Shubhapantuvarali like never before- Ramakrishnan Murthy

[Rsachi]

Dear Rasikas,
Gayana Samaja featured a 5 PM concert today of Ramakrishnan Murthy-vocal, Nalina Mohan (V), Arjun Kumar (M), GuruPrasanna (K).

(The banners on the stage showed that the concert was supported by a few endowments but it was ticketed).

(After a few scary moments when the amplification was deafening, it settled down to a medium-high loudness.)

(It was a sparse audience on a rather warm evening of a Sunday with T20 cricket matches, Ganesha immersions and other distractions.)

As I walked in around 5:15, Ramakrishnan Murthy was finishing up Rama Nipai in Kedara. He had settled down already. He then sang a great Endaro Mahanubhavulu, full of elegant touches in almost every line, not a run-of-the-mill rendering at all.

Then he sang a stupendous Shubhapantuvarali. The raga unfolded in its full poignant grandeur. Every note was so well nuanced, with the higher octave touches creating a profound impact. Albeit brief, it was an alapana better than what I have ever heard. Then he sang Enna Rakshiso, a song discussed recently here. He rendered the song with such perfect enunciation and bhava that Purandara Dasa would surely have blessed him then and there. When he sang about 'draupadiya abhimAnava kAyda', 'dEvara dEva', and about Ahalya, the lyric made a deep impact on everyone. The applause at the end of the song was emphatic, although the audience was rather sparse. At 22, this musician has arrived. His place is assured on the concert stage.

Amba Nilayatakshi in Paras, Bhuvini Dasudane in Sriranjani, and Sevikkavendumaiyya in Andolika, followed, before Ramakrishnan Murthy took up Kalyani.

The Kalyani raga came bedecked like the Devi during Navaratri. Full of beautiful phrases, employing his powerful vocal chords in the upper octave. Little touches that were like offering a beautiful garland to the goddess. The song was 'Kamalambam Bhajare' in regal splendour. The raga, the song, the niraval on the words 'Nirvana Nija Sukha Pradayinim', and very imaginative swaras... A most fulfilling rendition. An energetic tani started, but I had to leave. I sensed also that there would be one or two speeches too.

It seems Ramakrishnan Murthy and Arjun Kumar make a great combo.

My faith in this young man's stellar future has just been reinforced today.

[badari]

Dear Rasikas,
Gayana Samaja featured a 5 PM concert today of Ramakrishnan Murthy-vocal, Nalina Mohan (V), Arjun Kumar (M), GuruPrasanna (K).

(The banners on the stage showed that the concert was supported by a few endowments but it was ticketed).

Indeed. The ticket money would not support complete costs of monthly concerts. BGS has regular endowments for their monthly concerts and conference concerts.

[badari]

A couple of observations...

Organiser who introduced the artists came completely unprepared and had many faux pas in pronouncing the names of the artists and their lineage !

Post tani..

a very small speech

Devaki sukumar in kuranji
jagadodharana in kApi
andri ulagam - sndhubhairavi
ramachandraya - mangalam ( bhadracala rAmadas composition)

[rshankar]

Is the second-last one, ANDAL's 'anru ivvulagam aLandAi aDipOTRi'?

[arasi]

Yes, Ravi. It is anRivvulagam aLAndAi aDi pOTRi--tuned by Ari in sindhu bhairavi.

[Rsachi]

Thanks Badari for the clarification. I was about to ask my cousin, one of the endowment-givers y'day, why the ticketing.

I have heard the Sindhu Bharavi Thiruppavai sung nicely by Ramakrishnan Murthy before.

[gardabha_gana]

Ah - that was Paras! It was close to MMG. Paras is not in the small dictionary of ragas that I identify Also, I don't think there was "Amba" in the song, just nilayatakshi in Tisra Triputa. I enjoyed the SP and Kalyani. I had a trepidation when I heard Endaro that Raghuvamsa, Nagumomu and such would follow

Thanks for the report. I left at the neraval of Kalyani (so that I don't walk out during the tani). It was a nice concert - audience was poor to start with (Bajji outside also started late as a result) but was around 100 at the max. Samaja needs to do better advertising. He had a much bigger crowd for the 4 hr concert at SRLKM. The audio was good to start with - but on the request of the artists to increase the feedback - the volume of all the speakers were increased and it was jarring a bit.

Samaja needs to do a *much* better job in organizing concerts. Wonder after Kamlanath and seetharam (who died in an accident) - whether samaja has lost its mojo.

[Rsachi]

Yes, sir, Amba was added by me(I like it that way!)
I heard it first time in BGS sung brilliantly by Abhishek Raghuram in 2010 Jan.

I copy below the lyric from a website medieval.org

nIlAyatAkSI nIvE

Abstracted from: Compositions of Shyama Shastri, Subbaraya Shastri & Annasvami Shastri by Sangeetha Kalanidhi T. K. Govinda Rao, published in Chennai 1997 (No. 15).

Raga: paraju / Tala: tripuTa

P: nIlAyatAkSI nIvE jagatsAkSi

A: phAlAkSuni rANI pAlita shrita srENi

C1: dInarakSakI abhayadAnamIyavE sAmagAnalOlE abhimAnamIyavE dEvI

C2: Adishakti kaumArI mEdinilO ninnu pOgaDAdishESunikaina rAdika nEmi jeppudu dEvi

C3: kAmapAlini vinu nI nAmamulE dharmArthakAmamOkSamiccEdi shyAmakRSNapAlinI dEvI

[Rsachi]

By the way, after at least 3-4 reports here that BGS audio was loud/blasting, i wonder maybe some fix is needed for their monitor speakers matching the auditorium speakers. The artistes may now be misled by the monitor settings.

[badari]

Samaja needs to do a *much* better job in organizing concerts. Wonder after Kamlanath and seetharam (who died in an accident) - whether samaja has lost its mojo.

Poorest of the advertising!! even the Gayana samaja site has an info of cocnertsin August and has never been updated since !

Tried reaching the contact numbers indicated on the site to confirm the schedule of this concert.. and that was in vain ! no response.

[Rsachi]

Folks, I wrote an email to BGS President y'day. Let us see his response.