Sri T.M. Krishna - Vocal
Sri S. Varadarajan - Violin
Sri K. Arun Prakash - Mridangam
Sri B.S. Purushottaman - Kanjira
1. viribONi - bhairavi - khaNDa aTa - aDiyappaiAh
2. enduku peddalAvalE - sankarAbharaNam - Adi - tyAgarAjA [R sketch, N at 'vEda SAstra', S in 1st speed]
3. sarasa sAma dAna - kApinArAyaNi - Adi - tyAgarAjA
4. sankari samkuru Candramukhi - sAvEri - Adi [tisra gati] - SyAma sAstri [R, N at 'SyAmakrishNa sOdari, S in 2nd speed]
5. E pApamu - aTANA - misra CApu - tyAgarAjA [R]
6. sabhApatikku vEru daivam - AbhOgi - rUpaka - gOpAlakrishNa bhArati
7. sri subrahmaNyAya namastE - kAmbhOji - tisra Eka - muttuswami dikshitar [R, N at 'vAsavAdi', S, T]
8. CalamElarA sAkEta rAmA - mArgahindOLam - Adi - tyAgarAjA
9. rAgam.tanam.pallavi - tODi - Adi [misra gati] - 'tiruparamgiri tiruchendUr pazhani malai murugA tiruvEragam tiruttaNigai pazhamudirsOlai' [swara rAgamAlikA in kalyANi, sAmA, kamAs] - chengleput ranganAthan
10. vadasi yAdi - mukhAri - khaNDa CApu - jayadEvA
11. shringAram - rAgamAlikA slOkam
12. sA paSyat kausalyA - jONpuri - Adi - panCApakESa sAstri
13. jagadOdhAraNa - kApi - Adi - purandaradAsa
14. mangaLam
Posting the list from memory since I do not have my notes with me, therefore apologies for any errors. I also had to leave the concert hall after item 9, having a flight to catch, therefore items 10 onwards are hearsay. Anyone else who attended may please correct the list. Specific comments follow.
Sri TM Krishna at FAS, Chembur, August 15 2006
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prashant
- Posts: 1658
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 09:01
An excellent 4+ hour concert from Sri TMK. A leisurely redition of the varNam was followed by a nice touch i.e. the 2-kaLai chowkam krithi at 1 down. The swarams only in 1st speed were appropriate given the kAlapramANam of the krithi. sAveri was nice, but Sri Varadarajan completely stole the show with an absolutely outstanding AlApana. Sri TMK made a very nice comeback with some beautiful sarvalaghu ideas in koraippu swarams for the sAvEri krithi. In general, his one-avartana swarams were very good.
The aTANA krithi was sung in a tempo befitting the grandeur of the multiple pallavi sangatis. It was a pleasure to hear a chaste rendition of this beautiful piece which isn't heard so much on the concert stage these days. The 2-stage kAmbhOji was good and Sri TMK eschewed briga sangathis for the most part, going for a lot of nAdaswaram phrasings. The first of the two main pieces on Lord Muruga was rendered competetently followed by a nice tani from Sri Arun Prakash and Sri Purushottaman. The naDai variations especially from Sri Arun Prakash were very interesting, and the kuraippu was nicely done.
A compact 2-stage AlApanA of tODi preceded a relatively long tAnam [12+ minutes] which was very nice to hear given that the tAnam suite sometimes gets short shrift in concerts. The ideas in the tAnam were excellent and sometimes electrifying, and I would only very gently cavil at the relatively frequent usage of the 'ga' syllable [as in 'ta ga ga nom' etc] by Sri TMK. Sri Varadarajan was outstanding in the tAnam - his bowing is gentle and fluid, and his tone, to me, brings to mind recordings of Sri T.N. Krishnan at his peak. The pallavi was well excecuted, and the setup by the pallavi doyen Sri Chengleput Ranganathan was extremely aesthetic. I unfortunately had to leave right after the pallavi, but I understand that the post-pallavi pieces [though sadly not unique
] were rendered in a sober and classical vein.
It's no secret from my previous concert reviews that I enjoy Sri TMK's music. It has a youthful and confident exuberance, tempered with a respect and appreciation for our classical tradition that shows up in his selection of rAgAs and krithis. He brims with enthusiasm and at least to me, it is clear that when he's on the stage, he's singing for first and foremost his own enjoyment and pleasure. It was also very nice to see 4 young people on the stage feeding off each others' energy and enjoying a wonderful mutual rapport. All in all, an enjoyable concert anchored by a classical and dignified selection of pieces.
The aTANA krithi was sung in a tempo befitting the grandeur of the multiple pallavi sangatis. It was a pleasure to hear a chaste rendition of this beautiful piece which isn't heard so much on the concert stage these days. The 2-stage kAmbhOji was good and Sri TMK eschewed briga sangathis for the most part, going for a lot of nAdaswaram phrasings. The first of the two main pieces on Lord Muruga was rendered competetently followed by a nice tani from Sri Arun Prakash and Sri Purushottaman. The naDai variations especially from Sri Arun Prakash were very interesting, and the kuraippu was nicely done.
A compact 2-stage AlApanA of tODi preceded a relatively long tAnam [12+ minutes] which was very nice to hear given that the tAnam suite sometimes gets short shrift in concerts. The ideas in the tAnam were excellent and sometimes electrifying, and I would only very gently cavil at the relatively frequent usage of the 'ga' syllable [as in 'ta ga ga nom' etc] by Sri TMK. Sri Varadarajan was outstanding in the tAnam - his bowing is gentle and fluid, and his tone, to me, brings to mind recordings of Sri T.N. Krishnan at his peak. The pallavi was well excecuted, and the setup by the pallavi doyen Sri Chengleput Ranganathan was extremely aesthetic. I unfortunately had to leave right after the pallavi, but I understand that the post-pallavi pieces [though sadly not unique
] were rendered in a sober and classical vein.It's no secret from my previous concert reviews that I enjoy Sri TMK's music. It has a youthful and confident exuberance, tempered with a respect and appreciation for our classical tradition that shows up in his selection of rAgAs and krithis. He brims with enthusiasm and at least to me, it is clear that when he's on the stage, he's singing for first and foremost his own enjoyment and pleasure. It was also very nice to see 4 young people on the stage feeding off each others' energy and enjoying a wonderful mutual rapport. All in all, an enjoyable concert anchored by a classical and dignified selection of pieces.
Last edited by prashant on 17 Aug 2006, 19:53, edited 1 time in total.
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mahesh3
- Posts: 584
- Joined: 06 Feb 2010, 21:32
Prashant-ji,
Excellent review!
Seems to have been an amazingly in-depth concert, with detailed krithi reneditions and a full blown RTP, followed by an extensive shlokham. TMK is delivering...
Some questions:
"The aTANA krithi was sung in a tempo befitting the grandeur of the multiple pallavi sangatis." - What was the tempo?
"I would only very gently cavil at the relatively frequent usage of the 'ga' syllable [as in 'ta ga ga nom' etc] by Sri TMK." - To my observations, some of his neravals and thaanams tend to include usage of this syllable, and I often wonder if there is a similarity in treatment an artist gives in the usage patterns to these rather different aspects? Yet, clearly, to my mind, TMK is very accomplished in the art of the neraval.
"The pallavi was well excecuted, and the setup by the pallavi doyen Sri Chengleput Ranganathan was extremely aesthetic." - Sounds very inviting.
Excellent review!
Seems to have been an amazingly in-depth concert, with detailed krithi reneditions and a full blown RTP, followed by an extensive shlokham. TMK is delivering...
Some questions:
"The aTANA krithi was sung in a tempo befitting the grandeur of the multiple pallavi sangatis." - What was the tempo?
"I would only very gently cavil at the relatively frequent usage of the 'ga' syllable [as in 'ta ga ga nom' etc] by Sri TMK." - To my observations, some of his neravals and thaanams tend to include usage of this syllable, and I often wonder if there is a similarity in treatment an artist gives in the usage patterns to these rather different aspects? Yet, clearly, to my mind, TMK is very accomplished in the art of the neraval.
"The pallavi was well excecuted, and the setup by the pallavi doyen Sri Chengleput Ranganathan was extremely aesthetic." - Sounds very inviting.
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prashant
- Posts: 1658
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 09:01
Hi Mahesh: this krithi has 9/10 sangatis in the pallavi each more and more complex. Sri TMK sang it in a medium-slow tempo ensuring a gradual buildup of anticipation with each sangati. Nice rendition for sure.
As per my [very limited] understanding of tAnam singing, as per tradition, it is supposed to only consist of the syllables 'a', 'nan' and 'tam'. The intervals are to be filled with 'a' kara phrases and the 'ga' syllable should not be present. Smt. Vedavalli's tAnam renditions are good examples of how this should be traditionally and correctly rendered. Like I said though, Sri TMK's tAnam was rich in musical content and well delivered. This was not meant to be a complaint, just a gentle observation
As per my [very limited] understanding of tAnam singing, as per tradition, it is supposed to only consist of the syllables 'a', 'nan' and 'tam'. The intervals are to be filled with 'a' kara phrases and the 'ga' syllable should not be present. Smt. Vedavalli's tAnam renditions are good examples of how this should be traditionally and correctly rendered. Like I said though, Sri TMK's tAnam was rich in musical content and well delivered. This was not meant to be a complaint, just a gentle observation
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arunsri
- Posts: 249
- Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 13:07
The Ashtapadi is in khanDa chApu tALa
The pallavi line - If I recall is - tiruparamgiri tiruchendUr pazhani malai murugA tiruvEragam tiruttaNigai pazhamudirsOlai - Start one aksharam after samam, arudi of 5 aksharams at 'gA' or murugA - talam of 56 aksharams (8 * 7)
The concert was good, I personally wished a different song than enduku peddala - nothing wrong with the song or the rendition, it somehow did not set the mood for the concert, a madhayama kAla piece like say - bhaktibichhamiyyavE, ramA ramaNa rA rA (both shankarAbharaNam - if he wanted to sing this raga), sArasAksha, paripAlaya, raghuvra nannu, vADErA (kAmavardhani) would have been a better choice.
Over all the mood of the concert was more contemplative than the other concerts of TMK. At a couple of places, the decibel level was a bit on the higher side with both the percussionists playing loudly. E pApamu was very well rendered with the beautiful sangatis (and the short 2 mins raga sketch was crisp and neat). The RTP was clearly the highlight of the concert.
One felt the absence of prati madhayma raga in this concert. Also, I felt one more raga could have been elaborated given the 4 hr duration of the concert, both aTAnA and shankarAbharaNam were only sketches.
The pallavi line - If I recall is - tiruparamgiri tiruchendUr pazhani malai murugA tiruvEragam tiruttaNigai pazhamudirsOlai - Start one aksharam after samam, arudi of 5 aksharams at 'gA' or murugA - talam of 56 aksharams (8 * 7)
The concert was good, I personally wished a different song than enduku peddala - nothing wrong with the song or the rendition, it somehow did not set the mood for the concert, a madhayama kAla piece like say - bhaktibichhamiyyavE, ramA ramaNa rA rA (both shankarAbharaNam - if he wanted to sing this raga), sArasAksha, paripAlaya, raghuvra nannu, vADErA (kAmavardhani) would have been a better choice.
Over all the mood of the concert was more contemplative than the other concerts of TMK. At a couple of places, the decibel level was a bit on the higher side with both the percussionists playing loudly. E pApamu was very well rendered with the beautiful sangatis (and the short 2 mins raga sketch was crisp and neat). The RTP was clearly the highlight of the concert.
One felt the absence of prati madhayma raga in this concert. Also, I felt one more raga could have been elaborated given the 4 hr duration of the concert, both aTAnA and shankarAbharaNam were only sketches.
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Vocalist
- Posts: 1030
- Joined: 19 Feb 2006, 18:53
Actually, "thA" "nom" "tha" "thom" are the 4 syllables that can be used. But right, AkAra phrases are meant to fill the gaps - and for that you need a flexible voice. The 'thA ga ga ga' phrase is sometimes mistakenly heard, when the musician is actually singing it intensely as "thA A A A" - a flexible voice effectively does this the right way. At times though, their voice isn't always up to scratch and so can't create the same effect, so they just use the 'ga' phrase sometimes without realising or as a convenient substitute - so called "modern convention".