SuryaprakAsh@NGS(Mini)on June 30th,2010

[rajeshnat]

SuryaprakAsh@NGS(Mini)on June 30th,2010
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Vocal : suryaprakAsh
Violin : S.VaradarAjan
Mrudangam : R.Ramesh(disciple of Guru KarAikudi mani)
kanjirA : KV gOpAlakrishnan
Concert duration : 2 hours and 10 minutes
Occassion : Harikesanjali celebrations

When one looks at karnatik.com, if one browses different vaggeyakkaras and no of compositions ,HMB has composed close to 361, looking at what is in circulation may be it is less than 5%. These thematic compositions concert have got an enormous value more to the performing musician if internalized well and in turn make rasikas satisfied . In this concert there was a brand new HMB main in KAmbOdhi .There was a viruththam in tiruvarutpA and all the remaining numbers were dedicated to HMB.

Hamsadhwani as an opener generally gives a great start , but the prerequisite to that is perhaps the team of percussion should gel. The percussion of Ramesh just did not gel that well with both suryaprakash and also with varadarAjan during swara replies and to an extent ' hamsadhwani' was more a I 'am sad wane' case.

From number #2 , it just got better . An apt number in suddhadhanyAsi where he announced that he was taking up that as it was a GNB centenary , himagiri thanayE had the run of a typical GNB dash with fast and quick brigAs.

From #3 the concert was very impressive .Valaci-submain was really superb with a lovely lilting alApana.After crisp return of varadarAjan, the krithi was sung very well with a nice round of swaras .The alApana of vijayanAgari was really well done . I just love this rAga it brings a shade of sivaranjani pathos and with some exceptional return of varadarAjan the muse was just there . A very crisp neraval in vijayanAgari was well done with clean shruthi suddhamAna return by varadarAjan and nice rotation from both the mridangist and kanjirA artist.Personally of all krithis of HMB, like this vijayanAgari the most. GowdamalhAr number just asserts the excellence of his school he sang with a nice dose of swaras.

Just when I was thinking that so far the numbers of HMB were all in the familiar zone of "heard numbers of HMB".The main was brand new to me and I was hearing this for the first time. This kAmbOdhi number was not a typical fast kAMbOdhi like a mA jANaki ,this number ratna kancuka dhAriNi ambA had a bit slower kAlapramAnam and he sang beautifully. I was bit disappointed in the neraval as he did not go in second speed and wrapped up it up well with swaras ,there was more layam orientation in swaras and I think it was in cApu thAlam , bit slow not a shade of sarvalaghu there but more showcasing away from his shri madurai mani school.

In the tukkkadas the viruththam was well sung in all 3 rAgas miyAn ki malhAr (a little distorted darbAri kAnadA is the best way to describe miyAn ki malhAr) and hamsAnandi were well done . The next in viruththam was rather too difficult for me to identify as it was nirOshtA that I am not that acclimitized , the last jump into Andavan darisaname in jOnpuri had lot of high speed uruttals and I enjoyed a lot. The last note was perhaps the very first number that I heard of HMB and was well done.

About accompanists:
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varadarAjan is an asset , with his shruthi sowkhyam he was in a race with suryaprakAsh and he lifted the concert .His returns were very crisp and I enjoyed it throughout .It was a lovely combination.

Ramesh had his moments of KarAikudi Mani crispness and speed but the excellence was good only in parts . His tani was bit overbanging and I felt he was too loud for few early numbers .Also I wish he had cut short a bit of tani.KVG provided able support and had the right azhuttam.

1A. slOkham 'vakrathunda mahAkAya' - hamsadhwani
1B. gam gaNapatE (S)- hamsadwani
swaras for 7 mins
2. himagiri thanayE - suddadhanyAsi

3. jaalandhara(R,S) - valaci
6 mins alApanai and 3 mins violin return
4 mins swaras
4. vijayAmbikE(RS,N) - vijayanAgari
neraval in "sangeetha rUpini kripa shAlini" for 4 mins

5. sArasamukhi (S) -gowDamalhAr
4 mins swaras

6A. ratna kancuka dhAriNi ambA (R N S T)- kAmbOdhi
13 mins alAPanai and 8 mins violin return
neraval in "manda gamanOllAsini dEvEndranutE mrdubhASiNi" for 9 mins
6B. tani for 19 mins

7A. petra thAi thanai - miyAnmalhAr + hamsAnandi + niRoshta + jOnpuri - thiruvarutpA
7B. AnDavan darisanamE - jOnpuri
8. Note -shankarAbharanam
9. HarikesAya mangalam - madhyamAvati

I was bit disappointed that the concert ended by 9 pm after just 2 hours and 10 minutes , another half an hour or pallavi could have been better. It was a concert away from sarvalaghu,more a showcase of the spread of HMB krithis and that rare kAmbOdhi was a head turner to me. Over all a very good concert.

[rshankar]

Rajesh - Thank you for the review. There is a recording by Madurai Sri Sundar where he sings ratna kancuka dhAriNi exceptionally well, doing great justice to his Sri Muttiah Bhagavatar, Sri Sankarasivan, Sri TNS lineage.
From what I understand, Sri MB composed in tamizh and marAThi in addition to kannaDa, telugu and sanskrit. I wish those songs are unearthed and presented. I have heard Smt. Gayathri Girish and Smt. Nityashree sing a couple of his tamizh kRtis (in particular, i remember a catchy temAngu - 'Sankaran SEr peNmaNiye antaranga mAmayilE'). Smt. Gayathri Girish has presented his SivAshTOtara kRtis, some of which are also not very popular in the present day concert circuit.

[fduddy]

Just when I was thinking that so far the numbers of HMB were all in the familiar zone of "heard numbers of HMB".The main was brand new to me and I was hearing this for the first time. This kAmbOdhi number was not a typical fast kAMbOdhi like a mA jANaki ,this number ratna kancuka dhAriNi ambA had a bit slower kAlapramAnam and he sang beautifully. I was bit disappointed in the neraval as he did not go in second speed and wrapped up it up well with swaras ,there was more layam orientation in swaras and I think it was in cApu thAlam , bit slow not a shade of sarvalaghu there but more showcasing away from his shri madurai mani school.

The kambhoji kriti is GRAND. There is a splendid rendition by Bangalore Shankar. Actually this entire concert is awesome, seems a chamber concert.
see the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMFFAcP65fY&NR=1

[fduddy]

And ofcourse TNS has sung the kambhoji kriti.

[Lakshman]

rshankar: I don't know about marAThi kritis (I have to check carefully) but there are some kannada kritis by HMB.

[arasi]

A concert I wish I had been to!
Suryaprakash would have done justice to some of the unknown krutis. Gifted as he is, he can internalize a new song in no time at all. He can deliver even a brand new song with his patent energy.

Rajesh,
You are right. While some thematic concerts can be run-of-the-mill, others can be eye-openers. Yes, a bit more time for the concert would have been better.
S. Varadarajan is an asset as an accompanist and every year he is getting better and better.

Ravi,
Your mention of Gayatri Girish brought back pleasant memories of my listening to her HMB concert in Bengaluru in January 2009.
She began the concert with mana mOhana varNam in mOhanam, singing manadiRkiSainda maNALan in SankarAbharaNam as main (thoroughly enjoyable), sArasa dala nayanE in sAramati, a song in vijaya sarasvati, umE ninage in sri rAgam and so on.
How very important it is for the artistes to bring to our listening pleasure the unknown krutis of such a giant composer like HMB! If he had to wait this long for a few of his compositions to be heard, think of the rest of us, lesser modern day composers! Yet, there are signs of performers wanting to popularize contemporary composers. I had not realized how beautiful Dandapani desikar's songs were until Sanjay sang some in Margazhi maha utsavam a few years ago. He sang Mayuram Viswanatha Shastry's comopsitions this time. Again, such beautiful songs.
A thematic concert can really showcase a brilliant composer like HMB and can make rasikAs realize his worth in one sitting!

[tyagarajadasa]

@ rajesh,
I am surprised u call ratna kancuka dhAriNi rare! TNS has sung it soooo much. I have at least 6 concert recordings of it!!

moreover, a rendition by HMB himself is available on sangeethapriya....

[rajeshnat]

@ rajesh,
I am surprised u call ratna kancuka dhAriNi rare! TNS has sung it soooo much. I have at least 6 concert recordings of it!!

moreover, a rendition by HMB himself is available on sangeethapriya....

thagrajadasa,
When I googled to get the name of the krithi of KAMbOdhi right ,there I could see Shri TNS has sung.As such not heard this krithi till this concert. I will hunt both TNS and also HMB's rendition in sangeethapriyA .I have not heard any recording of HMB at all.If you can provide the HMB url of the same ,would be nice.

[rajeshnat]

rshankar: I don't know about marAThi kritis (I have to check carefully) but there are some kannada kritis by HMB.

Ravi,
Are krithis written in marAthi or could that be an abhang that HMB composed in marAthi.

[Lakshman]

There are kritis composed in marAThi. There is a book of compositions by Marattha composers that include varNas and kritis.

[tyagarajadasa]

@rajesh,
Hi, could u run a search at sangeethapriya. search for "hmb", u will see it as u scroll down a bit->i am unable to post that link, sorry, maybe links have been disabled there??

[rshankar]

Rajesh, in particular, the marAThA kings who ruled tanjavUr (or tanjAvar as they called it) composed padavarNam, padams and jAvaLIs in marAThi - several of the Bombay (sorry Mumbai)-based dancers have unearthed these pieces and routinely present them according to what I have heard. Parimal may be able to shed more light on this.
Coming back to Sri MB, he is supposed to have composed kRtis in marAThi - not abhangs. IMO, abhangs are the marAThi equivalents of the compositions of the haridAsas of karnAtakA.

[S.NAGESWARAN]

I have a wish.

In one of his concert in future,Sri Suryaprakash must try to sing the raga Goudamallari as Goudamalhar in Hindustani style
in some virutham Ragamalika.

S.NAGESWARAN.
02..07.2010.

[rajeshnat]

There are kritis composed in marAThi. There is a book of compositions by Marattha composers that include varNas and kritis.

Lji,
That is news to me .Do you know if any singers of today or past taken any marathi krithis in concerts.