Gayathri venkataraghavan@Aastika samAjam on Jan23rd,2012

[rajeshnat]

Gayathri venkataraghavan@Aastika samAjam(Alwarpet) on Jan 23rd,2012
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Vocal : Gayathri venkataraghavan
Violin : B Raghavendra Rao
Mrudangam : Neyveli Skandasubramaniam
KanjirA : Alathur rajaganesh

Concert duration/Day : 2 hours+ /Monday
Concert Type : Nirvana (prime evening concert , no concert to follow)
Sabha/Hall : Aasthika samAjam / Venus Colony,Alwarpet

..
3. nIvEra kuladhanamu (R S) - bEgaDa
5 mins swaras
4. devAdi deva sadAshivA - sindu rAmakriyA

5. SaSi vadana bhakta janA (R S) - chandrajyothi
2 mins each for alApana and violin return
3 mins swaras
6. aNupamA guNambUthi - atAnA

7A. cEsinadella (R N S T) - tOdi
9 mins alapana and 6 mins violin return
neraval in "rAmA shrI tyAgarAja prEmAvatAra seethA" for 7 mins
swaras for 6 mins
7B. tani for 15 mins

8. seetha kalyAna (pavanaja stuti pAtra) - shankarAbharanam??
9. mudi onDru - rAgamAligA (shenjurutti + punnagavarAli+ sindhubhairavi) - pAsuram
10. uyyAlooga - neelAMbari
11. nee nAma - sowrAshtram

Being a working day went late and I am assuming I started to hear from submain.There were few things I liked about the concert and few that did not go that well too.Incidentally it was dedicated to thyagaraja and Gv sang all numbers excepting one .

Few Things I liked :
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In general, GV's voice with a fairly high shruthi adherence is her asset and I liked it most when she presented the alapanas.THe alapanas were bit short , but I liked her main in tOdi with her liberal use of akara phrases and her neraval was impressive The bEgADa rAagam was well handled.

IN renditions of krithis todi was fairly most impressive and in tukkadas liked her seetha kalyAna vaibhogame .Also her rendition of chandrajytothi krithi matched her voice which generally is wonderful when in emote mode.MS popularized Mudi onDru a (wild card entry other than T )was sung well

Few that did not go that well:
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Fast numbers that require in general quicker turns and a more tighther leash on the layam just did not hit that sweet spot.The rare devAdi deva just did not settle that well and aNupama guNabuthi was just ok.

B Raghavendra rao has one of the fastest fingers and for a fairly leisurely style of GV , I could see in general his play raced GV's presentation.In alapanas barring the first half of todi, the violinist in general did ride in a motorcyle , while GV was leisurely taking cycle rides. Also his returns were bit long, with the baton not exchanged with the vocalist, the swaras(especially) had a short cycle.

Skanda subramaniam play was not that right in clarity of nAdham and with violin in race mode it must have been bit difficult is my best guess. Tani was loud , but more than Skanda,Alathur Rajaganesh strokes had the most clarity. Alathur rajaganesh is slowly and surely turning out as a big kanjirA star.

If there is a big crib it was the volume .Volume in general for Smt GV being kept loud , it was difficult to appreciate the blend of all 4. This particular hall needs a sound overhaul for sure.

Overall a good to very good concert.

[arasi]

Rajesh,
Loved Gayathri V's concert at Nada Inbam in December. The sound system, as you describe it, might have brought the concert down a notch--and the not-so-well suited accompaniment perhaps is one of the reasons for this.

Is it my ignorance, or is it because he has been hiding in the wood works that I did not know of Alathur Rajganesh until recently? I have listened to him a few times last month, and find his his playing to be very pleasing (yes, I love the sound of the khanjari).