s kasturirangan@vanimahal on May 04th,2010

[rajeshnat]

s kasturirangan@vanimahal(obul Reddy Hall) on May 04th,2010
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vocal : s kasturirangan
Violin : V V Srinivasa rao
Mrudangam : mannArkoil J balAji
Concert duration : 2 hours and 10 minutes
Occasion and Sponsors : bahula panchami day of ThyagarAjA , sponsored by shri Obul Reddy

1. sAdinchanE - Arabi
2. sangeetha gnanamu(?) - dhanyAsi

3. appa rAma bhakthi(R S)- paNtuvarAli
10 minutes alApanai ,5 minutes violin return
swaras for 8 minutes
4. evarikai - devamanOhari - T
5.dunmArgacharA(brief rAga sketch) - ranjani

6A. eduTa nilachitE(R N S T) - shankarAbharanam
16 minutes alApanai , 5 mins violin return
neraval in "Naa Taramaa Delisi " for 6 mins
13 mins swaras
6B. tani for 11 minutes

7. entha muddO entha sogaso (brief rAga sketch) - bindhumAlini
8. pAhi kalyANa rAm - peelu??
9. nagumOmu gaLavAni - madhyamAvati
10.nee nAma roopamulaku- sowrAshtram

For the last 4 to 5 years I wanted to hear this artist kasturirangan, and at last had a chance to hear this artist .He is very very sidelined in sabhas in chennai (Even few chennai artists are sidelined by chennai sabhas?).

This concert was organized by thyagaraja samiti and hence all numbers are from the bard of thiruvayARU.I went late about 15 minutes and did not the hear the first two numbers after I saw the printout of songs given by the sabha .As I sat looking/hearing at this artist for the first time , the first impression that raced when he started with a pantuvarAli alApana , "O gosh what a voice he has got !".

PantuvarAli a rAga that becomes very very dear to me especially when the voice opens out and I could not ask more from this vidwan. Sangathis were comfortably sung in a sustained pitch and was excellent . appa rAma bhakthi is one number I have been floored by this school , his guru TNS has taken to great heights and kasturi was very very close to TNS there . Brighas in plenty and quite a creative set of swara patterns were rendered by kasturi and I enjoyed every moment.The next devamanohari was very good when he started and kind of fizzled out possibly a little excess heaviness of this krithi after a very aggeressive pantuvarAli. ranjani alApana was brief and he sang expectedly dunmArgachara , it was slightly high on aggression.

The main alApana was brilliant to me , sankarAbharanam a tough rAga to keep any rasika glued as there is a chance of sag to get more prominent , but with nice akaram phrases and lovely fast brigha based sangathis kasturi was a treat to hear. This edutha nilachitE is a scholarly krithi and keeping up with that ,kasturi's rendition was done extremely well.Neraval could have been little more but with a dash of swaras he kept up with the tempo with a a very steadfast controlled aggression of shankarAbharanam.

In The post main, the bindumAlini was well done but the pick was the peelu??(hind Kapi may be if peelu is wrong) , very very creative with a mini neraval and a ustad touch in the lines "sAgara gurthamu tygarAjArthamu???" was superb. The last utsava sampradhAya was just good, the bhavam was not upto mark.

Few shortcomings in general:
------------------------------------

1. His strength is his voice and he has a real power , sangathis are very classy perhaps more like unheard anthakAlathu ariyakudi , it was in and out gana sangeetham(weight in sangathi), but with such heaviness I just missed a real soothing number , even the entha muddo had a slight hyper aggression.

2. Among all the performing disciples of TNS(as I write counting atleast 6) , I think he has the closest overlap to vidwan TNS of 1980 and 1990's. Every sangathi was like TNS and that too with fairly well established krithis of T which TNS generally sings quite often , the familiarity was much more felt. Possibly he can take a conscious route of taking some influence away from TNS , I am sure he has the mettle to do it. May be I have to hear him again in a non thematic concert where he has a free hand to pick more numbers where one can spot his own original style.

3. He has such a powerful voice , possibly he can keep his mike little farther , it was quite loud for most of the concert.

Accompanists:
-----------------
VV Srinivasa rao had a good shruthi sense in his play, but the volume of the violin was very high and for few numbers he was very intrusively playing along with the vocalist without a gap

mannArkoil BalAji had the right sowkhyam, his patterns had very good sound , I would have preferred a little more speed in few numbers. His tani was played with patterns that went along with the fairly sedate eduta nilachitE.

My first impression of kasturirangan is that he is an extremely talented and very intense classical musician , in thamizh one uses the phrase "vAzha tharanda mElam katrathu"(once when he opens the mouth the music beat just settles instantly) is a very apt phrase for his sareeram. I wish he gets more oppurtunities to perform in his home base, certainly glancing in the papers , you only see him featured less than 4 or 5 times a year for the last 5 years in chennai. It is quite evident that he is being viewed as a threat for many musicians and the nexus of sabha-musicians-sponsors should hopefully turn out more favourable for him.

Overall a very good to excellent concert.

[kssr]

Some musicians bloom a little later in their career and let us hope that Kasthuri will start getting top slots in the coming years that he so richly deserves. I believe that good talent like his cannot be kept without recognition for long.

I did not get the feeling that he is a carbon copy of TNS. Being his disciple for many years automatically brings out the same nuances, including gestures. I also feel that Kasthuri's voice is a shade sweeter and hence nice and mature.

We wish him all the best.

[vsarmaiitm]

s kasturirangan@vanimahal(obul Reddy Hall) on May 04th,2010
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am sure he has the metal to do it.
[/b]concert.

I guess you meant "mettle" ?

[rajeshnat]

I guess you meant "mettle" ?

Yes corrected it.Thanks

[ksrimech]

8. pAhi kalyANa rAm - peelu??

pAhi kalyANa rAma - kApi -prahlAdha bhakthi vijayam

[mridhangam]

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2010/05/07/stor ... 710200.htm

A Review by SVK In the Hindu on 7th May 2010 about the same concert....

Mannarkoil J Balaji

[sureshvv]

When I walked into the hall a little after the start, my first feeling on hearing Kasturirangan was anxiety on how he was going to manage to sing the entire concert with so much vigor. To my amazement, he was able to sustain it for the duration, save for a few seconds when he has to ameliorate this throat. I particularly liked the way he dedicated a portion of the kapi tukkada for improvisation and repeated various sangathis on the charanam line taking turns with the violin generously.

At the risk of coming off as mukha sthuthi, i thought Balaji's accompaniment was exceptional with the softest touch and anticipation bordering on ESP. It helped to have a correctly configured audio system and the percussionist fully aware of its capability.

[kssr]

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2010/05/07/stor ... 710200.htm

A Review by SVK In the Hindu on 7th May 2010 about the same concert....

Mannarkoil J Balaji

Is this a new SVK taking the place of the senior SVK. Just a bit confused.

[sureshvv]

Is this a new SVK taking the place of the senior SVK. Just a bit confused.

There are two SVKs. One is the late S.V.Krishnan, who founded both the Raga Sudha hall and the Naadha Inbam sabha in Mylapore. The other is the golden penned reviewer for The Hindu.

[arasi]

Suresh,
What you say about Balaji's playing is not flattery. I feel the same way about him. Rajesh says it too. There is sowkyam and anticipation, and there is team spirit too in his playing.
Coming to think of it, that is true of our rasikas mrudangists/reviewers.
Nagaraj as well, and trying to catch up with them, Ram too. He played for another rasika (Ramakrishnan) at the festival of our fellow rasikas, veena artistes J&J. Hope we get a review on that concert too

[rajeshnat]

pAhi kalyANa rAma - kApi -prahlAdha bhakthi vijayam

I am siding towards peelu then kApi, perhaps balAji can clarify.

[mridhangam]

Kasturirangan told it as Peelu only.

J.Balaji

[sivapriya]

Kapi or Peelu - both are two sides of the same coin. Sing Kapi with a slight Hindustani flavour, you get Peelu.