Prasanna Venkatraman@KalAkruthi on Jan 22nd,2012

[rajeshnat]

Prasanna Venkatraman@KalAkruthi on Jan 22nd,2012
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Vocal : Prasanna Venkatraman
Violin : shertalai sivakumar
Mrudangam : R SankaranarAyanan

Concert duration/Day : 2 hours and 30 mins/Sunday
Concert Type : Nirvana (prime evening concert , no concert to follow)
Sabha/Hall : kalAkruthi / Sankara hall in spurtank road,chetput

1. viribOni (varnam) - bhairavi - Pacchimiriyam Adiyappa
2. satrE viLagi (S) - poorvikalyani -GKB
swaras for 6 mins

3. ee vasudhA (R N S) - sahAnA - T
alapana for 7 mins, 5 mins violin return
neraval in "dAsavarada tyAgarAja hrdaya nivAsa" for 5 mins
swaras for 5 mins

The season has gone with the NRI's going back to listen to the debates of republicans vs democrats in their domicile. As the margazhi fades and tai starts in chennai , there is an extreme harsh reality that hits all carnatic musicians . The crowd abysymally dwindles and kalakruthi is a sabha that hits the rock bottom .The peak strength was just 15 and this sabhA kalakruthi ,in the banks of chennai's cauvery had its monthly once concert .All things remains constant for the last decade here, particularly the 4 knobs of ariyakudi kalathu thagara dabbA sound mixer with two speakers .

There is just two choices for the musicians either raise the volume to an acceptable level so that all hear comfortably with a bit of echo or else make the volume so feeble that there is no echo but each of 15 pairs of ears try to enjoy the performers "created music" with a dose of a rasika's shade of "magnanimous to stingy" extrapolation.

Musicians Created Music vs magnanimous extrapolation of a rasika:
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Prasanna is a shy musician when he starts , the shyness generally extends to atleast 30 to 45 mins of performance . R Sankaranarayan has shyness only in his face his play is always oblique to shyness . Sivakumar's violin was probably heard only by his ears, unfortunately till he played for alapana return none of us was aware of the sound from the divine instrument.

Coupled with the 4 knob thagara dabbA mixer, the first half was left to my own magnanimous extrapolation. The first was a viribOni , found it difficult to hear prasanna even when he took the higher speed cirunavvu. The 4 knob dabbA was adjusted and importantly prasanna kept the mike bit more closer and out popped a bit relatively "less" shy satrE vilagi" in poorvikalyAni. The swaras were measured and prasanna did not just hit that spot of excellence yet.

He manoevered to sahAnA , the mAmA in front of me said sahAna the mAmi next to him whispered devagAndhAri and they were the only couple in the sabhA(if I could discount the newly wed Mrs prasannA there) . prasannA sang only sahAnA and the rendition of ee vasudhA was very good . This sahAnA rendition was in a bit of faster tempo in the neraval and the swaras and I liked prasanna bit more there.

[rajeshnat]

4. shree valli devasEnApathE (R N S) - natabhairavi - PapanAsam sivan
9 mins alApana
neraval in "mamava sadhA sivakumarA" for 5 mins
swaras for 5 mins
5. chetashri bAlakrishnam - dwijAvanti - MD

6A. shankarAchAryam (R N S T) - shankarAbharanam - subbaramA deekshitar
12 mins alapana
neraval in "parama jnAnalatAlavAlam" for 7 mins
9 mins swaras
6B. tani for 9 mins

7A. slokham "karacharana kritham" - mmgowlai?? + mohanam + darbAri kAnadA - AdishankarA
7B. chandracooda - darbAri kAnadA - PD
8. mangalam

Musicians Created Music vs stingy extrapolation of a rasika:
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The shy prasannA transformed to an expressive prasannA from natabhairavi , I thoroughly enjoyed the rendition from here on. IIRC,It is rare to hear the alApana of natabhairavi the last time I heard was about 7 or 8 years when Sudha sang where I did not know if she was singing a shanmughapriyA or a saramAti(my ignorance then) . But prasanna sang a wonderful alapana of natabhairavi with really exquisite use of brigas that reminded a great natabhairavi tigress MLV.

The rendition of shree valli was wonderful , the pep and roll of smash him raja rao student sankaranarayan was wonderful, the kalapramanam was hitting right for every turn and twist of natabhairavi. The neraval and swaras in natabhairavi continued wonderfully and this was the best number for me.

The brakes was applied in contrast and chetashri was wonderfully rendered , prasanna has an intellect quotient and with this dwijAvanti in a vilambit it indeed came out well.

Out of all big 5 or 6 ragas , I always have noticed when melakartha 29 is taken as main there is in general a quick and noticeable attrition in sabhas. The crowd dwindled to just 9 and prasannA was in the groove of his intense classicism . THe alapana in shankarabharanam was sung beautifully , not detailed but still sangathis had a lot of classical aura in them. I was expecting since the hall is sankara hall , that he may sing either shankarAcharyam or he may sing a saroja dala netri , he chose the shankarAcharyam , his touch of leisureness with a mahaswami portrait in the background was a nice aural-visual treat. The neraval and the swaras could have been detailed but he did wrap it up quickly. This concert had 3 neravals and every neraval in general was not that detailed .I would have preferred much more for either natabhairavi or sbharanam.

I asked for a slokham or viruththam . He sang the slokham karanacharana kritham a brilliant number popularized by SSI/MSS starting with mmgowlai?? (it was very good), mohanam (could have been better) and ended with darbari . His last number chandracooda was meditative and so classical and it was indeed a testimony of his aesthetic seriousness for one of the least visited sabhas in chennai.

The violinist played well for the very little I heard him . The mrudangist was intelligent just like his guru. I wish he bit underplayed in tani and just given a more meditative and a bit more restraint tani.

Prasanna is a gifted and an intensely classical singer and he impressed me a lot with a very polished concert. This last statement is only a stingy extrapolation statement of a rasika . Overall a very good to excellent concert for 2 and half hours.

[rshankar]

Rajesh - nice review. At least the sound box was of ARI vintage, and not 'hyder kAlattu' (Hyder Ali vintage)! By the way, candra cUDa is not a composition of Sri Narayana Teertha, but of Sri PD's. We've discussed it here.

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

Rajesh: Nice review!!! I heard him during the season @Raga Sudha and I was mighty impressed--good sense of proportion,good Karpanai and definitely is headed for bigger fame and recognition.

While I never believed---when I was growing up--about the "sad demise" of Carnatic music and have been hearing the drum beat from worshippers of the past,after hearing a few youngsters(Gurucharan,Prasann Venkatraman,Sankarnarayanan)I am convinced the future lies not in producing more singers but more Rasikas to appreciate and encourage these youngsters who have chosen Music as profession despite having opportunities to enter any other lucrative field.

This is something we as members of the forum with the healthy diversity in tastes/ideas I have witnessed,should devote our collective attention to.
I am ready if a call-for-arms is raised!!! For starters,let's get every new member who joins us to recruit one of his/her friends to join the forum(from his/her geographical area). A puerile suggestion perhaps but sometimes the stupidest idea may fetch unforeseen results.!!

[mahavishnu]

after hearing a few youngsters(Gurucharan,Prasann Venkatraman,Sankarnarayanan)I am convinced the future lies not in producing more singers but more Rasikas to appreciate and encourage these youngsters

well said.

[rajeshnat]

By the way, candra cUDa is not a composition of Sri Narayana Teertha, but of Sri PD's.

Oops , slipped , perhaps I had in my mind Govardhana giri Dhara of NT. Corrected PD in my post, Tx

[arasi]

Rajesh,
Thanks for a detailed review on Prasanna's concert in a remote sabha. I am keen on his music too. No wonder he sang Sri valli so well. I still remember his guru singing the same with gusto and bhAvam some years ago at The Sivan iSai Selvar program, celebrating Sivan.

MKR, Mahavishnu,
Yes, there's no need to be skeptical about the future of CM. Gurucharan is a good example. Impressive, the way some of Sanjay's other students too are evolving--promising to be front liners in the next decade or so.

[mahavishnu]

I still remember his guru singing the same with gusto and bhAvam some years ago at The Sivan iSai Selvar program, celebrating Sivan.

Yes and what an amazing concert that was with kAkka unakkirakkam illayA in k.priya (I think it was commercially released by Charsur).
I think Sivan's composition is a comprehensive treatise on natabhairavi.

[annamalai]

Yes, Sri Valli Devasenapathe - a great composition. This was one of DKJ's favourite krithis and DKJ/UKS combination is a must listen.
Maharajapuram Santhanam also used to sing this in concerts. There is an old LP recording of AKC Natarajan from the 1960s.
Sethalapathy Balu mama used to sing this Marghazhi Bhajan.

[mahavishnu]

Yes, Annamalai avl. I first heard this treated elaborately in the late 70s at Krishna Gana Sabha in a DKJ/UKS concert with V Thyagarajan (Papa V's son) on the violin. What an amazing exposition of natabhairavi! There are so few trinity compositions even in this ragam.

[Ranganayaki]

Rajesh, lovely review, very entertaining. Thank you