Ganesh Kumaresh - Kannada compositions

[Rsachi]

Dear Rasikas,
Yesterday, I heard GK at Ganjam FofF give another spectacular concert with Mayamalavagowla mega-RTP etc. but I want to point out a unique dimension in GK I find very charming: their own tunes for known Kannada compositions of Purandara Dasa etc. Here are four I have heard recently:
Hari Narayana - Begada
Tamburi Meetidava - Sindhu Bhairavi (dont know if it's their tune)
Shivadarushana - Dharmavati
Karuniso Ranga - Huseni

I don't know, but I think it is the handiwork of Ganesh, he sings the lyrics very well. I am HUGELY impressed with the manodharma and appropriateness of the GK tunes to the words. These two stars have great talents in many dimensions, especially mastery of the violin and a multispectral melodic and rhythmic presentation style. But for a die-hard Carnatic Rasika like me, their Kannada presentations are outstanding and memorable.
Please point me to more such songs by the duo. I would love to hear them. Hope PRCM reads this.
Thanks!

[PRCM]

I agree with you Rsachi...

I have heard their

Idhu Bhagya -Hindolam
Devaki Nandana - Ragamalika
Odi Barayya
Rama Rama Rama Seetha Rama Eniro - Thilang

I dont think Tamburi Meetidava is their tune..

Will discuss with my friends who are ardent fans of the duo and let you know the list of songs tuned by them...Watch this post for further updates

[Rsachi]

Thanks PRCM!

[kssr]

Was there RAGA PRAVAAHA or some name like that, which is just playing the raga without any sahityam. They achieved great proficiency at a very young age and now experimenting different things. Some people like these.

[Rsachi]

They began the concert with the gambheera nata raga pravaham piece. You can hear it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6_Dva513KU&sns=em

I think it is Abhishek Raghuram on the Khanjira!

[mahavishnu]

Yes, indeed. It is Abhishek on the khanjira; a very rare sight these days! well spotted, RSachi.

Palghat Raghu-sir with Abhishek on the khanjira gave some memorable performances together between 2001-05 or so. There are two commercially released albums of their performances together that I know of (one with Lalgudi GJR/Viji through Charsur and the other with TMK@NGS both from 2004). The tanis in both are phenomenal with superb nadai variations.

The gambhiranAttai piece however, precedes their rAgapravAham phase. It is from their album called "Colours of India" released in 2003-04 or so...
You can find a sample here (the first track) https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/colou ... id81799349

[Rsachi]

Really!
I remember that they announced the item at their concert on 16th Nov. as a Ragapravaham composition.
Yes Mahavishnu, I also have their Colours of India CD. I liked the Tani also in that.
The album is also at raaga:
http://raa.ag/t67972

[mahavishnu]

then, perhaps they were calling this rAgapravAham in retrospect

[PRCM]

Review of the concert in today's Decaan Herald

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/293 ... -note.html

Missed to attend this concert

[Rsachi]

PRCM,
The review, as usual for DH, is mediocre. You did miss a good GK concert.
They played an elaborate Dharmavati(sounded like Madhuvanti during some swaras) and sang/played the PD song.
They played the Shahana Kamalamba kriti in with a very unusual manodharma.
They did a mega RTP in Mayamalavagowla, with big raga and tana essays (tana was SPECTACULAR). Their swara dialogue was also intricate, complex, fast, explosive.
The rhythm pad sounded novel and good in parts, but that combined with a poor sound system robbed the fine mridangam accompaniment of R. Shankaranarayanan of presence/audibility so much that someone from row T went up to the stage and pointed it out (even then wasn't totally set right).

Kumaresh had better nada but lower volume throughout. I personally wish Ganesh plays an acoustic violin, he will be EVEN MORE BRILLIANT. During RTP his instrument had many tuning issues.

PS: The Chowdiah Hall sound system staff seem to have done some sabbatical training recently in BGS. The mike issues surfaced for Charulata Ramanujam in the Vishakha Hari concert also.

[PRCM]

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai is honouring Shri Ganesh and Shri Kumaresh with the “Shri Obul Reddy and Smt Gnanambal Award” for the year 2012.

The function in at 6.00 pm today (21st Nov 2012) at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, East Mada Street, Mylapore

[PRCM]

Thanks Rsachi for the nice review....

[PRCM]

Rsachi,

The list of Ganesh Kumaresh's compositions is available in their website ganeshkumaresh.org

The link is http://ganeshkumaresh.org/compositions.html

[Narasimha]

I got to know that Tamburi Meetidava in Sindhubhairavi is tuned by Padmabhushan T.V.Gopalakrishnan