TM Krishna Bharat Sangeet Utsav 2012

[grsastrigal]

Narada GAna Sabha, Chennai
Bharat Sangeet Utsav-2012

There are two types of rasikas for a free cum ticketed concert. In NGS, the balcony is free wherein the main hall is ticketed.

If a concert is bad, People who opt for free concert cannot do any thing. They have to curse their destiny.

If you paid say Rs. 100 (ranging from Rs. 25 to Rs. 200) and expect a good concert and the concert is bad, you have to file a “anticipatory breach” plea in the “Carnatic Music” court. (?) That is what I thought of doing after TMK’s concert held on 3rd Nov 2012.

After listening to TMK’s concert, I felt like why this master craftsman is wasting his energy by singing some kritis just like that, without touching the souls of the rasikas. He is closing his eyes while singing and in this process, does not even care what the rasikas expect.

If one sings gowlai, thiaAgaraja pAlaya... a Dikshitar masterpiece for 50 minutes. what to do ?

Singling mA jAnkaki, a centenarian stalwart’s masterpiece with no energy in rAgAs in swarAs. When he started kAmbodhi, it was so beautiful and mesmerising. But it was short lived. Suddenly he started mA jAnaki. Either you sing the ragas in detail or swarAs. .. He took neraval in ‘rAjA rAjAvara and started with a promising note and again abruptly stopped!!.

Begada’s rAgam was taken as main (I don’t know it was main, since it was preceded to Tani) and you have a dozen excellent compositions in begada but he took Madhura kavi bharathi’s composition “yarukkahilum bhayama” and rendered very slowly.
.
Heavy rain-outside made rasikas “ no other way”, but to sit inside the hall and listen.

pAukkulle nalla nAdu- Jonpuri kriti is a nice relief. Here also, he asked HKV to start jonpuri and suddenly stopped him and started the rAga. I thought it is RTP. Come on..man that is TMK. He started the kriti.

He started “moulau ganga” Appayya Dikshitra’s verse. Suddenly he announced- “I don’t want to sing this. My mood changed and I will sing this..” followed by “pachchai mAmalai pol” followed by “nadandha kAlgal nOndavO.. ...pAsuram.

H.K.Venkatraman on violin and V.V.Ramamurthy on mridangam, Tirupunithura Sri.Radha Krishnan on ghatam contributed immensely to uplift the concert. Radha Krishnan was sitting idle half the time because Krishna’s slow singing. Tani is very good and entertaining.

TMK has to sing for rasikas. He sings for himself may be for his inner satisfaction. All “m”, “Aha” “oh” are there but that should come from raskas not from him.
Half a dozen disciples including one foreign lady, surrounded by TMK, reminded me of Yesteryear actor Balaiah with his team in the film “Tiruvilaiyadal”

[sureshvv]

Half a dozen disciples including one foreign lady, surrounded by TMK, reminded me of Yesteryear actor Balaiah with his team in the film “Tiruvilaiyadal”

You will see "naan asaindhal asayum akhilam ellamey" tomorrow

[mahavishnu]

I think "yarukkAgilum" is a wonderful piece in begada. It brings out some beautiful dimensions of the rAgam, especially in the slow kalapramANam. I am not a "begada bigot", as Suresh would say. But I still think this is one of the greatest compositions in Begada (right up there with Abhimanamennadu, Nadopasana and Vaa muruga: three different composers with three great takes on the ragam each).

In another recent thread involving Harimau, Carnatica, wedding receptions and nandalala, some were wondering what the inspiration behind the Carnatica harp was. I have found the answer.


Full video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0wLIArAayY (the snapshot is from the frame around 0:45).

Looking forward to being shaken (and also stirred) in all the asaivu tomorrow!

[rshankar]

"naan asaindhaal..."

At least, if it was a peacock, one could at least ask 'nam azhagan vandAnO?'

[rshankar]

yArukkAgilum is another composition where the sheer musicality of the piece overcomes the sauciness of the lyrics.

[sureshvv]

I am not a "begada bigot", as Suresh would say.

A "begada bigot", a term originally coined by Krishna Kunchitapadam from rec.music.indian.classical circa 1995, as i understand it, is not just someone who loves begada - slow kalapramanam or otherwise. It is someone who believes that phrase based ragas delivered with the full charge of gamakas are superior and truest form of carnatic music as opposed to scale based ragas which are considered second class and foreign (folk or northern origin).

May be you want to reconsider

[mahavishnu]

Ah, I see Thanks for the explanation. I did not know that Krishna Kunchitapadam from RMIC was the source of this term. I must confess that I never quite understood his posts from back then.

With this additional information, I am now quite certain that I am not a begada bigot, particularly after being moved so much BMK's kuntalavarali just the other day.

That said, I want to re-iterate that yarukkAgilum bhayamA is every bit as beautiful as any of the other great begada compositions. There should be no room for bigotry within even the begada mavens towards this song.

[srikant1987]

I am now quite certain that I am not a begada bigot, particularly after being moved so much BMK's kuntalavarali just the other day.

Well, I am a bEgaDa bigot, and liking kuntaLavarALi imo is another sign of bEgaDa bigotry.

[Jyeshtha]

GR Sastrigal..... If only you had stepped upstairs into the Mini hall, you could have been in bliss. Kshetra Sangeetham on Thanjavur was outstanding! It was a full house reverbating to Brihadeeswara, Brihannayaki, bangaru Kamakshi, Govindaraja Perumal, Venkateswara..... et al
Good spread of composers-- an excellent one in Kanada by Dr. Balamurali Krishna.
I am waiting for the heartfelt report from her diehard rasika Must say, I am getting there myself!

[sureshvv]

With this additional information, I am now quite certain that I am not a begada bigot, particularly after being moved so much BMK's kuntalavarali just the other day.

I agree. BMK is anathema to BBs because of his tendency to interpret ragas differently although they are kinder now because of his advanced age. This tendency was quite visible even in his kharaharapriya alapana the other day.

[Rsachi]

Guys, I love Begada. I have written to Abhishek Raghuram that 'Vaa Muruga', which I consider the best composition in that raga, is yet to be sung to its fullest potential. I have requested him to have a go at it.

Here is a bumper sticker for the BeBi's amongst us:

[sureshvv]

OMG... Looks like we have opened the Pandora's box... As I was explaining, BB has nothing to do with liking Begada. Please don't confuse the symptom with the disease

[Rsachi]

SureshVV,
on behalf of lesser mortals like me, let me say Yes, OMG, well you started it. I think you should rush a four blocker analysis between symptom and disease, personal and social deviants . Please compare and contrast the four combos.

[Meera]

That was a below par performance by TMK in all respects.While his Telugu diction is o.k I could not understand more than 2 word in the Begada no.GRS sounds more sense in his opinion.

[sureshvv]

let me say Yes, OMG, well you started it.

Guilty as charged. In my defense, I thought "bigot" was enough of a turn off that people won't jump on it as a badge. How naive!

I think you should rush a four blocker analysis between symptom and disease, personal and social deviants . Please compare and contrast the four combos.

Totally lost now.

[annamalai]

=
I agree. BMK is anathema to BBs because of his tendency to interpret ragas differently. This tendency was quite visible even in his kharaharapriya alapana the other day.

Sorry, I can not stand BMK's Kuntalavarali - in my view, he often makes a gimmicky mish-mash of the Thyagaraja krithi Kalinarulaku ; until I heard a superb rendition of the same krithi by Alathur Brothers. Atleast, we have version of the right pathanthra way the krithi should be sung. Alathur Srinivasa Iyer's alapana of Kuntalavarali is one of the best vintage alapanas of this raga I have heard. esp. preceding a Tirupugaz Udaiyavagal ..

BTW, I love BMK renditions of several other krithis - Sree Neelothpala Nayike (Narireethigowla), ... I have heard Jayathi Siva Bhavani rendered by BMK did not appeal to me and this krithi is so much better for me when I heard Prof. Visweswaran render the same krithi.

[sureshvv]

Sorry, I can not stand BMK's Kuntalavarali - in my view, he often makes a gimmicky mish-mash of the Thyagaraja krithi Kalinarulaku ;

How about sara sara samarai? Have enjoyed the gimmicks on that one

[annamalai]

[quote="sureshvv"

How about sara sara samarai? Have enjoyed the gimmicks on that one [/quote]

Good one. It is also in the same gimmicky league; I do not know why he does this. But I have not heard a other musicians sing this krithi.

For his rendition of Emi Sethuralinga Emi; the violinist would do the harp like sound (ding ding, ding..) , and some senior violinists do not want to participate and put the violin down for the krithi.

BTW, BMK rendition of Gandhamu Puyyaruga (Punnagavarali ) is also gimmicky and unfortunately, some of the current day musicians have caught on to this. Just like BramhamOkate, which reaches a crescendo.

[sureshvv]

I have heard Jayathi Siva Bhavani rendered by BMK did not appeal to me

To be fair, the emphasis that day was more on the raga alapana and the short kriti was presented in a rather quick fashion. I thought the alapana was very good.

[Purist]

Mahavishnu wrote .." In another recent thread involving Harimau, Carnatica, wedding receptions and nandalala, some were wondering what the inspiration behind the Carnatica harp was. I have found the answer. "

Can you please give the link you are talking about. I seem to have missed.

[Nick H]

I have been meaning to catch up with TMK the musician, despite my crticism of some his other roles in life, which I consder quite separate from the possibility of enjoying his music, for a long time. On this occasion, I chose to run to Sumithra's concert and not stay on at NGS to do that. Maybe I made the right decision. I'm still sorry to have missed his Musiri House concert though.

[mahavishnu]

Can you please give the link you are talking about. I seem to have missed.

Purist, here is the link.
http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=20137

[Purist]

Thanks Mahavishnu, made interesting reading.

[Meera]

Forgot to mention this.The begada aalapanai sounded more like kambodhi in the starting and my husband whispered"another novelty by TMK.aalapanai post kriti" and thank god it was not that way.And I also would like to mention of his giving he same treatment to all raagams be it gowlai or begada all in the same plane and giving a "oppaari" effect in whatever he sings.Of late he stretches so much " izhuthu........izhthu......."

[devan]

Future Brindha in the making? ragam post krithi, you have given him an idea.

[vasanthakokilam]

On Begada Bigorty:

This is probably a topic onto itself, but let me put this in, in this context. ( we can move it later if there is interest to discuss further ).
I realize this is all mentioned in a lighter context here but there is indeed some underlying 'stuff' out of which this is born.

None of what follows is new and I am indeed committing the sin of preaching to the choir, but my objective here is one of classification. That is what lesser people try to do and so here I am. I realize I am putting myself in the deep end of the pool but let me take the plunge anyway. Otherwise I can't show I am all wet behind the ears.

I claim there are three categories, as a first order of approximation, and it is only in the third the BB/Non-BB separation happens.

The situation with the first category is this: As is well known, there are ragas whose very definition is by the specific enunciation and specific modulations of the notes: it is the characteristic phrases executed in a characteristic way with the gamakas of various kinds etc. I tend to think that both BB and Non-BBers can agree to not being fans of those renditions if sung without those elements. That seems to be true even when they are sung cleanly and in a highly pleasing way with a great voice. All those are necessary of course, but not sufficient for this category.

Not that there is universal agreement on this. Those with supposedly wide ranging and liberal tastes may object to that. So be it.

The seeds of BB are easily explained when viewed from the perspective of a CM student, especially those learning it on an instrument. It is well known to them. This phenomenon of ornamentation reveals itself not in any subtle way but in a dramatic and astonishing manner. This happens after learning for a while. They are a bit pleased with themselves, the music they produce sounds pleasing enough. Then, it hits them like a ton of bricks. Despair sets in with occasional thoughts of 'what have I gotten myself into'. An easy example of such a despair is the typical experience playing the first few microseconds any good Sahana composition or the first four notes of the Viriboni varnam. Play them based on notations and see how bad and how far off it sounds. Quite a few such humbling experiences follow, a lot of emotions, positive and negative, from despair to astonishment accrue. Eventually, sort of like a beautiful twist of the Stockholm syndrome, this leads the student to attain a deep seated respect for the art form and a determination to learn it properly. After this happens, give it a few months and look at their music note book. It will have strange markings all over the place. Harappan hieroglyphs can't hold a candle to that! There is the BB, in pictorial form.

( vocalists go through this too obviously, but their roller coaster ride may be different ).

Along the way, they got some encouragement too which aids in the growth of BB. Till that time, people around the student did not have the heart to tell that the music sounded like a man walking on a stilt. Once the students got the hang of it and accumulate enough of their own hieroglyphs, the victims of that stilt music, namely the family members, bystanders and neighbors, can't contain themselves. They go 'Ah.. now it is starting to sound like carnatic music'. One light bulb lit! A few weeks or months later, when practicing just the Arohana Avarohana, same people exclaim 'Hey, your alapana is coming along well'. The student, while accepting it without protest and with an internal smirk, goes 'Ah..that is interesting'. Second light bulb on!!

Seeds of BB are being sown and grown right at those moments. This is not limited to students of course. A lot of rasikas, the main unsuspecting characters in this great and wonderful hostage drama, go through this type of evolution in their own way.

I think these are the seats of the birth of BB in its various forms, light and severe, and why they wear it as a badge of honor and decry when it is violated. The most egregious form of this is those web sites that try to map ragas to film songs just based on notes. That is a disease since it perpetuates the wrong message among the unsuspecting masses. So say the BBs.

A second category, the madhya one, contains those ragas that have developed over a period of time that are not completely gamaka dominated or characteristic phrase oriented. BBs and Non-BBs can be in the same camp here as well. BBs can genuinely like them and be proud they like them without losing their BB badge. ( kuntalavarali probably belongs here, and recently I found some renditions of Bahudari to be here as well. ).

Now to the third category. There are ragas that do not have a long standing tradition. They typically come out of the CM periodic table. These are ragas which have not had the time to convolve their musical aspects with human emotions and aesthetics to develop a personality of their own. Convolve, as in rolling together, averaging and smoothing but in an artistic development and evolution sense.

There is of course a wide gradient in this third category. Since this convolution phase take time, possibly centuries, different ragas are in different stages.

This third category is the contentious one. Extreme BBs will decry these as not core CM and claim that they belong in the periphery if at all, whereas the liberal minded, all-inclusive types will decry those decry-ers. The milder BBs will not be so harsh, but mentally put these ragas in a different tier from the first category and it will reflect itself in their top 10 lists they post in forums like this. The key point is, irrespective of which side of the aisle people sit in this category, they can still be on the same wavelength on the first two. Thus this is the category where the fault lines separating the BBs and others start to develop.

As long as the above semantics are understood and agreed upon, BBs and Non-BBs can co-exist, and even sit next to each other, in the concert hall!!

[sureshvv]

Spoken like a closet dyed-in-the-wool BB

[vasanthakokilam]

The first step in any 12 step program is admission!!

[varsha]

#26 - vasanthakokilam

And the world does not understand me and my jottings !!!! ]

[vasanthakokilam]

Ha.. guilty as charged, that was quite dense indeed in spite of the fact there is really no new information there.

BTW, about whatever people may say about your writing, rumor has it that even the Gods
don't buy in too easily to all the archa'nai that are targeted at them.

[varsha]

Have you ever considered a career as a diplomat - if you are not already one ?