Sri TN SeshagopAlan @ Toronto - April 17, 2010

[Abhishek]

April 17, 2010
Bharathi KalA Manram, Toronto

Vocal: Sri TN SeshagopAlan
Mridangam: Sri Trichy Sankaran
Violin: Sri V.V.Ravi
KanjIrA: Sri.Giritharan Satchinanantham
Vocal Support: Sri Madurai Sundar

1) Vandanamu (SahAna - Adi - ThyAgarAjar) [S]
2) Dayyajooda (GAnavAridhi - Adi - ThyAgarAjar) [Outline]
3) AparAmabhakti (PantuvarAli - Rupakam - ThyAgarAjar) [RNS at anupallavi]
4) AlApanai / Viruttam (KAmboji) Followed by:
5) Devi Nee (KAmboji - Adi - ShyAma SAstri)
6) Saravana Bhava (Pashupatipriya - Adi - MuthaiyyA BhAgavathar) [R]
7) Endukku DayA (tOdi - Mishra ChApu - ThyAgarAjar) [RNST]
8 ) RTP (BEgadA - Khanda Triputa)
Pallavi: rAma bhakti tyAgarAja, raksha mAm namOsthuthE
RAgamAlika Swaras: hindOlam, kEdAragowlA, rEvathy, Bowli, KApi, etc
9) Short outline in Sindhu Bhairavi, followed by a Viruttam in SAveri, VasanthA, Mohanam, Khamas, Sama, Bilahari, Surutti, and many other ragams in between, ending in Sindhu Bhairavi
10) ThillAna (Sindhubhairavi - Adi)
14) MangaLam - PavamAna (Sowrastram - Adi - ThyAgarAjar)
15) Some viruttam / slokam in Sri

As usual, it was an amazing TNS concert. I missed the first song, and someone told me that he started with a song in SAveri, not a varnam. Swarams in SahAna were great, and the gAnavAridhi piece was a rare treat. It's amazing how he can bring out the whole beauty of a rAgam with just one short outline of it. Anyway, what came next was a truly unforgettable AlApanai of PantuvarAli. Everyone in the audience was just amazed by his creativity and clarity in brighAs and gamakams. I don't think I have ever heard a better rendition of PantuvarAli. Neraval and swarams in AparAmabhakthi were quite creative. His alApanai of kAmboji was great, and so was VVS MurAri's. KAmboji being my favourite, I was hoping it would be the main rAgam for the evening, but it wasn't. Sri TNS sang a rare ShyAma SAstri kriti in the rAgam, which is one of his meenAkshi navarathna krithis. Before the main song, he sang a nice alApanai in PashupathipriyA. I haven't heard an alApanai in this rAgam by anyone, but TNS does everything!

TOdi was the main rAgam of the evening. TNS sang an elaborate alApanai of it, with some very innovative phrases. Before finishing the alApanai, he did greha bEdham by going into Mohana KalyAni, Kurinji and Husseini(?). Neraval and swarams were done very well. Sri Trichy Sankaran and the Sri Giritharan Satchinanantham played an enjoyable tani.

Right away after the Todi, Sri TNS started an RTP in bEgadA in Khanda Triputa. The pallavi was structured very well. Because of time restrictions, he went straight from the keezh kAlam neraval to the swarams in keezh kAlam. He stayed in keezh kAlam until the very end, after the rAgamAlika swarams. He sang so many rAgams, each for about 2 seconds, that I barely had any time to jot them down. I probably missed a few in my list above. The last one in kApi was exceptionally good! The applause after this one lasted a long time. TrikAlam for the pallavi was done in the end. The post RTP pieces included of a viruttam in many rAgams, ending with a tillAna in Sindhubhairavi. Not sure who's tillAna it was. After pavamAna, I noticed that he sang a small viruttam / slokham in Sri. Anyone know what that was?

Overall, another fantastic concert by Sri TN SeshagopAlan. My pick of the concert was definitely the PantuvarAli. Accompanists were all very good. I have to give a special mention to Sri Trichy Sankaran, who played remarkably well throughout the concert.

-Abhishek Iyer.

[rshankar]

Lovely list. How long was this concert for?

Shouldn't 2) be 'vandanamu'...and #8 be 'rAma bhakta tyAgarAja...'?

[mahavishnu]

Abhishek, thanks for posting the list and a very nice review. He started with Vandanamu Raghunandana. The Saveri sketch was just to test the sound system.

TNS was in rare form. No shruti issues, his voice cooperated with him. So needless to say, he reigned supreme that day. Visesha-gopalan (a term borrowed from a pallavi line composed in his honour) is how we should refer to him after that performance.

My pick was the pantuvarali as well. The charanam in Aparama Bhakti after a brilliant round of neraval was presented with so much bhavam.

Sankaran was amazing on the mridangam. His accompaniment in misra-chapu was top class. The Kanjira player did not seem concert-ready though. Thankfully, his participation in the concert was minimal. VV Ravi (not VVS Murari) was very supportive and played short crisp alapanas and repartees appropriately.

The Sindhu Bhairavi tillana is TNS's composition (Lji can confirm). The slokam in the end was actually in Sri ragam (denoting the Sri in Srinivasaya Mangalam) which he later morphed into Madhyamavati just in the last line.

Ravi, the concert ran well over 4 hours. He would have gone on for longer....

[cmlover]

WOW!
It appears the Toronto audience had a real treat with TNS in top form. No doubt TNS is the master of ragas and he can command them at will at te drop of a hat!
How was the vocal support by Sundar who is a veteran on his own.
No doubt it is a previlege to be accompanied by Sankaran Sir that must have inspired TNS.
I would have guessed that Todi (forte of TNS) would have been the best but Pantuvarali is no surprise!
A 4 hour performance means going back to olden times!
Trust a recording will be made available for us non attenders....

[Abhishek]

Abhishek, thanks for posting the list and a very nice review. He started with Vandanamu Raghunandana. The Saveri sketch was just to test the sound system.

TNS was in rare form. No shruti issues, his voice cooperated with him. So needless to say, he reigned supreme that day. Visesha-gopalan (a term borrowed from a pallavi line composed in his honour) is how we should refer to him after that performance.

My pick was the pantuvarali as well. The charanam in Aparama Bhakti after a brilliant round of neraval was presented with so much bhavam.

Sankaran was amazing on the mridangam. His accompaniment in misra-chapu was top class. The Kanjira player did not seem concert-ready though. Thankfully, his participation in the concert was minimal. VV Ravi (not VVS Murari) was very supportive and played short crisp alapanas and repartees appropriately.

The Sindhu Bhairavi tillana is TNS's composition (Lji can confirm). The slokam in the end was actually in Sri ragam (denoting the Sri in Srinivasaya Mangalam) which he later morphed into Madhyamavati just in the last line.

Ravi, the concert ran well over 4 hours. He would have gone on for longer....

Rshankar and Mahavishnu, thanks for the corrections. I have made the changes. Cmlover, we couldn't hear Madurai Sundar's voice at all. At least I couldn't. And, I have recorded some bits of his pantuvarAli and tOdi, which I will send you privately.

[mahavishnu]

CML, it is a pity that TNS will not be traveling to your part of the country. I think especially you would have enjoyed the flow.
Hope all is well with you.

[mahavishnu]

we couldn't hear Madurai Sundar's voice at all

Abhishek, You are right. The few times I have seen Madurai Sundar supporting TNS on stage, I have never heard his voice. I think by design he likes to be seen and not heard. In this instance, it worked out well since TNS was in full form in terms of shruti suddham, manodharma and song delivery.

Are you going to Unnikrishnan today? If so, could you please post a review. I cannot attend since I am travelling.

[Abhishek]

Sure, I`ll write a review of his concert too. Were you there for the concert of Trichur Bros yesterday?

[mahavishnu]

Were you there for the concert of Trichur Bros yesterday?

No unfortunately missed that too.

[cmlover]

Thanks abhishek!

[rshankar]

WOW! Mahavishnu, 4 hour-concert - must have been a treat. However, when people make arrangements for child care etc., I wonder if the lay rasika can sit through a concert that long even if they want to!

[mahavishnu]

Ravi, you are right. Only the die-hards stayed till the end. I'm just glad that it was on a friday night.

[Sribala]

[quote]Before the main song, he sang a nice alApanai in PashupathipriyA. I haven't heard an alApanai in this rAgam by anyone, but TNS does everything!

True, when it comes to rendering alaapana of rare ragas, there is nobody that we could think of who could equal this Master. Back in India, we have been fortunate to hear raga alapanas of Huseni, Ahiri, Maanji,SaraswathiManohari,Gangeyabhooshani,Vasanthavarali and I dont know how much I have left. I have always left wondering how he could sing these ragas with as much ease as he sings a kalyani, kamboji or thodi.

"Legend Timeless in Time" was the caption we gave to a souvenir, we students released when we celebrated his Padma Bhushan award. There is no word that could explain this artist more.

[raghavt]

Hello Everyone

Glad to see that TNS and Sankaran sir teamed up again. I saw them live way back in 1995 with V Suresh and Mysore Manjunath. Still Sheshu sir's thodi and Daasharathe echo my ears. And what an outstanding accompaniment and Thani... oh my goodness!!!! it was mindboggling....

I'm sure that a similar ambence would have been created this time as well. With Thodi and Endukudayaraadura, again one of my favorites. I wish I could see/hear that concert live through some satellite TV sitting here

Is there any possibility of getting the recording of that concert?

I can imagine how Sankaran sir would have accompanied and the thani would have followed.....

Nice write up/review of the concert, its indeed very good.

~ Raghav

[Ethuku]

The review is very true to the nature of the concert. This concert was definitely one to reminisce.

TNS took the concert to complete settlement with the very first song Vandanamu – the gait the kalapramanam and crisp sarvalaghu swaram were its epitome.

And offcourse his signature pantuvarali and interwoven patterns in the koraippu for arai edam!!

A spell binding Thodi!! The ragam was an orchestration of Nadaswaram, Veenai and Flute. I don’t think anyone can ever fathom such a confluence of the artistry of styles.

An RTP right out of the connoisseurs delight. With TNS special Kapi and Revathi elaborations….

Virutham – with ragamallika emphasizing Navarasam

High energy thillana to summarize 4 hours of chaste music.

Not to forget his presentation of rare ragas like kangeyabhooshani and Pasupathipriya…Such was the profiency that they didnt seem so much like rare ragas...

Reminds me of the apt words chosen by Cleveland Sundaram in his speech after TNS's Cleveland concert – “There are many stars in carnatic music, but only one Sun, and that is TNS”. I remember him mentioning that only TNS could start a concert with a krithi having the effect of a main/sub main piece and elevate the rest of the concert from that point on and reach dizzying musical heights.

This concert was no second fiddle to probably the best carnatic music has ever seen. This concert covered every aspect of every school of thought in music….This was not just a TNS concert, but a representation of Carnatic Music in its highest essence as it was meant to be…..

[raghavt]

Thank you very much Abhishek for sharing the link... outstanding Thodi and Pantuvaraali... But that is nothing unusual... thats Sheshu Sir's style... see how his brain works... be it ragaAlaapana or be it swarams...koraippus ...

Now I am becoming greedy, I need the concert. @least I need the Thodi Krithi with the Thani...dying to hear the Thani... Shankaran sir would have ripped it from all sides....

Please send a message to [email protected], would like to know more about you...

Cheers ~ Raghav.