Abhishek Raghuram@Manakkal DVD release on July 21st,2012

[rajeshnat]

Abhishek Raghuram@Manakkal DVD release on July 21st,2012
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Vocal : Abhishek Raghuram
Violin : Vittal Ramamurthy
Mrudangam : R Anantha Krishnan

Concert duration/Day : 1 hour / Saturday (08:45 to 09:45pm)
Concert Type : Nirvana (prime evening concert , no concert to follow)
Occassion : Manakkal Rangarajan DVD Release Function
Hall : Vidya Bharathi

1. vAthApi (S) - hamsadhwani - MD

2. RTP in nAtttaikurini and shanmughapriya
taalam in Mishra Chapu
pallavi line "sAma gAna lOlaNE shiva shankaraNE ennai kAtharulvAy" and was for 45 mins with mini tani

3. nee nAma roopamulaku - sowrashtram- T

The DVD release function got extensively delayed and it was 08:45 pm when Abhishek & team got ready to present.Personally for me very very late start concerts have a sentimental value in me . There are atleast few concerts of TNS , one of Suryaprakash and one of TM Krishna where very late starts have produced stunning concerts .The musicians go with more crispness.

My expectation was quite high in this concert that too with a lot of style overlap between abhishek and manakkAL shri rangarajan.The passion was there till the 90th percent timeline of the 1 hour concert.

The start in hamsadhwani was great .There is a bit of kanakku in swaras but vathApi with aggression of swaras always suits my taste. He announced next that he would sing a combo pallavi as main in nAttaikurinji and shanmughapriya.

The raga alapana in nattaikurinji by abhishek was for 15 mins, a lovely nattaikurinji with that gentle descent at regular intervals was very pleasing. Vittal played the return for a minute in nattaikurinji and then moved to shanmughapriyA. I personally felt little more stronger bowing in shanmughapriya would have been better.

Taanam was exceptionally aesthetic .It was a well rounded madhyamakala affair mostly in nattaikurinji , his voice was superb and I liked his step by step buildup there. Vittal played a minute or two in shanmughapriya and was well done . For the high speed taanam Abhishek sang for few minutes in shanmughapriya with a lot of alapanish touches and his passion was well exhibited .

The pallavi was a long line , he sang the line in nAttaikurinji and then in shanmughapriya , one can say this was not a dual pallavi as in purvangam and uttarangam . He sang as two ragas one after another .There was some exceptional laya chemistry with that southpaw mridangist Anand ,who brings so much of passion too.

Things got so abrupt from the end of pallavi neraval , he gave a minute of tani and then I thought it was going to be atleast a short dazzle of swaras . But "atlast and Alas" it was not the case , Swaras were spread thin for just few minutes in two ragas and sang one long cycle of shanmughapriyA .Abhishek ran from there to pavamAna.

Vittal played well , the tAnam segment was most impressive.Anand R krishnan is a star in the making , he has absolutely stunning kAlapramAnam and I liked his nAdham (Definitely could spot the palakkad rAghu's naadham there), especially during pallavi neraval.

80% of the crowd melted with the function but there were 60 to 80 with Abhishek , I just dont understand the necessity to wrap with a short burst of tani and swaras.

But for the 1 hour - 3 or 4 mins,abhishek's creative music was there, especially the tanam section where his voice had all the modulations to keep me engrossed .It was also nice to see manakkal rangarajan mama sitting in the first row and listening to abhishek .

Overall a very good to excellent concert.

[mahavishnu]

Thanks, Rajesh.
Glad to hear of this concert in the presence of Sri Manakkal avl. Pity that it was just for one hour...

... with a lot of style overlap between abhishek and manakkAL shri rangarajan.

I am intrigued by this comment of yours. Could you please elaborate on how you see their styles as being similar? (other than the strong layam/kanakku, i.e).

[cmlover]

Thx Rajesh
Manakkal himself used to sing an amazing Nattakurinji and so he must have enjoyed the versatile Abhishek.

Though I have not heard of Manakkal's shishyas, were there any at the function?

[rajeshnat]

... with a lot of style overlap between abhishek and manakkAL shri rangarajan.
I am intrigued by this comment of yours. Could you please elaborate on how you see their styles as being similar? (other than the strong layam/kanakku, i.e).

Mahavishnu
YOu have already answered partly which is layam/kanakku orientation. When I meant style I meant as in intensity, a kind of extreme aggression and a brahmippu effect that both give . Of course manakkAl in his early years was much higher in aggression.

[rajeshnat]

Thx Rajesh
Manakkal himself used to sing an amazing Nattakurinji and so he must have enjoyed the versatile Abhishek.

Though I have not heard of Manakkal's shishyas, were there any at the function?

CML
I dont think there are any performing vocal disciples of manakkAL rangarajan. In the DVD review I have mentioned one Ms Jayashree Mani who has learnt from manakkAl mama during 1990.She did not pursue a singing career.

May I Know where and what nattaikurinji you heard of manakkal.May be it was one of those that you heard when you went to susheendram during manakkAls 1940-50's days??

[cmlover]

Rajesh
I strictly don't remember when and where. It was in the 40's when he was coming up!
Probably it was the Nandanar kirthani 'vazhi maRaitthu irukkuthE'....
He used to sing lot of Tamil songs even then and should be reckoned with the pioneers of Tamizh Isai..

[VRV]

CML
I dont think there are any performing vocal disciples of manakkAL rangarajan.

Rajesh,
Our very own Southern CA youngster Ramakrishna Murthy is a disciple of the great Manakkal Rangarajan.

Vinod Venkataraman

[sureshvv]

Thanks, Rajesh.

I am intrigued by this comment of yours. Could you please elaborate on how you see their styles as being similar? (other than the strong layam/kanakku, i.e).

Think both wield a mightily effective brigha although somewhat different in delivery style.

[PUNARVASU]

V V, ?

[mahavishnu]

VRV, I thought Ramakrishnan Murthy was a disciple of Chingleput Ranganathan...

[VRV]

Ramesh,

Absolutely correct. My mistake. I confused myself with the two greats, Shri Chengelpet Ranganathan and Shri Mannakal Rangarajan.

Punarvasu,

I have edited my post.


Vinod Venkataraman

[cmlover]

The Briga in CM was innovated by GNB based on his imitation of Nadaswaram vidwans. Apparently Mankkal independently evolved his own style. It will be nice if someone can contact him and get the fine details and post here for the benefit of CM learners/practitioners...

[srikant1987]

VRV, I thought Ramakrishnan Murthy was a disciple of Chingleput Ranganathan...

I confused myself with the two greats, Shri Chengelpet Ranganathan and Shri Mannakal Rangarajan.

Ramakrishnan has learned from many wonderful gurus. From Smt Padma Kutty, Sri Delhi Sunderarajan, Sri Palai Ramachandran and, as you say, Sri Chingleput Ranganathan too (and others, I am sure). Typically I think Sri Delhi Sunderrajan gets mentioned first.

[sridhar_ranga]

From Smt Padma Kutty, Sri Delhi Sunderarajan, Sri Palai Ramachandran and, as you say, Sri Chingleput Ranganathan too (and others, I am sure). Typically I think Sri Delhi Sunderrajan gets mentioned first.

also Vairamangalam Lakshminarayanan I am told...