CARNATICA BROTHERS at Tirumala for Nada Neerajanam 21.05.10

[pavithrac71]

Vocals : K.N.Shashikiran & P.Ganesh
Violin:Padma Shankar
Mridangam: Trivandrum Balaji

1.Sriman Narayana-Bowli-Annamayya
2.Bramha Kadigina-Mukhari-Annamayya (Raga outline by Ganesh)
3.Srinivasa-Hamsanandi-Papanasam Sivan (Ragam by Shashikiran , swarams)
4.Venkatachalapathe-Karnataka kapi-Muthuswamy Dikshitar
5.Saraguna Palimpa-Kedaragaula-Poochi Srinivasa iyengar (Ragam by Ganesh, swarams)
6.Venkatachala Nilayam-Sindubairavi-Purandaradasa
7.Nanati Brathuku-Revathi-Annamayya
8.Madhava Keshava-Mohanam-Annamayya

Fabulous concert by the Carnatica Brothers for the Nada Neerajanam !!!

Hamsanandi raga alapanai by Shashikiran was marked by the key phrases, essential in bringing out the beautiful form of the raga, extremely soul stirring !! It truly was the highlight of the concert. Being a popular number, was well received by the audience too.

Ganesh's Mukhari Raga outline and Kedaragaula raga alapanai was melodious, yet brimming with the required"azhutham"

Padma Shankar, hailing from the Lalgudi Bani gave wonderful suport to the brothers and made a mark in her raga essays and swaras sections.

Trivandrum Balaji was good as well !

Venkatachala Nilayam was rendered with a lot of feel and gave a tranquil effect to the evening....

While you listen to the duo sing, one can realize that there is a lot of life and soul in their music... and their voices are capable of having people moved.

Great team effort and a wonderful concert !!!

[kssr]

It is quite obvious that the cousins have a large fan following, both from this review and others from their US tour, which is good and must be encouraging to the youngsters. I heard part of this Naada Neerajanam concert.Somehow I always get a feeling during this as well as an earlier concert that I have attended, that they do not have a proper grounding, especially Shashikiran. The sangatis and swaras do not seem to fit perfectly and appear somewhat floating. The violinist here showed much better precision and had perfect swara landing (kachchitham).

I do not know who their guru is and if at all they have one. My fear is that, they probably assume themselves to be child proteges, because they have been able to identify ragas from the age of 2 , etc., and neglected the process of learning rigourously under a demanding teacher. This definitely shows in all their performances. They have a long career ahead and I am sure that with some sincere well meaning advice, they will shine in the years to come.

[arasi]

kssr,
Their guru Narasimhan is their father (uncle, in Ganesh's case) who is gOTTuvAdyam Narayanaiyyangar's son--a dedicated teacher who has shaped Ravikiran, Shashikiran, kiranavali, Ganesh and others.

[cienu]

I do not know who their guru is and if at all they have one. My fear is that, they probably assume themselves to be child proteges, because they have been able to identify ragas from the age of 2 , etc., and neglected the process of learning rigourously under a demanding teacher.

Hello kssr !
I do not wish to comment on your opinion of the Nada Neerajanam program as I did not see the program .
However I do disagree with the second portion of your statement.
As Arasi has pointed out their first Guru is the father of Shashikiran - "Chitravina" Narasimhan. Subsequently both the "Brothers" have had advanced training from the redoubtable Brindamma herself. I mean, you cant get a more DEMANDING guru than Brindamma.
Shashikiran has infact also had further training from Sangitha Kalanidhi T. Viswanathan and Calcutta Krishnamurthy.

As far as being prodigies are concerned , yes the "Kiran" siblings (Ravi, Shashi, Ganesh and Kiranvalli) have been stunning prodigies but have managed to stay away from the "burnout" syndrome and carved a niche for themselves .

[kssr]

Thanks. I wish them all the best.
Also, it will help Shashikiran if he slightly restrains himself in the shooting up action of his left hand vigourously and continuously throughout the singing, like the wild fluttering of a flag- it is very inconvenient to watch. May be to listen to their audio will be a slightly better experience.

[mahakavi]

Some of the musicians who gesture wildly while singing on the stage are not unaware of the awkwardness of such movements which amuse, if not irritate, some members of the audience. But such gesturing has become integral to the concert to many of them. If one were to hold their hands tight, there may not be a flow of music from their throats. So it is better to ignore such visuals.

I have heard some elders remark about Semmangudi too like "you have to keep your ears open and eyes closed" when you attend his concert. So there you go!

[kssr]

Interestingly When I was discussing this at home, I was told that Vidushi Soumya in one of her interviews mentioned that her guru Dr.Ramanathan had told them (I do not know jokingly or seriously) that while practising they should sit in front of a mirror and practise, such that they will know how the audience will feel when they sing. Probably many of our today's vidwans will stop singing if they try doing it!!

[ganeshkant]

A good concert on the whole.My pick was the svara prasthram for Hamsanandi. Ganesh was bit unsuccessful in touching Upper dha yet it was good.

I go with Pavithra about the other things.

[prashant]

A simple and effective antidote to this wild gesturing which is prevalent today is for a young student to sing playing the tambura and keeping talam with the other hand. It will be difficult at first, but once the body is trained to sing in this manner, the student will not require the additional boost from all these gestures [if that is really what they are for!].

[cienu]

I have heard some elders remark about Semmangudi too like "you have to keep your ears open and eyes closed" when you attend his concert. So there you go!

Having listened to quite a number of concerts & practice sessions of Semmangudi Mama at close quarters, I must confess to being a great fan of his facial expressions as much as his music.
I used to be specially delighted at the the way his right hand used to surreptitiously move towards the snuff box (usually kept under a red towel) as the violin vidwan's raga alapana was on. The speed at which his hand moved when inhaling the magic powder was a joy to behold.
Even today when I hear his Dakshinamurthe or Samanam Evaru, I try to visualise his facial expressions in my mind's eye. Yet another facet of his singing which I loved was the spirited way in which he kept talam.
Great memories. !

[Anandhabhairavi]

Absolutely cienu. Can't forget the gestures of mama.
A good concert by the brothers. My pick too was the Hamsanandhi piece.

[thenpaanan]

Some of the musicians who gesture wildly while singing on the stage are not unaware of the awkwardness of such movements which amuse, if not irritate, some members of the audience. But such gesturing has become integral to the concert to many of them. If one were to hold their hands tight, there may not be a flow of music from their throats. So it is better to ignore such visuals.

I have heard some elders remark about Semmangudi too like "you have to keep your ears open and eyes closed" when you attend his concert. So there you go!

Not to generalize too much but here is how I came to be making wild gesticulations while singing: when I was a young boy I had watched my guru gesticulating (though probably not nearly as much as I did) when he went into "flow". When it was time for me to sing somewhere in public, I would be petrified. Scared witless, I would tightly close my eyes and imagine that I was still in class repeating whatever my guru was singing (as a security blanket). Of course, while my eyes were shut my arms were doing the gesticulating. A little while later my facial muscles got into the act as well. But no one was impolite or honest enough in those days to tell me that the gesticulations were quite unseemly. More than once I knocked the standing mic down. Many years later someone did mention to me that perhaps I should try and restrain my "physical" singing and try to channel that into the voice. It was a bit too late by then. What had started as a means of covering up insecurity became a habit and I found that I could not sing if I tied my hands down in my lap.

Many many years later I noticed that a young boy in the community would always come sit in the first row or near me when I was practising in a group. I flattered myself to think that the boy was obviously looking up to me. And then one day in the hallway on the way to the bathroom, I hear this boy talking to his friends with the candor that only a child can have. I will spare you the details of what I overheard but suffice it to say that he was describing how my facial gestures were the funniest thing on the planet! In fact he made sure to sit close to me every time and rest assured, he told his friends in his Tom Sawyeresque fashion, this uncle screws his eyes so tightly shut you can even laugh (he meant grin) while you watch.

Ever since, I have been trying to sit like the Buddha in meditation whilst singing. Music may not be the only thing the concert audience comes to enjoy but I am not playing to the gallery. No sir.

-Then Paanan

[mahakavi]

>>I used to be specially delighted at the the way his right hand used to surreptitiously move towards the snuff box (usually kept under a red towel) as the violin vidwan's raga alapana was on. The speed at which his hand moved when inhaling the magic powder was a joy to behold<<

Who says music has to confine itself to music only? The sideshows of the main artiste are entertaining to many. Some people enjoy spinning (nUl nURRal) and weaving (taRi pODudal in Thamizh) on the stage by the main artiste. So be it!

[arasi]

Let's not forget mAvu araittal (grinding iDli/dOsai batter the old-fashioned way in the grindstone). Facial expressions and gestures which are spontaneous, just as rasikAs nod their heads in various ways is all part of the entertainment, unless they are overly done and do not sync with the singing.

Cienu,
Yes, as children, we so looked forward to the gestures, just as thenpaanan's juvenile admirer did AriyakkuDi with his red checked towel, his swift snorts of nasal stimulant occuring perfectly within the rhythm cycle was fascinating to watch. He every now and then offered that added action of tying his undone little kuDumi (knot) deftly too!
While I do appreciate performers who close their eyes meditatively, a mostly 'closed eyes' concert makes me feel unconnected .

[MV]

Arasi,
I like your maavu arattai post. I obviously didn't come to the Tirumala concert, but I have heard the duo sing-no question of their vidwat or concert skills. I believe neither of those can be achieved without rigorous training and discipline. As for gestures, even an artiste sitting still is displaying something-can not be avoided. I have heard the reverse comment-people saying that we need to poke that musician with a pin so we can see some emotion. The music, the presence, the gestures all add to the totality of the concert. As rasikas, we can choose to go to the ones we like.