Hyderabad Brothers - HK Venkataram - Srimushnam Rajarao - Om

[srikant1987]

Hyderabad Brothers - Vocal Duo
HK Venkataram - Violin
Srimushnam Rajarao - Mridangam
Omkar Rao - Ghatam

16 April 2011
Sri Ramanavami Sangeetotsava
Sri Vani Vidya Mandira (School), Basavesha Nagara, Bangalore

sarasijanAbha (varNam) - kAmbhOji - aTa (R/sketch)
rArA mA iNTi dAka - asAvEri - Adi - T
sItApatE - khamAs - Adi - T (RS)
ennagAna rAmabhajana - pantuvarALi - rUpaka - Bhadrachala Ramadas (R, NS @ kAmitArtha phalamunicci kaivalyamosaga lEdA?)
palukavadEmi rA? - dEvamanOhari - Adi - MV
sarasa sAma dAna - kApi nArAyaNi - Adi - T (S @ hitavu mATalentO)
sangIta jnAnamu - dhanyAsi - Adi - T (R, NS @ kAryamulanni telisina tyAgarAjuni)
tani
rAma rAma rAma - tilang?! - rUpaka - PD (sketch)

Sri Sheshachari began the concert humming the mandra pa, and then the madhya ga whence he began his kAmbhOji. Very aesthetic, and I was already mentally preparing for a concert to remember. =)

Would have preferred taruNi, but hey, sarasijanAbha isn't bad either, and their rendition was somehow very filled with bhAva. The mother-tongue factor showed, but not blatantly. It was really nice.

Of course I love everything in asAvEri, and the Brothers sang rArA again with so much bhAvam!

Sri Sheshachari (S) handled the khamAs AlApanai, and it was lovely (without N3). HKV's khamAs was very good too. One thing I observed was that in the kAmbhOji sketch and khamAs AlApanai, S employed r/ss as a substitute for sa, but HKV didn't (though otherwise he followed AlApanai phrases exactly).

In the swarams, they sang pndpad - sItApatE, which must be some kind of poRuttam I didn't understand. Is pnd the same as punida?! Anyway, I loved their smaller swarams but the multiple Avartana swarams for this piece had too many pndpad's and other things which I found a little blah. They seemed to try an interesting thing or two which somehow didn't fall in place.

pantuvarALi was also begun by S, but handed over to Sri Raghavachari (R) quite soon, and R completed it. While both S and R have an amazing vocal range -- both sang at least from mandra G3 to tAra pa, maybe a little more. However, S's singing is more open-throated and clear, especially during briga. S also seemed generally more extrovert.

Don't people ever get bored of pantuvarALi and pUrvikalyANi ever?! Anyway, HKV's pantuvarALi was very good too. By the way, after HKV finished his pantuvarALi (and dhanyAsi) AlApanais, S asked him to drink some water. I found it so sweet of him.

Would have liked more elaboration for dEvamanOhari ... and I love the krti so much, I felt it could have been done with a little more bhAva too!

When it was time for the main to begin -- I must first say I was hoping for a nATTaikuRinji before the concert (just like that). BUT with so many G3s (mostly other harikAmbhOji janyas), I was sure that wasn't to be (indeed the kAmbhOji and khamAs had already satisfied me well on that dimension) ... so it had to be bhairavi -- or tODi -- BUT WAIT! It could also be a dhanyAsi -- or a mukhAri! A ... N ... D -- it's dhanyAsi! YAAAAAAAAAAAY!

S did the dhanyAsi AlApanai. It was ABSOLUTELY classical and pure brilliance. Sang everywhere from mandra ga to tAra da or ni. NOW, to do all this at 35 is one thing, and to do it at however old S and R are is totally another. I think there was a shruti bhEdam where he changed to ma, but I couldn't identify the rAgam (amidst such a classical AlApanai I wasn't prepared for it). It still (incredibly!) sounded aesthetic. (I also think there is some sanction for "ma"-based shruti bhedam in the just intonation scale, someone please clarify.)

S totally controlled the concert. There were many "adi!"s from him in appreciation for the accompanists, especially during HKV's dhanyAsi AlApanai. However, he also ensured sparseness in HKV's AlApanai -- there was an "antE" too.

dhanyAsi had mostly one- and two-Avartana swaras, and it was totally lovely. I felt the Brothers' style best comes out in them (or maybe it was just today's khamAs which somehow makes me think that way).

The tani was very good, but I felt S could be a little more passive, especially during the koraippus. Sri Raja Rao played a little tishram but mostly explored the khaNDa naDai in detail. Sri Omkar Rao played well, but he seemed to struggle a bit in the fast khaNDa -- it must be considerably harder on the ghaTam! The Brothers weren't sympathetic! Nonetheless, the tani had many very enjoyable parts.

There was LONG speech after the tani, I sat hoping to maybe meet the Brothers and say how awed I was about how they've maintained their shArIram (especially S), but the post-mains were not particularly impressive (there was a hindOLa sketch just after tilang I got to hear as I was leaving -- it was getting REALLY late for me).

[bilahari]

Srikant, thanks for a thoroughly entertaining review. V and E, really?! OK, so V must be Seshachary and E must be Raghavachary.

Now you understand why I listen to this duo every opportunity I get! No frills sangItam with immaculate adherence to shruti, enunciation of lyrics, manOdharma, and bhAvam.

You didn't comment on their neravals, which I've generally found to to be rather lacklustre, sadly. They're generally brief and lacking in "oomph".

Oh, and I'm so jealous you got to hear a dhanyAsi main!

[narayan]

Interesting review! Didn't get the V and E reference, though. bilahari is most probably correct in mapping them to their real names. But I've spent some time thinking about what V and E could refer to ...

[srikant1987]

Yes, Bilahari and I discussed this matter, and have come to conclude that V (valadu -- for them) is indeed Sri Sheshachari, and E (eDadu for them) is Sri Raghavachari.

[rbharath]

nice one...
seems to have been a great concert.

[gee]

Hyderabad Brothers - Vocal Duo

Don't people ever get bored of pantuvarALi and pUrvikalyANi ever?!

Never!!! pantuvarali is my favorite

[arasi]

Srikant,
Valadu, iDadu (right, left)--ah! It doesn't stop there! The question is, Is it as ' we see them' on the stage from the audience or, the way 'they' are seated on the stage? Tricky! The taller one is a good way to go (as with the Malladis). Are the Hyderabad Brothers of the same height? I can't remember. Another thing: did they have a laptop in front of them for the lyrics?

[srikant1987]

Arasi,

I said valadu to them, so it means the way they were seated, in their own perspective, on the stage. I'd originally mentioned V as the one slightly bald until Bilahari confirmed the names. After that, while I edited the post, some Vs and Es still remain.

Both of them are roughly the same height (unlike Malladi Bros, between whom Sriram Prasad is visibly taller). Bilahari seems to go by "fairer" and "darker".

Yes, they did have a notebook computer in front of them (though it could've been for other reasons, for example just the list).

Now I think I'm going to add them in the noise I make on Sangeetha Kalanidhi threads.

[rajeshnat]

Seshachari sits next to the mridangist and raghavachari sets next to the violinist . In the photo to your left is seshAchari.
http://www.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=h ... 80&bih=610

[srikant1987]

Rajesh,

Yes, I showed Bilahari the very same photo to get them identified.

[CRama]

Instead of such prolonged identification exercises, I will give one simple identification- The brother who dominates the entire show is Seshachary. He will dominate irrespective of the stature of accompanists also. I do not have anything against their music.

Incidentally, I heard one of their concerts recently- (IIRC, 2002, Ram Seva Mandali) they sang an elaborate Anadamrithavarshini with alapana and swaram -gives some explanation of the raga, vadi, samvadi swaras etc and continues to sing the alapana again and follow up with Sudhamayee with swaras also.Singing two songs in the same raga that too with alapana and swaram for both - unique and it was excellent. Seems they were too much haunted by Amritavarshini that day and audience got drenched with amritavarsham.

[srikant1987]

I will give one simple identification- The brother who dominates the entire show is Seshachary. He will dominate irrespective of the stature of accompanists also. I do not have anything against their music.

I have used the word "control" in my own review, and I somehow feel it fits better. What is important, I feel, is that an artist not do everything in their power to make the others on stage look stupid.

Nonetheless, I feel someone should control the concert. Or rather, lead it. Even in a duo or trio or quatrette. This is almost a necessity when there's an element of manOdharmam.

It is not necessary that the artiste of greatest stature control the concert -- however, a certain minimum stature is required. Sri Sheshachary definitely produced a very successful concert this time, and that testifies his stature.

[CRama]

There had been lengthy discussions in this thread about the dominating nature of Shri Seshachary. I am not pointing anything new. In other duos also, one person lead or one have a greater share. But not to this extent of sidelining the other partner.
But their concert always maintain good standard and I have never heard any dumb concert from them.

[HeyNarayana]

Nice to see some reviews focusing on Hyderabad Brothers music itself rather than individual perceptions about the individuals. I make it a point to attend as many concerts as I can when they tour US and every time I wish I attend more, such is their music. They are brothers and each of them is fine with each other with the format whether one sings more and the other less, otherwise they wouldn't be singing together for this many years. I pray God, that, He keeps them close in spite of these meaningless topics and bless them to with many more successful concerts.

[srikant1987]

Thank you, HeyNarayana.

I'm going to listen to them again tomorrow, but at Fort High School Grounds.