VV.Subramaniam in Mudhra on 14 Dec 2010.

[CRama]

I had the good fortune of attending the violin solo concert of VVS accompanied by Guruvayur Dorai on the Mridangam and Tripunithura Radhakrishnan on the Ghatom. Perhaps this may be the only one concert of VVS in this entire season. The list of
songs are:
1.Vathapi- Hamsadhwani.- short alapana, neraval and elaborate swaras in two kalams
2.Nannu kanna thalli- Sindukannada
3.Rama rama gunaseema- Simhendramadhyamam- Very elaborate alapana, neraval and elaborate swaras in two kalams
Thani - for 20 minutes
4.Nannu brovu Lalitha-Lalitha- preceded by raga alapana
5.Meevalla gunadosha- Kapi- elaborate alapana, and elaborate swaras in two kalams
6.Karunai deivame- Sindubhairavi
7.Thirupugazh- Hamsanandi
8.Mangalam.

The concert was of very high standard which can be expected from VVS given his vidwat and long experience. The tone of the violin was excellent and each note was soaked in raga bhava. The ragas played were majestic and covered all the prayogas that can be expected in those ragas. Very rarely you will hear Rama rama guna seema as the main song. Full justice was done in the ragam and neraval and swara segments. VVS was highly appreciative of Guruvayur Dorai and called him SUKHA BRAHMAM- his mridangam gives so much sukham that can be enjoyed for hours together. he said. He recalled that when MS first sang this song it was VVS and Guruvayur Dorai who accompanied her. Tripunithura Radhakrishnan provided good support on the ghatom. Lalitha alapana was soulful. Kapi alapana was also very good and covered all its
contours and the swaras were very absorbing. The swaras were hihghly technical also which I am not capable of explaining. I think there were nadai variations.

It is very unfortunate that such high standard music has very little takers. The audience was very thin. He is unaruguably the best after the mighty three violinists of the present day. But I do not know why sabha do not engage him or he is not performing. I do not know. Any how the loss is for serious rasikas. I appeal to all the rasikas- Whenever you get an opportunity do not miss his concert.

[srikant1987]

Perhaps this may be the only one concert of VVS in this entire season.

Not quite. There's a trio coming up at Naada Inbam (Raga Sudha hall, Mylapore).

Besides, he's also accompanying Sri TV Gopalakrishnan's vocal concert there, I believe.

It is very unfortunate that such high standard music has very little takers.

Very sad to learn this! It is not just high standard, it's quite rare too -- I don't blame you for suspecting this is his only concert this season ... just thought I'd let another rasika know of his two other concerts.

Maybe he's become so rare no one knows about him, though! |( Or it could just be the "instrumental concert" phenomenon. ;( ;( ;( ;( ;( ;( :@ :@

[mankuthimma]

He is unaruguably the best after the mighty three violinists of the present day.

Arguably better than the mightiest three violinists of the present day . Like Padmakar Shivalkar, Rajendra Goel and VV Kumar in cricket , he is unfortunate to have had his playing days coincide with the Big three of Yesteryears . ;(

A glimpse into an evening when he was at his peak ..
http://www.mediafire.com/?6vzz06x6jv8532y

He has always been 24 carat in his craft.

[CRama]

Thanks Srikant 1987 for informing me about the other two concerts of VVS. I will not miss them.
Thanks Coolkarniji for uploading the 24 carat gold of VVS. What an apt title you have given! I am retaining the title as it is in my file.Tons of thanks.

[KSJaishankar]

For me, the definitive VVS was in the filler he played between the 1st and 2nd sangathis of Gunijanadi Nutha (Gurjari) when accompanying DKJ in a concert ... I have heard that song sung by DKJ is umpteen concerts, but the magic that VVS created with a simple glide down is missing

[bilahari]

CRama, here is a priceless bilahari from VVS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn3zxpuacqI

In the links by the side, you can navigate to a lovely kAnaDa as well.

I have always loved VVS's playing. His Ananda bhairavi alapanai in response to MDR before nI maDi callaga is one of the finest AB alapanais I have ever heard. If you're interested, I'll upload that here. His gamakas have great fluidity, his bowing is very clean, and he was always a sensitive accompanist. His accompaniment to SSI in a remarkable concert comes to mind as his best work in my books - that SankarAbharaNam RTP is one for the ages. He, like TNK, has a rather minimalist approach to music that I have always found very attractive.

CRama, see you at his Raga Sudha concert?!

[srikant1987]

His gamakas have great fluidity, his bowing is very clean, and he was always a sensitive accompanist.

I'm sure he'll continue to be one in the TVG concert.

He, like TNK, has a rather minimalist approach to music

After all, he has been under Sri (Tripunithura) A Narayana Iyer's tutelage too.

[bilahari]

True and true, Srikant! I shouldn't have consigned him to the past tense of accompaniment!

Thimma, what a lovely sAvEri from the vidwan. Thank you!

[mankuthimma]

The album of TVS at Academy show cases VVS Very eloquently . Hamsadwani , Mohana , Natakpriya... VVS is top notch in that concert . The thing I like about him is that the quotient of the "Unexpected " is high with VVS . LALG- MSG-TNK with all their higher rating , have a style where we can guess their moves as they play . BUT VVS one can never say . His Sindhubhairavi on two occasions are totally different from each other . And that is something that makes his play endearing.

Shall we listen to some more of his stuff ?

[MaheshS]

The first time I heard VVS live was Mudra - One Raga One Krithi series [1997?], accompanying Santhanagopalan sir, with UKS. Akshayalingavibho in Shankarabaranam. WOW. VVS was amazing. Any chance you have this recording Coolji?

[mankuthimma]

Any chance you have this recording Coolji?

Negative ...

[naarayanan]

Shall we listen to some more of his stuff ?

coolji, please go ahead. it has been a long time since you opened your treasured chest of gems.

[mankuthimma]

Held back at office with some unexpected emergency work . Unable to attend the reception . At least I can do this , while I wait for the urgent work to get over :devil:
http://www.mediafire.com/?4cewnccm5e4x6z8
included a tasty thani for the layamen

[semmu86]

Srikant, can you pls let know the dates for the other two VVS concerts... As coolji said, it is indeed unfortunate, that his career was under the shadow of the mighty violin trinity.

I have always been a great fan of Sri.VVS ever since i heard him a decade ago. And for those, who is yet to become his fan, i would personally recommend them to listen to this concert . The violin would have sounded like a nectar or the second thampurA....

http://66.182.253.251/www.sangeethamsha ... J-VVS-UKS/

A MUST LISTEN. The way he accompanies just oozes class.. Just class all the way. Especially some lovely sangathis in the sahAnA krithi and the RTP. The greatest thing about the pallavi, if one can notice keenly, it is quite a complicated one, with the basic structure being adhi thAla, where the lagu part is in thisra nadai and the drutham part is in khanda nadai.

VVS would have comprehended it like a piece of camphor and would have played a masterful trikAlam. DKJ would have started singing the kalpanaswarAs after singing his trikAlam, not sure of whether VVS would be able to reproduce the pallavi trikAlam, (which also indirectly implies, that the pallavi was not rehearsed). But what followed was an amazing piece of genius. The way VVS stopped DKJ and played trikAlam is the kind of stuff what geniuses are made of.... Such nonchalance and brilliance which can be seen only in LGJ accompanying Alathoor bros or GNB...

[samskrtasangita]

A glimpse into an evening when he was at his peak ..
http://www.mediafire.com/?6vzz06x6jv8532y

Thank you very much for sharing. Can you please upload any bits from the remaining portion of the concert or any other concert extracts? The saveri that you uploaded was haunting me all day, I would have listened at least 50 times.

Thanks

[cienu]

Thanks Thimma for the clips. For one who has heard VVS countless number of times, he still never ceases to amaze. !

[mankuthimma]

samskrtasangita

will do the remaining part . VVS can be exciting in the thukkada section too .I will try and prise out some fine alapanas in the concerts where he has accompanied . Will do it in a thread dedicated to him . A DD program with UKS is also a must - see .

[sankark]

Here is a full concert of VVS Trio @ http://66.182.253.251/www.sangeethamsha ... -VVS-Trio/

[CRama]

Thanks everybody for the amazing response to my review and the treasure of music uploads. I would like to get some full concert of VVS(solo -including duets and trio).
Last year, I purchased a CD produced by VVS cotaining his 3 live concerts- excellent concerts and excellent recording. It costs only Rs.200. I had reviewed that in the Album review thread. Normally it is available for purchase where VVS concert is there. I strongly recommend this for buying.

[Krazy4music]

Incredible , Incredible violinist! That Saveri was wonderfully played. I remember listening to a Vathapi played many years ago. Often artists almost dish out a vathapi like a warm-up piece; he played it with some much elegance that it still rings in my ears.

mankuthimma, Would love to hear your clips in a thread dedicated to this wonderful artist.

I have often thought of the violinists as the Big 5 instead of the top 3 i.e somehow I always feel that MC and VVS need to be included among the top.

Bilahari made a very interesting and insightful comment about his "minimalist" approach to music and compared it to TNK. It would be great if someone could point out additional technical features of his play; does it constitute a separate Bani in itself etc.

[bilahari]

I, too, wonder about whether his is a unique bAni. He has received advanced training from TNK's father and there are several similarities in their music. In technique, both VVS and TNK have similar bowing styles. It is forceful and clear and they both favour the use of the entire bow as far as possible. In the way both of them deal with gamakas, there are important distinctions from what little of VVS I've seen (Youtube only). VVS seems to favour moving his fingers up and down the fingerboard for brighas while TNK often takes the quick fingering alternations (where you hear the finger hit the fingerboard...it's hard for me to describe exactly) route.

In a sense, I feel VVS's fingering technique falls somewhere in between the TNK and N. Rajam styles. If I remember correctly, Shivadasan once wrote that the gAyaki Ang technique of N. Rajam that was developed with Narayana Iyer's guidance is more advanced than TNK's technique. It must have been developed later. I don't know when exactly VVS learnt from Narayana Iyer. If it was later, he may have acquired this more advanced fingering. This is just idle speculation, though. I suspect VVS's fingering was largely acquired from his first guru - I can't imagine someone changing his entire fingering technique at a later stage in training. Modifications, certainly. The entire technique? Doubtful.

Even in content of music, there are often similarities between VVS and TNK. TNK also plays the mandra stAyi panchamam-oriented phrases in sAvEri as VVS does here. The two also have a similar approach to developing kAmbOji. I will upload two kAmbOji ragas here later this evening and let people guess which one is TNK and which one is VVS.

I'm NO expert on VVS or TNK, so let me just add that disclaimer with all the "rasikas are not experts and should just shut their mouths and praise every concert and musician to the skies and bow humbly to their greatness" types floating around these days. Sheesh.