Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Miscellaneous topics on Carnatic music
smala
Posts: 3223
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:55

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by smala »

Sri TNS concert at Cleveland, Apr. 13th is on youtube as a series of video clips. The video is not well done, the audio is passable.

#1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaGp2EkdevM

cmlover
Posts: 11498
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by cmlover »

Thanks icarnatic!
It was a memorable week as you brought Cleveland to our homes. In spite of minor glitches the webcast was a resounding success. I am sure this will be a constant feature in future with folks flooding to Cleveland in this virtual world. Again this can be a real source of income for the Festival. The performers would know even if there is sparse attendance thousands are still watching.

Hats off to VVS and friends for his informative comments and superb management of the show which is getting better every year. CM is in good hands at NA!

icarnatic
Posts: 49
Joined: 05 Jul 2010, 01:53

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by icarnatic »

cmlover wrote:Thanks icarnatic!
It was a memorable week as you brought Cleveland to our homes. In spite of minor glitches the webcast was a resounding success. I am sure this will be a constant feature in future with folks flooding to Cleveland in this virtual world. Again this can be a real source of income for the Festival. The performers would know even if there is sparse attendance thousands are still watching.

Hats off to VVS and friends for his informative comments and superb management of the show which is getting better every year. CM is in good hands at NA!
Dear Cmlover,

Thank you for your kind words and support. We sure hope your wish " ... this can be a real source of income for the Festival" would come true. In this "virtual world" rasikas have come to expect everything "virtually free". We will continue to do the best we can to bring good quality programs to rasikas home.

Regards

iCarnatic.org

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by arasi »

iCarnatic team,
That was a good pun, but it certainly is no 'fun' for organizers, as you point out.

It's easy to praise and easier to dispense criticism about a huge happening like the Cleveland ArAdhanA. After all, we are armchair rasikAs who have the facility to view dozens of performances from our homes, don't have to worry about a thousand things Cleveland crew has to--from bringing countless artistes from India, organizing every little detail from fetching the performers from the airport, lodging and feeding them, changing the configuration of the stage after every performance, and managing a group of artistes (and at times artistic temperaments?), to name a few responsibilities.

Every year the Aradhana programs at Cleveland are getting better and bigger and the art feast cannot go on year after year without financial support. Every dollar or rupee helps. I was wondering--for every free concert that one listens to, if only the price of a cup of coffee is dropped in the kitty!
As for the webcast, If each person--whether he listened to one concert, a few concerts or a dozen concerts given by choice musicians--realizes that going to a single concert would have meant spending more time and money (add gas money and the price of ticket (s) than the early bird price of sixty dollars we paid for all of the webcast.
Let sponsors give as much as they can (good for them, good for their business), but rasikAs can participate in giving too, whatever they can afford (even a token amount) when the programs are free. if there are a thousand people there--a single day brings in more than a thousand dollars!

When I started going to India regularly to the season, the ticket prices for concerts, after an absence of many years, seemed high. As the prices go up each year, I have this sobering thought: how many good free concerts do I listen to in a single season! Supposing I had to pay to get in every time, paying for one evening concert each day is no big deal--especially since the money I spend helps the sabha in offering free concerts...

I don't want to go on about it, but will share a few more of my impressions about what I listened to and saw on the webcast so far.

cmlover
Posts: 11498
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by cmlover »

iCarnatic!
In this "virtual world" rasikas have come to expect everything "virtually free".
That hurts.
CM Rasikas are not free-loaders
Folks spend thousands of dollars to attend personally at Cleveland and many donate liberally. If the organization is in the red they certainly should invoke support through this Forum and our membership of 6400 will certainly respond and pitch-in for the good cause! That should be discussed in a different thread.

Your services are valuable for stay-at-home CM Rasikas like us who are enthusiastic but could not attend in person. You should provide some statistics about the paid and unpaid audience. I noticed viewership around 130 to 170 peaking at 175 for the free-casts. Don't know about the Paid ones since that was not displayed.

Your advertisement effort was poor! I myself got you about a couple of paid ones through word of mouth rather late who did not mind paying still. If you had prominantly advertised that the programs will be archived and available for viewing later, many more would have subscribed!They may have misunderstood the meaning of livecasts assuming that they should watch on time or else they will miss. Many who could not attend Cleveland due to work and family pressures would have subscribed had they known that watching can be staggered. That is quite evident from the flimsy participation in this thread by none other than myself and arasi. Otherwise there would have been comments pouring from over the globe on some of the sterling performances where the local/visiting artistes have given their best. Whoever missed Vedavalli has missed a golden opportunity of hearing a vintage show as VVS says eloquently " she took us back 60 years!"

You have lot of homework to do!

gardabha_gana
Posts: 1033
Joined: 24 Dec 2006, 07:44

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by gardabha_gana »

Whoever missed Vedavalli has missed a golden opportunity of hearing a vintage show as VVS says eloquently " she took us back 60 years!"
Songlist please! Any recordings?

Javali
Posts: 14
Joined: 17 Mar 2012, 11:04

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by Javali »

Excellent work by iCarnatic team :lol: :lol: Kudos to the office bearers for their hard work and passion for music... by the way there are many artists who have performed... any feedback about their performances? (other than those who have been discussed).. Thanks in advance

cmlover
Posts: 11498
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by cmlover »

Sorry
I don't keep notes!
Once the archive is ready one of our computer whiz can u/l her show on the U-tube.
I enjoyed the Music idols (all of them) performances (All were 'free' concerts!). There was tremendous talent displayed.
I particularly laud Ranjani Ramakrishnan (violin) and Trivandrum Balaji who efficiently assisted the young performers.
Cleveland has become the Gateway for the Carnatic Music Idols!

arasi
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Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by arasi »

gardhaba_gana,
CML is right. It was a gem of a concert. Didn't make any detailed notes, but here are most of the items which I scribbled down as I was doing my house work.

An emotive chalamElarA (one of my pet songs).
chinthayE mahAlingam (paras) MD
A lovely rAga AlApanA of a favored rAgam, yadukula khAmbOdi, followed by a favored song=ninnu sEvinchina janluaku PaTNam
nAyaki rAgam...followed by kanukonu perhaps?
EdO theriyAmal pOchchudE in sArangA--GKB

sowkyam, sukham...
Another favored rAgam with alApanA=mukhAri! enRaikku Siva krupai varumO?
Then sAvEri ragam! What more could we want! Sri rAjagOpAla which blossomed into a bunch of svarams.
mogoDochi pilachEDu (Brinda centenary special).

nA jAnAmi puNyam (SlOkam). Oh, so good! (CML, could you give all of the verses, please?).
PD's kELanO hari tALanO in SurruTTi.

One of the best concerts I've heard of Vedavalli. How I missed Nick!
Sumitra Vasudev is such an asset as a student who gives her guru support.

Missed Nick a few days before this concert also, when Sumitra Vasudev sang. Her kIravAni main offered us the rAgam in its essence. I was happy she also sang uruga vENDAmO?, a composition of Ambujam Krishna tuned by Vedavalli.

gardabha_gana
Posts: 1033
Joined: 24 Dec 2006, 07:44

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by gardabha_gana »

arasi m'am: thanks very much. Lucky indeed are the ones who were able to attend. Cleveland is luckier than Bangalore - where we I am hoping to hear Vid. Vedavalli sing sometime. Her music is indeed sublime and elevates one to another plane altogether - sowkhyam as they say. She has a thing with openers - the Mukhatai Kaati, opener that she sang in MA 2010 rings in my ear forever. I hope that cleveland releases the concert - or someone shares it :)

rshankar
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Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by rshankar »

Arasi - thank you for your beautiful reports from Cleveland! I was not able to catch many of the programs you and CML were able to watch because of the timing, but finally, over the weekend, I was able to watch the tail end of Smt. Geetha Raja's concert (absolutely lovely tODi), and then, to my delight found that Smt. Vedavalli's concert was also to be streamed (as part of free streaming), so thank you iCarnatic! I did have a question for you...I had to move away from my laptop in the later part of the concert - was the slOkam with its ringing 'gati:tvam gati:tvam tvamEkA bhavAni' sung as a prelude to PD's tALanO? (I guess if that were so, the last rAga it would have been sung in would have been suruTTi).

cmlover
Posts: 11498
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by cmlover »

Yes it was a beautiful SuruTTi!

arasi
That is picked and adapted from Acharya
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhavani_Ashtakam

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by arasi »

CML,
Thank you for educating me...

Ravi,
Thanks! Wish I had 'scribbled' more so that I could have shared more of song lists and details of concerts, but as you know, there was barely any breathing time, let alone time for taking care of things at home with non-stop activity at Cleveland. Add to it memory lapses the two posters on this thread experience, given our age!

arunk
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Joined: 07 Feb 2010, 21:41

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by arunk »

Vedavalli mami sang marivere (Anandabhairavi - SS) also (first song?). To me that was the most educative part of the concert - since she avoided the antara gandharam (which almost every other musician uses in that song). As you may know this occurs (when employed) prominently in the svara-sahiya portion of that krithi.

I was fortunate to interact with her later, and I asked her about it (after many moments spent mustering courage :-) ). She said there is no antara gandharam in (presumably classical) Anandabhairavi, and it's usage originated from folk versions only, and later found its way into classical versions too.

The previous day, her disciple Sumitra Vasudev also gave an excellent concert filled with songs that I don't hear often. Main was kedaragowla (vanajanayanuDani valacitivO - T - Adi). She also sang hastivadanAya (navrOj - MD). Cant recollect other songs now.

Arun

arasi
Posts: 16774
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Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by arasi »

Arun,
Good to hear from you. I missed listing that Ananda bhairavi. Yes, it was as good as the other pieces--but your trained ear picked up her eschewing the antara gAndhAram.

Yes, Sumitra's concert was so satisfying. Several unfamiliar songs for me, but all very pleasing. She certainly is a sure fit for her guru's shoes.

arasi
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Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by arasi »

Impressions on a few other concerts I listened to:

Rajesh had asked for news about Sankaranarayanan's concert (another forumite). All forumites made us proud, incidentally. He was scheduled for an eight in the morning concert--just an hour's concert at that :( I was happy I didn't have to get ready and drive up to a concert hall that early in the morning!
I hear him every year and he sounds better every time. I heard him during the season too, at Brahma Gana Sabha. Couldn't stay till the very end to compliment him on his singing that day.
His Cleveland concert was so appealing. He started with vakra tuNDa and sang gAnamUrthE next, and very well too. Not easy, at the start of the concert, on a cold morning (as VKV who spoke at the end remarked).
Then came evarikai with a lot of bhAvam. Shankar has a strong voice, and he had good control over it, and delivered his concert crisply.
Next was a riveting AlApanai of the main (khAmbOdi) and the entire piece was energetically sung with feeling, with some MMI touches. He went up and down the scale with ease, not missing out on sowkyam. kANak kaN kODi vENDum, followed by sparkling svarams.
This young bank official balances his books (just an expression, you computer wizards!) and his musical career very well. We have to admire these young men and women who are dedicated enough to music which makes them manage two tough careers very well. Thanks, Shankar, I loved listening to you...

Nagai Sriram is an asset to have as an accompanist. He played for juniors and seniors and for upcoming stars like Shankar and I looked forward to listening to him every time I saw him on stage. As they did last time, R.Thyagarajan (on the flute and on the violin) and Ranjani Ramakrishnan on her violin, worked hard and sweetly at that, throughout the festival...

gardabha_gana
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Joined: 24 Dec 2006, 07:44

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by gardabha_gana »

Very nice to hear about Vid. Sumithra's concert. I have liked her concerts the few times that I have heard - staying very true to her guru's style. There is something about the traditional way of singing/playing - the experience is so different and satisfying. Indeed big shoes to fill for her!

Ramasubramanian M.K
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Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by Ramasubramanian M.K »

Folks: Enjoyed 2 days of bliss @ Cleveland--last Thursday/Friday--caught Surya Prakash,Nirmala Sundararajan,Gayathri and TNS. Will not bore you with details of songs etc(too lazy to recount!!).
TNS concert was out of the world. My impressions:
1.Caught the essence of the main theme of the Festival-the MMI/PMI centenary--the Pallavi(Gana kaladhara madurai mani Abhinvanandiswaralaya mani--kanda jati triputa-2 kalai-chatusra Nadai-eduppu in the ring finger--the purvangam in sarva laghu style reminiscent of MMI and the uttarangam in Misram/tisram style befitting PMI--testimony to TNS's intellect,innovation and flawless execution. Although there were only few pieces rendered in the concert each piece be it the MD krithi in Sriragam(pardon me I have misplaced my notes--the name of the krithi escapes me--was it Sri Varalakshmi?)) or the Ninnu Vina in Purvikalyani-- was rendered with precision and devotion--the Sriragam notable for the scrupulous avoidance of the Alpa Deivatam(a pet peeve of mine with artistes using the Pa Da Ni Pa Ma Ri Ga prayogam in kritjis like Entharo or Namakusuma where Thygaraja has avoided the Deivatham -in many versions of the Sri Varalkshmi krithi in Sriragam I have heard artistes using the deivatham prayogam and I have doubted if MD's original version had that prayogam--anyway nit picking I admit but then what else do you expect from a septuagenarian cuermudgeon like me!!! Forgot to ask TNS about it!! The Neraval in poorvikalyani was imaginative with a judicious mix of nadais in the swaraprastharams without overdoing it(my impression atleast!!)--the ragamalika swarams imitative of MMI evoked fond memories for this MMI fan!!(just substituted the Kapali temple prakaram for the Wientjen Auditorium!!)

Suffice it to say it was a very dignified performance befitting the Arangam and the audience(although I was dis appointed at the less-than-stellar-turnout with the local rasikas missing--the week day excuse is not valid because this was an evening concert).

More on other aspects of the festival later---

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by arasi »

MKR,
Thanks for chiming in! Was nice to see you in the pictures--especially the one where you are deep in conversation with the mahA vidvAn TNS himself.
Please write about the other concerts you listened to and about any dance performance that you took in.
After being elated with the concert of the young torch bearers, I was impressed with the way the young dancers performed the weekend you were there. Most of them did very well in the concert, and i caught the performance of one winner from last year's dance concert. Sherrin was her name.

As for the dance programs from the adults (that I watched), they all were of high quality. The only one which did not appeal to me much was the Andhra Natyam, although it got better as it went along. Valli bharatham stood out, both in dance and the music. Gayatri Girish's singing was just
right for it.
Bhargavi Balasubramanian played very well on the chitra vINA which is not easy! Her teliyalEru rAmA and the nATTaik kuRinji she played were very appealing. Her varALi was a caressing one, couched in soukyam.
I was very keen on listening to Seshampatti Sivalingam at the beginning of the festival. A shame, it wasn't streamed. I made it a point to catch at least a bit of his playing and did, a few days later. It was worth putting things on hold for that.

Two more vocal concerts which I listened to (not entire concerts) were by B.Balasubramanian and Rama Ravi.

B. Balasubramanian's singing made such an impression on me. He sang PatNam's pari dAnamichithE, then (Muthu thANDavar's?) innumoru sthalam, innum oru kOil, innumoru deivam ippaDi uNDO? I just loved it. His tODi (mora beTTithE) was so well sung. So was the pURvi kalyANi rAgam and mInAkshi, except that the two Sugunas had given us an excellent mega mInAkshi and it took the charm away somewhat when we heard it again. I think he sang OsOsi but I wasn't around much to hear it. SringArO vAma bhAgE which followed was a stunning piece, all the nava rasAs of SivA described therein (as he explained).
Rama Ravi's concert was another treat. Her bhairavi and the neraval at vatsamu veNTa in tanayuni brOva still brings a smile to my face. Her panthuvarAli (nIdu pAdamE gati), mOdi jEsE vElarA, part of the khAmbOdi I heard, were all so pleasing to the ears...


Well, now's the timefor me to thank the ArAdhanA committee for their tireless work in staging a phenomenal happening every year. Of course, everything worth its name has room for improvement.
We only got a glimpse of what goes on there on the screen. How many other logistics are involved in a mega production like this! A whole year of planning, coordinating and staging of about a hundred programs--which means dealing with hundreds of individuals from everywhere and of every age!
And the amount of time put into all this by the organizers and volunteers!
I look forward to the next ArAdhanA and wish all the strength and luck to individuals and families who make this almost impossible thing happen every year ;)
Last edited by arasi on 22 Apr 2012, 07:32, edited 1 time in total.

cmlover
Posts: 11498
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by cmlover »

Amen!

rajeshnat
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Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by rajeshnat »

arasi wrote:He sang T's pari dAnamichithE
Vageyyakara Arasi
This no is by patnam subramania iyer.

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by arasi »

Yep.
RasikA supreme, I've corrected it now. Thanks ;)

venkatakailasam
Posts: 4170
Joined: 07 Feb 2010, 19:16

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by venkatakailasam »

View Cleveland Aradhana 2012-Recordings from Jaya TV..
At....
http://www.youtube.com/user/bagyamananthu41

So far..Nadaswara..Suguna Varadhachari and Suguna Purushothaman-Chitra Veena Shri n Ravi Kiran-Madurai Shri TN Sesha gopalan


I am not sure whether a separate thread is necessary for this..

venkatakailasam
Posts: 4170
Joined: 07 Feb 2010, 19:16

Re: Cleveland Festival 2012 on iCarnatic.org

Post by venkatakailasam »

If any body desire, they can listen to Neyveli Shri Santhana gopalan, Smt. R Vedavalli and Dr. Shreekantan..
in the above link..

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