V. Shankaranarayanan - Singapore - 28th Jan 2012

[bilahari]

V. Shankaranarayanan - Vocal
B. Raghavendra Rao - Violin
H.S. Sudhindra - Mrudangam
? - Khanjira [sorry, I didn't catch his name]

Duration: 1h 50min

Approximate Songlist:

01. calamu sEya [varNam] - valaji - Adi - LGJ
02. swAminAta [N @ vAmadEva pArvati, S] - nATTai - Adi - MD
03. pArvati nAyakanE [R, S @ pallavi] - SaNmugapriya - Adi - PS
04. vruttam followed by marivEragati - Ananda bhairavi - miSra cApu - SS
05. O rangasAyI [R, N @ bhUloka vaikuNTa, S, T] - kAmbOji - Adi - T
06. alaipAyudE - kAnaDa - Adi - OVK

I thought Shankar's concert was very nice.

I have heard him sing swAminAta with neraval last season, but I enjoyed the intensity with which he presented it again last week. Interestingly, VS mostly avoided R-G phrases in the ascent while singing swaras while Sanjay the evening before often used SRGM phrases, and I do prefer the less vivAdi-sounding approach of the former.

VS's shaNmugapriya alapanai was the highlight of the concert for me. There was good manOdharma on display, but not at the expense of rAga bhAvam, which is how I like my music. I especially enjoyed his tAra stAyi sangatis, where his voice had a certain azhuttam, or even gambIram, that I found very appealing. His lingering on the tAra rishabam and moments of silence added to the atmosphere. It is worth noting that VS is increasingly singing with the fluency and continuity that characterised SSI's singing, and it is a trait that I appreciate and admire. The intensity such singing creates is important in drawing a rasika into the music and keeping him/her captivated.

After such a grand alapanai, I was really only ready for marivErE or an RTP. I did not enjoy pArvati nAyakanE.

VS's Ananda bhairavi was lovely, and I especially enjoyed the vruttam (?) he sang in the ragam before singing SS's masterpiece. While I enjoyed his vilamba kAla rendition of marivEragati, he did seem to have some trouble maintaining his breath, and the fluency of the kriti rendition took a hit.

Shankar's kAmbOji ragam was another highlight of the concert - it was exceptionally concise and delivered with great verve covering many of the raga's important features. Once again, there was beautiful fluency. Once again, the tAra stAyi singing was exceptional. I am not a fan of O rangasAyI, so I was disappointed, but Shankar sang the kriti well and I liked his neraval here as well. It sounded organic and did not feature excessively violent mEl kAla patterns that have somehow become popular.

I liked H.S. Sudhindra's accompaniment. There was a certain azhuttam and he played appropriately for kritis and manOdharma portions, though he was given to a moment or two of unnecessary loudness. I don't even remember the khanjira accompaniment for this concert, alas.

B. Raghavendra Rao did not impress but he didn't ruin the concert either.

All in all, a lovely concert from a musician who seems to mature with every passing concert.

[shyamkalyan74]

bilahari,
he has covered varieties of composers also like mummurthigal,ovk,sivan and lgj.
i liked his "pArvathi nAyaganE' also.
But i felt he could have tried some "padam"/"javali" instead of popular"alaipAyudE".
Padam /javali would have given a more completeness to this wonderful /captivating(as bilahari's words)concert.

It sounded organic and did not feature excessively violent mEl kAla patterns that have somehow become popular.

yes he didnt tried any "kolaveri"(violent) mEL kAla patterns.

[bilahari]

Yes, shyamkalyan74 - I was not enthusiastic about alaipAyudE either.

And HOW MUCH LONGER will this 'kolaveri' obsession last?!

[rajeshnat]

Bilahari
Thank you for the review, I dont know if you know , B Raghavendra Rao's guru is shri TN Krishnan

[bilahari]

Yup, they announced that.

Which reminds me - kudos to the organisers for their punctuality and truly concise introductions throughout the series!

[srikant1987]

B Raghavendra Rao later received guidance from Sri M Balamuralikrishna. Not unlike Sri Rama Varma, who earlier learned from Vidwan Trivandrum R Venkataraman.

http://www.kutcheris.com/artist.php?id=135
"Attracted by the lure of classical music from his childhood, he trained rigorously on the violin for several years under Guru Shri Balan, Sri Sangeetham Meerasahib and became the disciple of the violin maestro Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sri T.N. Krishnan. Later he received invaluable guidance and concert experience from Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna."

[vasanthakokilam]

shyamkalyan74, bilahari: I understand your reactions to alaipAyudE, but I rarely encounter this song in song lists. I thought it is one of those cases of 'nobody goes there because it is always busy' ('nobody plays that because everyone plays that').

[mahavishnu]

Bilahari, thanks for the review. It looks like Shankaranarayanan has made phenomenal progress in the last few years. Best wishes for his continued success.

I thought it is one of those cases of 'nobody goes there because it is always busy' ('nobody plays that because everyone plays that').

VK: In game theory what you described very nicely is referred as the El Farol problem (bounded rationality and inductive reasoning). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Farol_Bar_problem

[vasanthakokilam]

Thanks Mahavishnu. I did not know there is a whole mathematical formalism behind that. Nice. As with any visit to wikipedia, I ended up reading up on other related things, a good brush up on the exciting game theories.

I recall this one now: Attributed to Yogi Berra "On why he no longer went to Ruggeri's, a St. Louis restaurant: "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded"

[mahavishnu]

As with just about everything else, Yogi Berra has said it already

[csuresh]

I don't even remember the khanjira accompaniment for this concert, alas.

Bilahari,
The kanjira artist is Sri.Satish.Sista who plays mirudangam also and he is well know local artist(singapore based).

[rshankar]

As with just about everything else, Yogi Berra has said it already

Living in Yogi Berra country, I despise his 'truisms' with a kolaveri!

[gajaa]

First of all, kudos to Shankaranarayanan and the entire organzing team of Madhuradhwani..
While i would agree that this was a concert of high standards, clarity of notes / sangatis and breath control surely left a lot to be desired. Sangatis were in his mind, but not everything came through successfully as he sang...
Alaipayuthey put me off so badly as well.... and his rendition in particular sounded quite methodic and matter of fact... his charanam especially was close to oppichufying...
Nothing much to add on (apart from what has been said above) on the other kritis... honestly, I personally enjoyed the Valaji varnam the most...

also, there seemed to be an overwhelming seriousness and sobriety (in his face and music) that was slightly disturbing (I understand that this is not a comment in any way, on his musicality)... just making a point

[Murali]

[quote="gajaa"]First of all, kudos to Shankaranarayanan and the entire organzing team of Madhuradhwani..
While i would agree that this was a concert of high standards, clarity of notes / sangatis and breath control surely left a lot to be desired.


It was a high quality concert. The shanmukapriya alapana is still ringing in my ears. It was exquisite. He did not seem to be in the best form throughout the concert. But the musical content was of a high order.

Viruttam followed by marivere gati was very good and so was his kambothi raga alapana. What I particularly like about his music is it is filled with manodharma and very traditional without any gimmickry. He seems to excel in alapana and neraval singing. More focus on krithi rendering will really put him on a higher pedestal.

Alaipayudey was rendered beautifully, I thought. No complaints there.

[arasi]

Tastes differ.
alai pAyudE is a beautiful song which went through a period of over-singing in concerts. Not any more, I think.
I agree with Mahavishnu. I heard him this season once and I realize how much he has progressed in two years. His voice is mellower (a strong resonant voice it still is).
Yes, would like to see a bit more of a smile on his face while he performs He's given to smiling, off stage, though!

[shyamkalyan74]

It was truly a great experience, the ~650 capacity hall was brimming with rasikas (most of them were mei maranthufied listening to her)
No gimmicks, no exaggerated expressions but just good music straight from the heart!.. Would rank Jayashri among the few artistes who does NOT REFER TO ANY NOTES while singing. There was perfect alignment to shruti (which is what she used to be criticised for in the late 90s and early 2000s) . She did not stop even once to drink water / milk. There was an excellent viruviruppu in the concert!

Would provide an update on Sanjay's concert in my next post! gajaa

Posts: 7
Joined: 30 Jan 2012 14:37

Gajaa,
It seems u have different yard stick for analysing or appreciating artists more because of your personal like/dislike i feel.
The above review,u r first review indicate you are appreciating the seriousness and meditative way Smt.Jayashri sings,s ofcourse every body appreciate her dedicated and medidative way of presenting the concert.

But

also, there seemed to be an overwhelming seriousness and sobriety (in his face and music) that was slightly disturbing (I understand that this is not a comment in any way, on his musicality)... just making a point

Your review about Sri.V.Shankaranarayanan u r not liking the way(serious) ,dedicated/serious/sober way he sings as it is disturbing you.
Why you have two different yardsticks in analysing performaces?
perhaps when it is a vidushi u like the seriousness and when it is a vidhwan u want him to be chearfull or make all ' anga sheshtais "as some front ranking vidhwans do in their concerts????
Sri.VSN concert was really good.His 'shanmukapriya" and "kamboji" r pick of the series.

[gajaa]

Dear shyamkalyan74,

Firstly, Thanks for quoting my previous posts

Separately, am sure ppl understand the difference between B.Jayashri's meditative mode of singing v/s what I was pointing out in V Shankaranarayanan's music!. If not, arasi would not have made that point above,

Yes, would like to see a bit more of a smile on his face while he performs

Also, am not one who appreciates / yearns for konashtai as you point out. (am sure we understand again, that there's a sea of difference between konashtai and establishing a general connect with the audience).

Besides, I started off saying that it was a high quality concert alright. I did not want to repeat what others had mentioned about his shanmukaprity and kamboji ( which means i agree with that).

Thanks for the debate anyway, am loving it!

[Dikshitar]

"also, there seemed to be an overwhelming seriousness and sobriety (in his face and music) that was slightly disturbing (I understand that this is not a comment in any way, on his musicality)... just making a point"

Thanks to your constructive feedback, this is my new smiling avatar in concerts (pictures from a recent concert).. Yes it does make a difference in reaching out to the audiences!

[Thalaivarda]

[arasi]

Another from here!

[mahavishnu]

very nice, Shankaranarayanan. Love the beaming smile.

[rajeshnat]

dikshitar (vidwan V. Shankaranarayanan)
In the first photo you smile (perhaps you felt like smiling after going thru turbulent sangathis). In the second photo you only have seriousness and sobriety. When you yourself post two pictures that you are smiling , it is actually only the first photo.

As such based on my observance of you is that you DONT HAVE KONASTHAI (no marked distracting facial expressions), which is all that matters. So kONasthai matters not smile or sobriety. This is very ingrained in your personality and I am not sure if anything can be done there . Of course in general ,if you have a general smiling slant it helps (maharajapuram santhanam has that, irrespective of the mood and sangathi complexity)

I remember that TMS Song "silar siripAAR silar azhuvAAR nan sirithukOndE azhuginrEn". That is true for every one of us .

[arasi]

Rajesh,
When the two different kinds smiles have been posted by the artiste himself...why question it? FYI, I do see the touch of a smile in the second picture.

As for konashTai (contortions of face and body), I've to admit that I enjoyed watching them as a child. Even now, I don't mind the actions on stage if what I hear is good stuff. Pushing the mike down in the gestures part of the konashTai is what I'm not happy with

[rajeshnat]

Arasi
Personally for me I dont care about visual-appearance- at all, CM is 100% AURAL to me. That too with me generally sitting in the last few rows , I have no idea if the vidwan/vidushi is smiling or not. But we are talking about significant common denominator of rasikas, for many of them this aspect matters. Tx for your homework, I will continue to search for the smile in the second photo.

[varsha]

"silar siripAAR silar azhuvAAR nan sirithukOndE azhuginrEn"

“Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been.”...Mark Twain

Back to Sankarnarayan's Music which is a very promising amalgam of TRS and TNS . His concerts are never dull nor mechanical repetitions of rehearsed music .