Can someone post reviews of Ravikiran, Dr. MBK jugalbandis?

[hamirkalyani123]

Can someone who has listened to the Ravikiran and Dr. MBK's jugalbandi concerts that happened in US recently post the reviews please ?

As I understand from Ravikiran's website these were the following concerts that were held in USA.

April 24, 2011 (9 am): Jugalbandi with Dr M Balamuralikrishna and Sudha Raghunathan for Cleveland Tyagaraja Festival, Cleveland, USA

May 6, 2011: Jugalbandi with Dr M Balamuralikrishna at NJ, USA

May 7, 2011: Jugalbandi with Dr M Balamuralikrishna for Sruti, Philadelphia, USA

May 8, 2011: Jugalbandi with Dr M Balamuralikrishna at Albany, NY, USA

thanks,

[bilahari]

One of my friends who attended the MBK-Ravikiran jugalbandi in San Diego said that Ravikiran unfortunately hardly played, and that even the violinist was heard more than he was. So she said it wasn't really a true jugalbandi, and just a normal CM concert with the greatest interaction being between the vocalist and violinist. She spoke highly of the nagumOmu elaborated in that concert but said the first part of the concert was somewhat dull with MBK's own compositions, etc. Just her word that I'm passing on... I was curious about this event, too.

[vidya]

Sruti , PA had a featured concert as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations at the Mahalakshmi Temple, Delaware.

There was a pre-concert "honoring procedure" at the temple. Shri.Balamurali Krishna was requested to sing two songs at the temple. He sang Shri Varalakshmi(shrI) of Dikshitar and "HanumA anumA O manamA" in SarasAngi. For years, I have marvelled at the construct and the thought process that has gone into the Sarasangi composition and it almost seemed like a dream come true to hear it sung live by the legend himself. Further, one does not evaluate a composition by age, the mere initial of a composer affixed next to it but only by its musical structure, the musical value addition and perspective it offers to the existing pool of compositions, and the right balance of words and music. And in that sense BMK's compositions give me no less of a concert satisfaction than a Dikshitar orTyagaraja krti!

As to the concert itself, it was a stellar atmosphere with people of such high musical stature on stage - Dr.Balamurali, Chitravina Ravikiran, Nagai Muralidharan and Mannargudi A Easwaran. I did have some doubts as to the violinist's role (considering his senior stature) in this concert. But he played with so much class and it was a lesson in the value of restraint
and playing at the appropriate time to any aspiring accompanist. Ravikiran was able to seamlessly blend with Balamurali's musical style and aesthetics yet maintaining his proven aesthetic/musical ground when it came to raga phrases. As for Mannargudi Easwaran, his mrdangam simply sang along! Call it Jugalbandhi or concert or whatever you want, there was a flow to the music,the sense of a good team a wholesome sense of a good blending of styles all of which made for a very enjoyable concert. Here's a list based on memory:

amma AnandadAyini - gambhIranAtta - BMK
vAtApi gaNapatim - Hamsadhvani - MD
PurvikalyAni - (R) - nIdayarAdA
Kharaharapriya (R,S T) - Rama nIyeda - T
paluke bangara mAyena - Anandabhairavi - Bhadracalam rAmadAsu
Emi sEturA lingA - tatvam
oRRumaiye uNmai- mohanam - BMK
narayana te - Annamayya
murahara nagadhara
Tillana - Kathanakuthoohalam

[CM-Fan]

@ PA concert,he also sang Pibare Rama rasam-Ahir Bhairav????-Sadhashiva Brahmendra
Narayanathe is in Behaag

[hamirkalyani123]

Thank you for the posts bilahari, Vidya and CM-Fan. I hope more will follow.