Amrutha Venkatesh,NAda Inbam,22/10/10

[ganeshkant]

Accompaniments:

V.L.Kumar - Violin
Shertalai Ananthakrishnan - Mridangam
Song list:
1.Kanada Ata Thala Varnam
2.ThyagarAjagurum AshrayE - KedAram - MDR -Rupakam-(s)
3.Marivere - Shanmukhapriya - PSI -Adi
4.Jeyajeya RaghurAmA - Sahana -ST -Misracapu-(R,N@ SAketapurabhoopa)
5.AnandamruthAkarshini - Amruthavarshini - MD - Adi
6.MerusamAna - MayamAlavagowlai-T-Adi-(R,N@gaLamuna sobillu,S,T)
7.KAnthanOdu-Neelambari-Rupakam (javali/padam ?)
8.PachchaimAmalaipOlmeni -Behag,SubhapantuvarAli,Bilahari,Sindbhairavi followed by
RangabhAro - Sindbhairavi - Adi - PD
9.EththnaikOdi inbam vaithAi- MahAkavi - Desh
10.PavamAna

My thoughts about the concert:

After Maharajapuram Santhanam the first one to impress me with varnam singing must be Kum.AV.She is able to bring that kAla pramaNam that is both assertive and melodic.

The kriti rendition and svarams sang for the Kedaram no.was very erudite.She herself announced this as a master piece of MDR.I should say AV did full justice to it.

The rendition of Marivere was simple yet elegant .

The Sahana was handled leisurely,sedatively and contemplatively.Listening to this closing ones eyes, might have experienced the bonding of the jeeva with the soul.An out of the world presentation.Same thing about the MMG presentation also.How many times do we have a chance to listen to a MMG main ! AV showed her class here also.The music didn’t just fill the ears and ran away rather it went deep inside to the insentient from the sentient and stayed there permanently.This morning right from my waking up the Sahana and MMG are ringing in my ears.What a nice feeling !

Post thani items were all sweet and with a lot of stuff.All the ragas had their distinct stamp though sung briefly.The Malayalam song in Neelambari needs special mention.

VLK did a good job as an accompanist and supported the vocalist throughout.Shertalai AK himself was enjoying the concert along with the rasikas which reflected in his understanding and subtle playing.His tani was good too.

A concert of extreme good quality.

[Nick H]

Agree 100%. It was full of moments when I could have, just for that moment, gone home feeling completely satisfied!

There was more than a touch of Varma in her singing of the MDR song --- or maybe I am seeing the touch of MDR in them both, as my personal experience does not go that far back --- but she reasserted her individuality as soon as it came to the swaras. Anyway, I have no more objection to a touch of Varma in her singing than I do to a touch of BMK in his!

One of her trademarks is the sheer quality of her voice. It is just as good whether she is singing high or low. I'm sure that some singers really believe they have to stare at the ground to produce low notes from their throat: she has no such mannerisms. She just gives a very straight and beautiful performance and, as my wife commented, she does it with a smile. A couple of months ago, I asked her whether she takes training in voice production, aside from carnatic music: I wasn't surprised to hear that she did. More people should follow her example!

I'm convinced that she could sing in any genre, anywhere in the world, and shine. Curiously, there are moments when her voice reminds me of Vera Lynn!!!* The clarity of enunciation may be something to do with this

I enjoyed VLK's returns very much too. Shertalai AK's style is very gentle: his tani was a delight to listen to, and completely in keeping with the rest of the concert. There was absolutely no feeling of time out from, or interruption to, the rest of the program.

Fans may note that she will be performing on Nov 7th. The venue has vanished from its bran cell. Eldams Rd? Unfortunately I am engaged with something else on that date. *We'll meet again; don't know where, don't know when; but I know we'll meet again, some sunny day...

[Sreeni Rajarao]

Thanks for the reviews - I can see how much ganeshkant and Nick have enjoyed this concert!

I hope I will get a chance to hear Amrutha Venkatesh live in a concert one day - she is definitely on my list of artistes I hope that I will get to hear live. I have one CD brought out by Ananya, Bangalore and I enjoy it immensely every time I listen to it.

[rshankar]

Thanks Ganeshkant and Nick - Like Sreeni, she is on my list of must listen to artists.
This brings up an important purpose served by these reviews. For me personally, reviews like these have given me the impetus to get out of the rut of making an attempt (and let us be very clear here - except for a lucky few, most of us who hanker after the live concert experience here in the US have to make serious and concerted attempts to make it happen - traveling long distances, making arrangements for child-care, leaving work early etc. etc.) to only go to the concerts of just the usual artists that I normally listen to, and venture out to listen to newer ones - for, regardless of how well-written reviews are, sincere, heartfelt reviews are evident for all to see, and one immediately feels the urge to be transported, just like Ganesh, or Nick, or Bharat, or Rajesh was (as the case may be); by the same token, reviews from sycophants are just as easy to spot.

[Nick H]

Goodness... how easy musical life is here. Sometimes I forget it! And for some of us it is easier than others. I have no working hours or studying children to worry about, and a wife who likes to be asked, but never minds me going when she doesn't want to.

Even I can complain... that I don't live in Mylapore, and can't walk to the concerts! Thanks for the reminder of how amazingly well off I am.

Speaking of being "well off," that is necessity too, for those not in Chennai. My London concert going, in tickets and petrol, was a major part of my budget.

We really are very lucky here.

[ghariharan]

Indeed, that was a beautiful concert right from the word go. Although I had to leave in the middle. I think it was Nick next to me across the aisle.

[ragam-talam]

ganesh, thanks a lot for the beautiful review. I will make sure I listen to her next time I get an opportunity.

7.KAnthanOdu-Neelambari-Rupakam (javali/padam ?)

'kAntanODu chennu melle, kiLi mozhi shuchamihavadA' is a lovely padam by Swati Tirunal. Ideal for inclusion as a dance item - rshankar, please note!

Lucky you, you got to listen to a Malayalam kriti - quite rare on the concert circuit these days.

Any idea if a recording was made? I am interested in esp the Neelambari.

[Nick H]

Indeed, that was a beautiful concert right from the word go. Although I had to leave in the middle. I think it was Nick next to me across the aisle.

It is a shame you could not stay for all. As to it being me, I don't think there was any other non-Indian there, so it must have been .

[ghariharan]

But I have not seen you before, and therefore could not identify you. Now I know.

[arasi]

He said,
Nick, the non-indian...
Now in tamizh:
nAn indian

[Nick H]

I have an idea how to say "My name is Nick" in Tamizh (I won't use the -l, after you have taken such care in your spelling, even though my "zh" pronunciation would be faulty) but not how to spell it.

But I have not seen you before, and therefore could not identify you. Now I know.

Good... do say hello! Let me warn you in advance that I am hard of hearing, so you may have to repeat your name a couple of times.

The thing with the non-Indians is... that there are so few of us. of course, the number goes up a bit in the season, but not by much. I talked to an [white] American lady at Raga Sudha Hall the other day. She is learning carnatic music and spending time here with her teacher. She told me that mine was the first non-Indian face she had seen in a concert, and wondered... why? Well, the lack of exposure of our music to the rest of the world is recognised and discussed in other threads.

For now, at least until December, rasikas would be fairly safe in assuming that any vesti/kurta-clad white guy, especially at Raga Sudha, is me. No obligation to socialise, of course

[rshankar]

I have an idea how to say "My name is Nick"

a la 'My name is Gauhar jaan'?

[rbharath]

wow.. wow...

mmg main with mErusamAna.. missed it (