Rama Varma - San Diego - 6th June 2010

[bilahari]

Rama Varma - Vocal
S. Varadarajan - Violin
Patri Satish Kumar - Mrudangam

Duration: 2 h 30 min

Approximate Songlist:

01. ninnu kOri (varNam) - mOhanam - Adi
02. kumAruni valEnU (sketch, S @ pallavi) - vakulAbharaNam - Adi - BMK
03. sogasugA mrudanga - srIranjani - rUpakam
04. nIvalE daivamu - yadukulakAmbOji - miSra cApu - MDR

05. sudhAmayi (R, S @ sarasijAkSi) - amrutavarSini - rUpakam
06. ramincuvArevarurA - supOSini - Adi - T
07. rAma rAma gunasIma (R, Thanam, S @ pallavi, T) - simmhEndramadhyamam - Adi

08. srI rAma nAmam maruvam - SankarAbharaNam - Eka - Badrachala Ramadas
09. bAlA tripura sundari - Adi - Prayaga Rangadasa (BMK's maternal grandfather)
10. vara lIla gAna lOla - SankarAbharaNam - Adi (tiSra) - T
11. bhujaga sAyinam (mangaLam) - yadukulakAmbOji

RV started his concert with a briefest sketch of mOhanam before plunging into the done-to-death ninnu kOri. RV breathed some much-needed fresh air into this composition, however, with some interesting gati variations. He also sang the pUrvangam immaculately in three speeds, with a commanding thanam-type third speed rendition. It was apparent from the varnam that RV's voice was in fine fettle and we settled in for an evening of good music. The concert continued with a short sketch of vakulAbharaNam and good rendition of BMK's krithi in the fourteenth melakartha (which he had apparently composed when he was fourteen, too!). The elaborate swara prastharam in vakulAbharaNam was definitely one of the highlights of the evening, with RV making good use of plain notes and the nishadam which distinguishes vakulAbharaNam from mAyAmALavagowLa. His gamaka around the nishadam in the phrase DDN,,DP, use of dattu sequences like SMGM - SPMP - SDPD, gamaka-laden patterns like N,sn - D,nd - P,dp - M,pm, and juxtaposition of different octaves with phrases like NN (mandra) - N,N were all noteworthy in a kalpanaswara segment which effectively demonstrated his creativity.

Immediately after that, RV started off in vilamba kalam with the words, 'mrudanga tALamu', unleashing with those words a flood of memories of MDR singing this srIranjani krithi. Unfortunately, even though RV sang the krithi in a kala pramanam and with diction reminiscent of MDR, his frequent struggles with shruti in this krithi made it a forgettable experience. Thankfully, the ode to MDR was revived in the very next krithi, nIvalE daivamu - composed by MDR in yadukulakAmbOji. RV sang this krithi beautifully in vilamba kalam, adorning it with those evocative, elongated gamakas in the M-P region that pierce the heart of the ragam.

RV then continued with an elaborate alapanai of amruthavarshini. I was not very enthused by his alapanai, which I felt was almost wholly scale-oriented exercises without noticeable piDis, instead starting with a flat note-by-note ascent and descent of the scale and continuing into brigha sangathis which also involved running and up down the scale through the different octaves in an almost formulaic manner.Then again, I'm not at all a fan of amruthavarshini, so you can chalk off my opinion to sheer prejudice! (But is there really much more that one could do with this raga? I am yet to hear a pleasing alapanai in it.) After a brisk rendition of sudhAmayi, RV embarked on an elaborate swaraprastharam. I liked RV's criss-crossing use of different octaves in phrases like NS(tara)NS(tara)-G(tara); NSNS(tara)-G(madhya); NSNS(mandra)-G(madhya), etc. Unfortunately, I fell asleep at this stage (which had everything to do with my burning the midnight oil ahead of final exams and nothing whatsoever to do with the music on offer) and missed the rest of the kalpanaswaras only to be informed at the end of the concert that RV had performed an elegant graha bEdam during my five minute nap. Thankfully, Dr. CMV - one of the organisers - was kind enough to supply me with the recording thereafter and to allow me to post a short one-and-a-half minute clip of the graha bEdam here as well (please don't request the whole concert): http://www.sendspace.com/file/f1nnmv
I do not know much about graha bEdams and do not care too much for them, but I did find this one interesting. The nishadam is taken as shadjam and the raga that emerges appears to be similar to our malahari (?): SR1M1PD1S - SD1PM1R1S (hope I'm reading the swaras correctly...my swara decoding skills have been suffering from disuse atrophy). I forget the name of the raga (Hindustani... starts with a 'g' - any takers?).

After a sprightly, rare supOSini, RV sang a concise simmhEndramadhyamam alapanai. I felt that the initial uses of the gandharam often seemed to verge on varALi, but my ears may just have been playing tricks on me. SimmhEndramadhyamam is a difficult raga to capture in a few minutes and I didn't feel very satisfied by RV's effort. However, the subsequent thanam (my request!) was sung well with nice sequences like RGMG - RGMG - RGMG and quick brigha-oriented phrases like D,(dndpm) - N,(nsndp), etc. After a crisp rendition of rAma rAma, RV sang lengthy kalpanaswaras concluding with passages where he would first sing a sequence, then SV would repeat it on the violin, and finally PSK would play it on the mrudangam. These passages were very interesting, with RV using the same phrase like NSRGMP but merely changing the emphasised note each time from N to S to R, etc. There were some other interesting patterns too that I didn't note down because I was far too engaged in the proceedings, but this part of the concert was definitely a highlight especially because of the quality of the accompaniment.

The tukkadas were unremarkable.

RV impressed me over the course of his concert with a fine voice that can produce brighas and gamaks with consummate ease and which has good reach especially in the mandra sthayi. RV often takes his alapanais and swaras down to the mandra sthayi, and the resonance his voice maintains there is highly impressive. Aside from that, his enunciation is excellent, which enhances his krithi renditions. Also, the ease with which RV constructed sarvalaghu swaras (especially the concluding long passages) often reminded me of MMI. Perhaps most importantly, RV's singing is tranquil and calming like the still waters of a lake (and his music runs deep, in keeping with the saying). His singing is soft and unaggressive and he punctuates his music with long silences like MDR did. RV told me that his two favourite musicians are MMI and MDR, and the effect both have had on his singing is obvious. He uses gati variations and kaNakku sparingly but effectively in his music and demonstrated plenty of imagination in his swaraprastharams that evening.

Of course, I do have misgivings as well. For one, I did not particularly enjoy either of his detailed raga alapanais because I found them rather disjointed and note-oriented. As a die-hard purist, I would have liked to see more classical piDi-oriented open-throated singing during the alapanais, but of course this is just a personal preference. Additionally, I would've liked to hear more gamaka-oriented phrases as well, given RV's affinity for plain notes. And... yes, you just know I'm going to complain about this... I would have liked a few neravals in the concert as well. Looking at the songlists from his tour, I didn't expect a neraval and asked him after the concert why he doesn't sing neravals. He said that he finds most neraval lines rather meaningless and personally prefers to bring out the beauty of the ragam with alapanai and kalpanaswaras instead. I certainly cannot object to his preference, but must confess that I profit from my own ignorance about the meaning of most neraval lines (not proud of it) in that I tremendously enjoy the melodic and rhythmic manipulation of a line of a composition without being irked that the line in question is about a monkey or some empty description of a deity. So what I'm trying to say is, even though I completely understand and respect RV's dislike for neravals, I still like them and would've liked to hear him sing one (especially given how nicely he sang the thanam). Somehow, a Carnatic concert without a neraval just seems incomplete to me.

(May I request rasikas with their trembling, angry fingers primed on their keyboard to trash RV's feelings towards neraval to please remove their fingers and respect his opinion?)

The accompaniment in this concert was brilliant and the understanding between the three musicians on stage was by far the best I've ever encountered, both of which contributed significantly to the success of the concert.

S. Varadarajan was spellbinding throughout the concert. His mandra sthayi accompaniment during krithis was especially noteworthy (e.g., in the yadukulakAmbOji). Aside from that, his raga essays were also good, with an outstanding simmhEndramadhyamam which drew wide appreciation from the audience, in which he effectively captured the essence of the raga. All his tara sthayi phrases were wonderful, starting with the lovely, elongated kArvai at the tara shadjam which was followed by delicate, quiet phrases leading up to the tara gandharam. He used phrases like NRG,,, very evocatively and played nice fast sequences around the shadjam. There was also a nice DD NN MG,RS (tara) and his use of the nishadam in general was outstanding. SV was well up to the task in kalpanaswaras as well, replicating RV's graha bEdam and responding to RV's simmhEndramadhyamam swaras admirably. His sensitivity to RV's singing and his unobtrusive playing really lifted the concert several notches. I should add that amongst all the contemporary violinists I've heard, SV has the sweetest TNK-esque bowing.

Patri Satish Kumar on the mrudangam was another star. This was my first time listening to him live and I was completely blown away by the man's sensitive accompaniment, which was always just perfectly suited to RV's singing. His playing, too, was unobtrusive and quiet, but strokeful and intricate when necessary. While PSK's playing for krithis was admirable, I really loved his accompaniment for sarvalaghu kalpanaswaras which allowed RV all the freedom to construct any pattern. His use of the left side of the mrudangam during kalpanaswaras was especially noteworthy. In the simmhEndramadhyamam kalpanaswaras where he had to reproduce RV's patterns, PSK came into his own with his ability to not only replicate the rhythmic identity of the pattern but seemingly even the melodic content. As RV remarked after the simmhEndramadhyamam, PSK does not only play talas but ragas as well on his mrudangam. Indeed, in simmhEndramadhyamam, RV mimicked the phrase GM,,, so perfectly (with even an oscillating madhyamam!) that he drew gasps from the audience (I contributed a gasp as well). The thani was rather elaborate and very well done, with some nice kOrvais (yes, that's as much as you'll get from a laya ignoramus like me). He did play tiSram, if I caught it correctly.

In sum, this concert rode on the highs of extraordinary teamwork. RV's brief explanations of krithis, his jokes (he announced in the middle of the concert that he really wanted to eat pizza!), his pleasant disposition and open appreciation of the accompanists, all enhanced the atmosphere of the concert.

All in all, this was a good concert.

(When announcing my request for a thanam, RV started by saying that there's a website where one can obtain recipes on how to cook musicans...Well, ain't no cooking in this space!)

Sorry for the delayed and rather disjointed review...

[mahakavi]

I am a novice humanitarian (with an affinity to human beings) cannibal with a good taste for musicians and hence would like to know the URL of the website which instructs how to cook musicians. Can you publish that URL here?

[bilahari]

HA! I think you cook pretty well, as is

[rshankar]

Bilahari...I will keep my 'trembling fingers' (I assume you mean 'tuDikkum karangaL/viralgaL) away! Great review, by the way.

[bilahari]

Wait, that warning was only for the trolls amongst us! I want to know what you think!

[arasi]

Bilahari,
Hope the finals went well. Appreciate your going to the concert and writing a review too.
MAS-intolerant folks can stew in their own juices (just staying with culinary references folks, pardon me). Some of us think that it doesn't hurt to be appreciative of our fellow-human beings, that's all.
Back to the concert:
As expected, an excellent review from you
Rama Varma is a very pleasant man and his music is soothing. I see from the song list that his repertoire is varied. Such a good ensemble too. I hope that RV sings with Varadarajan and Patri as accompanists at least in a couple of venues during the season so that many rasikAs can get to hear them.

[mahakavi]

Here is a joke I want to share. If it is out of line I beg everybody's pardon.

A newspaper editor was taking an African Safari trip in a group. He happened to wander away from the group and the guide. Pretty soon he ended up in an isolated place where some cannibals caught him and took him to their chieftain. The chieftain was sitting on a dais where a huge pot was set on a firepit. The chieftain asked the editor about his profession to which the editor replied that he edited a newspaper in San Francisco. The chieftain then said, " Tomorrow you will be promoted to Editor-in-Chief" and rubbed his tummy while smiling gently.

[keerthi]

[quote=bilahari]The nishadam is taken as shadjam and the raga that emerges appears to be similar to our malahari (?): SR1M1PD1S - SD1PM1R1S (hope I'm reading the swaras correctly...my swara decoding skills have been suffering from disuse atrophy). I forget the name of the raga (Hindustani... starts with a 'g' - any takers?).[/quote]


It is gunakri/ gumkali/ gundakriya/ gaundgiri which corresponds to the south indian 'KarNATaka' suddha saveri. [MD's EkAmrEsa-nAyikE]. SRJ has said that lakSaNa-grantha-s list this one as 'hamsa' as well.

[devi]

@Bilahari - Thanks for the detailed concert report. and the brief clipping

[rshankar]

Wait, that warning was only for the trolls amongst us! I want to know what you think!

Since you asked, here goes: JUST my opinion...

He said that he finds most neraval lines rather meaningless and personally prefers to bring out the beauty of the ragam with alapanai and kalpanaswaras instead.

As someone who appreciates the poetic beauty of compositions as much as (sometimes even more) the music, I do not concur with this opinion at all. While I agree that some nereval lines are rather trite, and could be avoided, by and large, I think that most compositions do provide phrases/lines that are extremely meaningful, and embody the inherent sentiment of the whole piece (a phrase/line that is representative of the sthAyi bhAva of the composition) - especially, the compositions of the Trinity, Sri PS, etc. AlApanas and kalapanAsvarams do bring out the beauty of the rAga, but, sometimes, they are merely exercises, especially the latter, and so much math comes into play that it does rob the beauty of the composition. And if the artist's opinion were true, then the role of the kRti (or any composed music) should be relegated to the background, not just the nerevals. For exactly the same reasons, choosing the nereval phrases/line does take a lot of thought, but the melodic impact of nereval can not, and should not be replaced by anything else.

Somehow, a Carnatic concert without a neraval just seems incomplete to me.

By now, you'd have guessed that I agree wholeheartedly!

[rshankar]

folks can stew in their own juices

Marinate?

[rajeshnat]

Unfortunately, I fell asleep at this stage (which had everything to do with my burning the midnight oil ahead of final exams and nothing whatsoever to do with the music on offer) and missed the rest of the kalpanaswaras only to be informed at the end of the concert that RV had performed an elegant graha bEdam during my five minute nap.

bilahari
Amrithavarshini krithi of MD got rains , Did any one sprinkle water on your face during this rendition of amrithavarshini to wake you up . When I listened shri vermA before in that concert the most memorable no to me was his swara kalpAna of amrithavarshini.

The bAla tripura sundari(BMK googly special being bAla tirupura , that number was a very light number , I could not zone on the rAgA at all)

Great review , hope you have more concerts lined up in SanDiego.

[arasi]

Rajesh,
A 'sprinkle' of you own brand of humor

Ravi,
Depends--in active voice--stewing and in the passive sense, marinating, I suppose |(

Neravals: love them--when they are not trite, of course. How they bring out the intent of the song when the right line is taken up! Sometimes, even when a stock relationship reference of a line like--'tirumAl maruganE, SaravaNabavanE', when taken up by someone like Somu, can conjure up a much richer imagery in the listener's mind. As for the musical part of it, the sangatis for the lines may be beautiful to start with, which an accomplished singer can embellish further.

[Suji Ram]

Bilahari,
Can I cut and paste your views on RV's concert for the concert I attended at my place ? Every word about everything is just about what I thought while in concert. Offcourse the song list is different.

[bilahari]

NO. I want to read your own review, Suji!

[bilahari]

Rajesh, I agree about this bAla tripura sundari... I couldn't identify the ragam at all. All the tukkadas were really light.

We have Sriranjani Santhanagopalan this Friday and then a lull until August.

[arasi]

Suji,
Do let us have your review too. After all, it was a different concert where RV sang other songs.Yes, Bilahari's reviews cover a lot of ground and are looked forward to eagerly. You write one too. We can't have enough of them