The Music Circle Pasadena is hosting a 2 day festival titled Kala Sagar 2012 on March 31st and April 1st 2012. I notice our forumites Ashwin and Rohin Iyer (Toronto Brothers )and Aishu Venkataraman with the Divine Strings Orchestra are featured on day 1. If any one is attending please give us a detailed write up.
Day 2 is featuring the Padma Shri recipients and Drupad singers "Gundecha Brothers" and Partho Sarathy.
If any LA members make it to the concert please post a review.
Details of the festival at http://www.musiccircle.org
Kala Sagar 2012
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appu
- Posts: 443
- Joined: 20 May 2007, 09:46
Re: Kala Sagar 2012: Observation
After much debate, I decided to drive from San Luis Obispo, Ca to attend the festival. I only planned to attend Day 1, but nature had other plans for me. I really wanted to listen to Ashwin and Rohin and see the Divine Strings Orchestra.
I have never been a big fan of Hindustani music but was I glad I was forced to stay behind by the rains to attend the Gundecha brothers. I took notes on all three concerts and will post a detailed review in a day or two.
The Toronto brothers definitely have worked very hard to be featured on the same festival alongside the Gundecha brothers. Accompanied by Arun Ramamurthy on violin and Vinod Venkataraman on mridangam the brothers presented a detailed Nattai RTP. Their tonal quality was extremely crisp and was filled with a lot of bhavam.
Aishu Venkataraman and the Divine Strings Orchestra was somewhat of a surprise for me. The narrator an ethnomusicologist name Sue Devale explained that the orchestra was Aishu's attempt to blend South Indian, Western classical and Jazz maintaining the Aryakudi concert paddhati pattern. She began with a varnam, followed by hamsadwani, a Mozart piece, 2 jazz numbers, an RTP in Todi for about an hour with an elaborate Tani Avartanam by Rajna Swaminathan concluding with a pahadi dhun and mangalam. Definitely a crowd pleaser concert receiving a standing ovation.
Day 2 featured the Gundecha brothers, Ramakant and Umakant Gundecha (Drupad vocal). The full throated base voice definitely resonated in the chapel with the sun filtering in from the big glass colored window. The opening "OM" with the pakhawaj was a one of a kind unique experience for me. They had 8 different CD's for sale. I am the proud owner of every one of them. A not to miss duo.
Partho Sarothy was the last event of day 2. Their seemed to be a lot of tension in the air as the accompanying tabla player missed his flight and arrived after the concert began. I stayed on while he tuned and started his raga alapanai. Left as I wanted to remember the pristine vocal sounds of the Gundecha brothers on my long drive back to San Luis Obispo.
I will try to post a detailed report of the 3 concerts that I attended in Kutcheris and reviews soon.
I have never been a big fan of Hindustani music but was I glad I was forced to stay behind by the rains to attend the Gundecha brothers. I took notes on all three concerts and will post a detailed review in a day or two.
The Toronto brothers definitely have worked very hard to be featured on the same festival alongside the Gundecha brothers. Accompanied by Arun Ramamurthy on violin and Vinod Venkataraman on mridangam the brothers presented a detailed Nattai RTP. Their tonal quality was extremely crisp and was filled with a lot of bhavam.
Aishu Venkataraman and the Divine Strings Orchestra was somewhat of a surprise for me. The narrator an ethnomusicologist name Sue Devale explained that the orchestra was Aishu's attempt to blend South Indian, Western classical and Jazz maintaining the Aryakudi concert paddhati pattern. She began with a varnam, followed by hamsadwani, a Mozart piece, 2 jazz numbers, an RTP in Todi for about an hour with an elaborate Tani Avartanam by Rajna Swaminathan concluding with a pahadi dhun and mangalam. Definitely a crowd pleaser concert receiving a standing ovation.
Day 2 featured the Gundecha brothers, Ramakant and Umakant Gundecha (Drupad vocal). The full throated base voice definitely resonated in the chapel with the sun filtering in from the big glass colored window. The opening "OM" with the pakhawaj was a one of a kind unique experience for me. They had 8 different CD's for sale. I am the proud owner of every one of them. A not to miss duo.
Partho Sarothy was the last event of day 2. Their seemed to be a lot of tension in the air as the accompanying tabla player missed his flight and arrived after the concert began. I stayed on while he tuned and started his raga alapanai. Left as I wanted to remember the pristine vocal sounds of the Gundecha brothers on my long drive back to San Luis Obispo.
I will try to post a detailed report of the 3 concerts that I attended in Kutcheris and reviews soon.
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rshankar
- Posts: 13754
- Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26
Re: Kala Sagar 2012
Appu - I am envious...will try to live vicariously through your reports..And I agree with you about the Gundecha brothers - they are awesome.
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appu
- Posts: 443
- Joined: 20 May 2007, 09:46
Re: Kala Sagar 2012
Shankar,
Every CD I purchased is a masterpiece. I have heard so far 3 out of the 8 CD's. They have recorded a Ahir Bhairav (Chakravakam) which is pure melody. Their ability to sing with such sowkyam and their prowess to stretch a note is just remarkable. The younger Ramakant when he belted the higher octave filled the hall completely. One lady sitting next to me started crying incessantly during the concert. She told me during lunch that the brothers stirred up emotions she never new existed.
Every CD I purchased is a masterpiece. I have heard so far 3 out of the 8 CD's. They have recorded a Ahir Bhairav (Chakravakam) which is pure melody. Their ability to sing with such sowkyam and their prowess to stretch a note is just remarkable. The younger Ramakant when he belted the higher octave filled the hall completely. One lady sitting next to me started crying incessantly during the concert. She told me during lunch that the brothers stirred up emotions she never new existed.
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rshankar
- Posts: 13754
- Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26
Re: Kala Sagar 2012
Wow! Mthat is truly amazing!
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appu
- Posts: 443
- Joined: 20 May 2007, 09:46
Re: Kala Sagar 2012
Shankar,
I have started penning my observations in the Kutcheri review sections. The 2 day festival was part of the 85th birthday of the co founder of the Music Circle Harihar Rao. They released a beautiful 22 page souvenir with a 4 page discussion on North and South Indian Music by an Ethnomusicologist Sue Carole De Vale. I just finished browsing and reading the souvenir. Enjoyed it. A foreword from the founder Pundit Ravi Shankar graced the front page. There was some buzz that punditji he was going to attend, but very poor health conditions kept him away.
I have started penning my observations in the Kutcheri review sections. The 2 day festival was part of the 85th birthday of the co founder of the Music Circle Harihar Rao. They released a beautiful 22 page souvenir with a 4 page discussion on North and South Indian Music by an Ethnomusicologist Sue Carole De Vale. I just finished browsing and reading the souvenir. Enjoyed it. A foreword from the founder Pundit Ravi Shankar graced the front page. There was some buzz that punditji he was going to attend, but very poor health conditions kept him away.