Iyer Brothers - BGS - 22 Dec 2011

[bilahari]

Iyer Brothers - Veena
T.K. Ramakrishnan - Mrudangam
S. Krishna - Ghatam

Duration: 1h 30m

Approximate Songlist:

01. karuNimpa idi (varNam) - sahAna - Adi - Tiruvettiyur Tyagayya
02. pAhi srIpatE [S @ pallavi] - hamsadwani - Adi - ST
03. pAmara jana pAlini (R, S) - simmhEndramadhyamam - rUpakam - MD
04. sItamma mAyamma - vasanta - rUpakam - T
05. O rangasAyI (R, tAnam, S @ bUlOka vaikunTa, tani) - kAmbOji - Adi - T

Iyer Brothers, disciples of the late Trivandrum Sri R. Venkataraman, presented a good concert this afternoon at BGS. There is an obvious sincerity and seriousness in their music that really appealed to me. I didn't find anything particularly impressive about the simmhEndramadhyamam, but it is not an easy raga to impress with, given its lack of predefined shape. However, the kAmbOji alapanai that the elder brother (the one who sits on the audience's left?) played had plenty of sowkhyam. It was thoroughly classical, covering many of the important phrases in kAmbOji, but the importance given to appropriate moments of silence, modulation of phrases, and the organisation of the piDis in the alapanai ensured the raga essay was not merely classical but moving as well. The tAnam was very crisp and effective. O rangasAyI, just like all the earlier compositions, was played with great concentration.

Somehow, the timbre of the brothers' veenais sounded unusual to me. It definitely did not have the "weight" of the usual vINa sound, which I missed during this concert. Additonally, the clinical precision in each gamaka that typified TRV was found wanting this afternoon.

The percussionists were both sensitive and accompanied competently for kritis and swaras. The tani was a pretty involved affair for such a short concert.

It was good, classical music all the way this afternoon.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

bilahari, you've noted ... "Additonally, the clinical precision in each gamaka that typified TRV was found wanting this afternoon". I noted that many of the typical TRV gamaka-s were available in Iyers' concert. Perhaps they did not overdo on this aspect lest it should appear like 'copying' the Guru.

The timbre of the Veena (as noted by you) was obviously due to the acoustics (or woodfresh instruments - I'm not sure).

And would you kindly elaborate on what is meat by the 'predefined shape of Simhendramadhyamam' ?

It was too short a concert :2.30 -3.45 p.m. The Brothers deserve a bigger slot.

[bilahari]

Sivaramakrishnan, simmhEndramadhyamam often seems to be a raga with few guiding time-tested piDis, at least to my ears. It is easy to impress with a rAga like sahAna, for instance, if one merely reproduces the major piDis, but with ragas like simmhEndramadhyamam or kIravANi or even SaNmugapriya, (1) the onus is really on the musician to make of the raga what s/he will, and (2) it is more difficult for me to identify with phrases that I really have no "memory" for, if that makes sense. Of course, this is purely my own opinion based on my own admittedly limited listening experience.

What say you?

Yes, I did think the acoustics were to blame for the poor sound yesterday. And yes, the brothers deserved at least two hours, but they definitely impressed even within the short time.

[mahavishnu]

I did think the acoustics were to blame for the poor sound yesterday

Isn't that a tautology?

Bilahari, thanks for all your diligent reviewing this season. Keep them coming!

[bilahari]

Mahavishnu,

[Sivaramakrishnan]

Thanks bilahari for explaining your point. Still I would like to say that Simhendramadhyamam and Keeravavi (which you have noted) are ragas with 'better identity' than, say, harikambodhi or the like (again this could be my impression!)

Do carry on with your views & reviews!