow assembled in Cleveland for the aradhana?

They are trying to explain to the unwashed masses what was special about GNB's raga alapana.......Part of Harimamu's Observations.....


The Cleveland Aradhana is an EFFORT to present various ASPECTS of our music&culture in innovative as well as interesting fashion. We INVITE SUGGESTIONS on these as well as other aspects of how to "build a BETTER mouse trap" from any one who wants to propose ideas.
In general I have found many areas of a semi-technical nature given short shrift my self. In the case of GNB Celebrations the IDEA that is being explored is to EXAMINE how GNB WAS INFLUENCED BY Nadaswaram Bhani in his music; In addition to his RAGA singing which every one LOOSELY talks about in INTERMINABLE BORING SPEECHES FROM THE PODIUM this is an attempt to ACTUALLY SHOW THE CONNECTION of how he was influenced as well as himself used& influenced Nadaswaram playing HIMSELF. It was a REVELATION to me when BOTH Trissur V.Ramachandran and his wife Charumathi as well as their Daughter Subhasini thru' their explanations as well as singing TAUGHT at least me what an incedible Genius GNB was as well as a COMMUINICATOR. It applies to MLV as well.
Incidentally I thought Injikudi & his cohort did A FANTASTIC JOB THEMSELVES. His Nadaswaram playing is almost equivalent to a human voice singing; Maybe we should organise a session on how to get various instruments as close to the human voice as possible!
I was ASTOUNDED-after listening& somewhat studying carnatic music for close to SIXTY YEARS- how succintly as well as clearly Trissur V .R. explained with EXAMPLES singing himself how
INGEN IOUSLY GNB has introduced& even modified various compositions chittswaras etc,
As usual with many innovative ideas this one also originated with VVS & I personally am in a QUANDRY in deciding which of his BOLD INITIATIVES is the best so far. I CANNOT SING HIS PRAISES ENOUGH! As a researcher it is amazing to see an open but INNOVATIVE mind not just weave but produce many a multi-coloured& multi-facetd GEM of extra-ordinary BEAUTY........VKV

[rajeshnat]

shri VKV and others
How long was this elucidation? Was it done only once before bhairavi main or was this elucidation for every number. These kind of elucidations are ok as long as the musical part never gets shortened.

Is this elucidation very simliar to few gowri ramnarayanan's interludes that happened last year in chennai where few interesting biographical anecdotes was included for every number ?

[kedharam]

rajeshnat, it was done for about 10 minutes on the main ragam of the evening followed by the concert.

[cacm]

The aim was to strictly educate in a FACTUAL manner the way integrated his understanding of Nadaswaram's advantages & how he used & expanded them in not just alapana but in sangathis in kritis, their renderings & even in chittaswarams. Of course his interactions with the great T.N.R. etc will be known to many in this forum. VKV

[kssr]

Thanks Sri VKV and others for the explanation. It would have been a great experience to listen to the demonstration. If you can afford to keep a nadhaswara vidwan in waiting, to demonstrate the subtle nuance just for a few minutes during a concert, why not. However with regard to the elucidation itself, Soumya who is herself a top class musicologist besides being a performer, might have preferred to do it herself instead of having two other senior musicians to do it on her behalf. It is anyhow a great idea - increasing awareness of the technicalities, for the Paamarans, which most of us are!

In fact I listened to Sri.TVR's concert in Bangalore on 12th March and he briefly mentioned that GNB was the father of Sruti bedham. He also demonstrated beautifully how GNB would gently slide from the main raga using sruti bedham to another and equally smoothly and quickly back to the main raga. The multidimentional great art form is finally the winner!!

[cacm]

The idea was to EMPHASISE this aspect & focus on it. It was upto every artist to do whatever they wanted& wished during their program. The fact that they did not spend time on this aspect means among many other possible explanations to me means> they did not want to inturrupt the flow of their concert or many other possible explanations. The fact none of them did so tells me that it is not a good idea to turn the concert part to a lec-dem type of event.......VKV

[arasi]

VKV,
How true! These demos please/amaze (dependent on whether you are a paNDitar (scholar) or a pAmarar (untutored rasikA) in a lec-dem. In a performance, they do impede the flow of a concert (like speeches) and take away the concert experience which after all is what we are there for!
Engaging in discussions about the technicalities after the concert among rasikAs is a natural progression to the concert. Attending lec-dems which illustrate these technical points are also exciting for both kind of rasikAs..
May be because I belong to the 'pAmarar' (uneducated) class among rasikAs, I find long explanations about technicalites on stage during a concert as interference. They take away my pleasure of listening to a
concert --the same way as chattering and loud tALam distract me, I'm afraid!

[kssr]

The urge to innovate with an intention to improve, is basic human nature (failing!), however unwarranted the innovation may be. We have to accept it. In the case of Carnatic concerts, the optimum is something that is called a standard kutcheri, proposed by Ariyakudi and followed by everyone else. It is exactly what arasi says, he enjoys. It is the case with more than 90% rasikas. I would add, that a brief explanation about the technical nuance by the artist himself , then and there, during the concert, when something special is attempted is normally enjoyed by both pandithar and paamarar. However cannot help if organisers bring in cymbals, thavil, drums, nadhaswaram, saxophone, etc., during a good performance to emphasise one point or the other. Hope there are people who like it, too

[sreecons]

May be this needs to be moved to a new thread but thought I'll add to the past few discussion points. An excerpt from raga vistaram:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaSWtp9vqfU