RK Shriramkumar@SKGS on Aug 15th,2012

[rajeshnat]

RK Shriramkumar@SKGS on Aug 15th,2012
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Violin : RK Shriramkumar
Mrudangam : Srimushnam Raja Rao
Ghatam : EM Subramaniam

Concert duration/Day : 2 hours and 20 mins /Wednesday(Independance Day Morning concert)
Sabha/Hall : Sri krishna gana sabha

1 Jayathi jayathi bharatha (RS)- kamAs - Mayuram Vishwanatha Sastri
2.mEru samAna (RS, N,S) - MayAMalavaGowlai - T
NeravalandSwaras for 4 mins

3.nijamArmulanu - umabharanam - T
4. ramani samAnevaru (R,N,S) - KharaharapriyA - T
Detailed alapanA
NeravalandSwaras for 3 mins

5. chEta bAlakrishnam - dwijAvanti - MD
6. chinnanAtanA - kalAnidhi -T

7A. O RangasAyee (R N S T) - kAmbOdhi - MD
9 mins alApanai
neravalandswaras for 6 mins
7B. tani for 15 mins

8. mAyammA - Ahiri - SS
9. pArukullE nalla nAdu - JOnpuri - mahakavi bharathiyAr

10. yamunA kalyani - not sure of the no
11. vanDemAtaram (RS) - Desh - Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
12. pavamAna

It was independence day and RKSK must have been in a state of real independence as it was a solo violin concert . IN addition it was also my first solo violin concert of RKSK. He started with a sketch of kamAs and as I was wondering whether he would play the varnam , he gave a good surprise to play jayathi jayathi . KamAs had a nice sowkhyam and the percussion team immediately gelled

A fantastic #2 unfolded with mmg and there was a lot of clarity in his play. Particularly I was happy in hearing merusamAna in mmg as the previous concert,I had missed the same. nijamArmulanu was very different from the way say MMI sings , it was so gentle and I liked it .With the banner of Gokulakshtami with Lord Krishna in background with a pot of butter, I was thinking if both srimushnam and RKSK dipped their hands in butter instead of the rough rava paste and wax. The submain was rAmanee sAmanevaru and I liked his play for most of the time . At few places IIRC there were few squeaks.

The pick of the concert in terms of sowkhyam was indeed the cetashri in dwijAvanthi.He played it wonderfully and there was a magical muse there. The filler kalAnidhi passed quickly and there was little more press in the next main. THe extra press was there perhaps because of the rAgA being KAMbOdhi, It was nice alapana and a lovely violin renditon of O rangasayee, I would have loved a little more dash in swaras and neraval but that was not the case.

I was hungry being a morning concert and he teased me with Ahiri, played it well . More than Jonpuri and a little so so yamunA kalyAni , the pick of the tukkadas was the raga sketch of desh followed by a splendid bowing in vandeMataram.Desh as a tukkada is so elegant and keeps you very engrossed.

At times the relative loudness of srimushnam with main artist may turn out quite high, but being a violin concert his callibraion of overall sound was superb. His patterns were so aesthetic , one could say that srimushnam indeed gave a greater polish to RKSk. Tani was not run of the mill one , but had a nice contrast and a really good toppi usage . EMS played with the right restraint and did pep the concert. The percussion never overbanged which is an exemplary achievement by itself.

RKSK is a student of V V S and his grandfather RK Venkataramana sastri. I have very limited knowledge of his grandfather. One could observe in say KAMbOdhi that little more and right azhuttam was exhibited the most in KAmbOdhi where VVS touch was indeed there. But in this concert To me his bowing had a touch of equal dose of mellinam and vallinam(There was no dilution there , but it is more from the accentuation part) . He showcased more of Lalgudi Jayaraman sir style till before the main , to that extent one can easily mistake RKSK is a student of LGJ .

Unmistakebly what was omnipresent was indeed his patantara suddham like his guru DKJ , where there was right proportion of R, Krithi , neraval and swaras . To an extent DKJ's swara and neraval were bit short compared to other vidwans , and indeed that was the case too with RKSK.

The dissapointment of the concert was the poor turnout ,there was just 40 to 50 being a holiday there are just few takers for violin concert .Overall an excellent concert for 2 hours and 20 mins.

[mahavishnu]

Very nice review, Rajesh. thank you. Sounds like a fabulous concert. I cannot think of a musician with more "gyanam" on the concert circuit today that RK Shriram Kumar.

I have never heard RKSK solo before either, although I was fortunate to hear an informal vocal concert almost two decades ago. There was a review of his duet performance with S Varadarajan on this forum a couple of years back.

I really love Srimushnam's accompaniment for violin concerts and instrumental performances in general. He plays with such sensitivity to the sahityabhAvam.

[kunthalavarali]

"RKSK is a student of V V S and his grandfather RK Venkataramana sastri.". RKVS, was a front ranking student of MTC. He did not have the flamboyance of the great master. I should think his playing was sedate and followed the main artiste closely. It is interesting to note that he did not use the seven stringed violin. His accompanying MSS concerts is well known. The musicians from Rudrapattana have been doing yeomen service to CM.

[gardabha_gana]

He plays with such sensitivity to the sahityabhAvam.

One possible reason is that he can sing! I remember him demonstrating the nuances of Begada in SRLKM in Bangalore.

[srikant1987]

Here's a Sruti article on RKSK's grandfather RK Venkatarama Shastri whose musical values he must have himself imbibed. I have quoted points that especially concern violin.

http://srutimag.blogspot.in/2012/07/who ... music.html

"Rudrapatnam Krishna Venkatarama Sastry was born on November 10th 1907 to Rudrapatnam Krishna Sastry—musician, Harikatha artist, playwright and Sanskrit and Kannada scholar—and singer Sannakka, daughter of vainika-violinist Bettadapura Narayanaswamy, in the early years of the 20th century, at Rudrapatnam, a stone’s throw from the waters of the sacred river Kaveri."
...
"While some old timers believe that Venkatarama Sastry’s violin playing resembled his guru Chowdiah’s seven-string style, grandson and top ranking Carnatic violinist R.K. Shriramkumar does not entirely agree. According to him, Venkatarama Sastry came under the influence of Papa Venkataramiah soon after moving to Madras and eschewed the seven-string instrument in favour of the orthodox four-string violin."
...
"Venkatarama Sastry insisted that the violinist savour the words, running through them repeatedly in the mind while performing niraval. It is the importance of this aspect of violin playing that led Sastry to enrol his own grandson Shriramkumar with V.V. Subramanyam for specialised violin coaching."
...
"In later years, he was a great admirer of T.N. Krishnan’s music, which he recommended as an ideal to be followed."

[mohan]

He showcased more of Lalgudi Jayaraman sir style till before the main , to that extent one can easily mistake RKSK is a student of LGJ .

I hear more of TNK in RKSK's music than Lalgudi!

[rajeshnat]

Review of the crt in the hindu.
http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/article3811352.ece