Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam - 2011

[suma]

Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam - 2011 is underway. Yesterday CTU had its first two concerts. Priya Sisters and party and Shashank with Hindustani Jugalbandi. Although the tonal purity of the Sitar was very good, the Kalyani Alapana, Thanam and something that sounds like swaram patterns in mishram, tishram, adi etc was going on and on for over an hour. It got late and I left, but someone knowledgeable about the Hindustani style or Jugalbandi style can elaborate more. The tabla was excellent.

Priya Sisters, Raghavendra Rao and Skanda Subramaniam Concert:
enna sOdanaiyO - Varnam - Sama, Adi, T.R.Subramaniam
Shri Ganapathini - Sourashtram, Adi, Thyagaraja
Gananaya desika - Rishabapriya, Adi, Koteeshwara Iyer
Undedhi Ramudu - Harikambhoji, Rupakam, Thyagaraja
Emi Jesithe Nemi - Thodi, Mishra Chapu, Thyagaraja
Ragadevatha Neku Mrokeda Ninnu (RTP) - Ranjani, Khanda nadai Mishra Jathi Triputa, T.R. Subramaniam
Viruttam - Ananda Roope, Bowli, Hamsanandi, Hindolam - Khanda Chapu
Alvar Pasuram- Kodai Shri Ranganatha guru seva, Arabhi, Eka
Emi Sethura linga - Chenchurutti, Mishra Chapu, Mahadeva shambo??
Uyala luguma Shri Satya Sai - Yaman Kalyani, Khanda Chapu

[rshankar]

Hi Suma, shouldn't the varNam be enna sOdanaiyO?

[suma]

Thanks Shankar

[shreedarshan]

Gananaya desika - Rishabapriya, Adi, [ Periyasami Thooran--]
This is a composition of Koteeshwara Iyer.

[suma]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5Bm4QOsnsk

[suma]

Thanks Shreedarshan

[suma]

K. Gayatri concert - Never heard her before. She seems to have imbibed her guru suguna purusothamam's style. It is very conspicious in the way she ends phrases in alapana and swaram.
Saranga varnam
Dinamani vamsa
Syama sundara, dhanyasi
Ranganayakam bhavaye nayaki
Varanarada - vijayashri
Shankharabharanam - Manasu swadinamaina aganu niki
Jagadodharana
Pancha kalyani composed by suguna purusothamam - kannan natana madina
Kanda jathi triputa (chatusra nadai)
Tirsra jathi jumpa (tisra nadai)
Dwitiya talam thirupugazh in purvikalyani total talam count 36
Maithreem bhajata

[suma]

Sankari Krishnan, akkarai subbhalakshi and vinod seetharaman concert. Accompaniments gave great support to a good vocalist.

[arasi]

Thanks for the reviews, Suma.
SourAshTram was featured in this concert. It was mentioned in the 'rarely heard rAgams in concerts' thread!
Shashikiran is right. When there are two thousand concerts one can listen to during the season and countless concerts taking place all over the globe during a year, how can we know if a rAgam is heard these days or not?
One way to try and have an idea about it is to follow song lists diligently. Even then, how many lists are available to us?

[Dhanavendra]

Nice that you have highlighted all the artists. What was song list of Sankari Krishnan? Did she render any RTP? Great support from accompanists means she must have had complex rhythms and excellent kalpana swarams in her renditions. That is where support from accompanists is very important

[suma]

Sankari Krishnan did an RTP in Shankarabharanam. Not just for RTP, but for all other songs, she improvised and the accompanists were very well matched and elevated the concert. This concert was followed by TNS. However, earlier in the day, they gave us a coconut coated gulab jamun kind of thing and that seems to have messed me up. I left with severe stomach pain and fever right after Sankari Krishnan's RTP. I could not take the list for Sankari Krishnan as I was not feeling well. Others can pitch it.

[Dhanavendra]

sumaji
how is your health now? hope you are fine!
thanks for the trouble.
Sankari's RTPs are a delight to listen from the layam perspective for which RTPs are mainly intended.
Hope she renders more RTPs during her tour. I dont know. I presume she is on US concert tour.
Pray that you recover fast. take care

[IMB]

At best, Ms. Suma's writings could be summed up as a poor report, leave alone a review!

[vasanthakokilam]

IMB, that is quite mean! I wish you did not choose to review our reviewers in such an off-hand manner. We welcome concert reports, reviews and song lists and we are grateful to Suma for writing about the concerts in Chicago. ( let us not prolong this discussion here, since it will take the focus away from the topic. Thanks. )

[gardabha_gana]

Moderator - Post #13 is in bad taste. Can you do what you think is right so that this does not get prolonged. No reviews of reviewers please!

[arasi]

gardabha_gana,
Yes, we needn't be rude to those who take the time to write about a concert. Our reviewers and reporters are a vital force (g_b, you are part of it) in keeping us informed of the music scene from every place where CM concerts are heard. Song lists are precious commodity. If anything, please encourage others to write about concerts, folks! Our reviewers are all different. Thanks for that. Each brings his /her own flavor to the write-up. Each has a different style. Some are scholarly, some are not, but they all have one thing in common--wanting to share one's own musical experience with others who are just as keen on music.

[rshankar]

IMB, instead of pointing out what was lacking in the postings, why don't you take the trouble to flesh them out if you had attended them, or, if you have not had the opportunity to, feel free to request details you'd like to know. Everyone who posts here has no obligation to do so, and unless a post is in bad taste or egregiously off the mark, they should not be critiqued. Your post certainly comes under the category of what my mother would call as 'dAnam koDutta mATTin pallai piDungi pArttal' (loking a gift horse in the mouth)....

[jeevanraju]

I don't want be viewed as "criticizing" the original poster of this thread. But I noticed that the person conveniently left out the accompanists' name for the Gayatri concert. Who played the violin and mridangam? I thought it was as "childish" as the person's accusation of some food for his/her stomach problems! At least a thousand people ate that food and had no problems.

[VK RAMAN]

It will be nice if the criticizer fills in the left out portion instead of wild attack, IMHO. This is a voluntary report from members and we each other can supplement others efforts.

[vasanthakokilam]

>I don't want be viewed as "criticizing" the original poster of this thread.

Why not? That is what you are doing!

[mahavishnu]

Suma: Please continue posting your reports/reviews/views. There are many that value them. I hope all this negative energy does not put you off.

And I sincerely hope you are feeling better. I stay away from jamuns on general principle.

[jeevanraju]

It will be nice if the criticizer fills in the left out portion instead of wild attack, IMHO. This is a voluntary report from members and we each other can supplement others efforts.

I did not attend the concert. Hence the pointer. If I did I would have mentioned it.

[sureshvv]

looks like comments about the "coconut laden gulab jamun thingy" touched some raw nerves!

[suma]

Hi Everyone
I am doing fine and thanks for the support. Ranjani Ramakrishnan from North Carolina played the violin for Gayatri. Ranjani, as usual was excellent.

[sindhu29]

I found these videos of Prince Rama Varma performing in last year's Thyagaraja Utsavam at Chicago. I have some friends in Chicago who attended this concert and were floored by the trio performing in such sync and harmony.

Evarani
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64DTojBK ... re=related

Kamala Dalayata
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB8EVu1K ... re=related

[sindhu29]

Woah! What a discussion this has turned into. Thanks, a lot, Suma, for that review.