Sumitra Vasudev@Music Academy on Dec 17th,2012

[rajeshnat]

Sumitra Vasudev@Music Academy on Dec 17th,2012
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Vocal : Sumitra Vasudev
Violin : Padma Shankar
Mrudangam : B Sivaraman
Kanjira : Trivandrum RAjagopAl
Concert duration/Day : 2 and 1/2 hrs /Monday

Concert Type : Evening 1

1. meenalOchani (S) - ???AbhEri - ???MudiKondAn venkatrama Iyer
2. guruguhA dhanyam - balahamsA - MD
3A. viruththam on AndAl
3B. vaizhathu - gowlai - AndAl (tiruppAvai)

4. siddEshwarAya namasthE (R,S) - neelAmbari - MD
2 mins each in alapana and violin return
5. ninnujUchi - sowrAstram - Patnam

6. BrindAvana lOla (R N S ) - Todi - T
9 mins alapana and 7 mins violin return
7 mins neraval in "brndAvana lOla gOvindA-ravinda nayana"
7 mins swaras

7.cEdE buDDhi - atAnA - T

Sumitra vasudev is a very gifted artist. I personally always like her impeccable shruthi suddham. I took a day off to attend this and the next concert. It is nice to be at the most happening and prestigious venue of CM- the music academy.Great sound setup.Sumitra is also recently promoted from this year to the senior slot.

Incidentally Sumitra did have a recalcitrant throat . Also with the music academy usually insisting on a song list ,the incidental throat and the pre-published songlist perhaps turned out a problem for her. The start was a rare number meenalOchani , she did a sprinkle of swaras with the line veenAbheri . I was not sure of the rAga , and I am thinking it is Abheri (with a characteristic D1 of Vedavalli pathanthara).It was A very good start .

The balahamsa was a good drop #2 but with just the number being sung just longed bit more . with a brief viruththam she launched into gowlai - an AndAl tiruppavai. gowlai krithi was sung quite well but there was no arresting swaras . , I got a feel that the concert has to get much better.The vigour was definitely missing and with her going away from the mike to adjust her throat , it appeared at least to me that it was a case of unfortunate throat letdown day .

I was thinking about alapana and the next was just an outline in neelAmbari , the alapana was short and she sang a number that only interested me in her gnynam then rather on the aesthetic appeal . With no #5 in sowrAshtram where only krithi was sung , it appearead as a case of not noticable alapana , no neraval and just a brief sprinkle of swaras. Overall the near 1/3rd before main , it appeared she just chugged along with compositions without much spark in creative aspects of CM (R N or S)

From todi main she took off quite well , her alapana was still short considering it is main and with a fairly longish alapana return, she started with a nice brindAvana lOlA .Her krithi rendition and neraval did enter a right spot of excellence , swaras were bit measured . This atAna CeDe buddhi number requires a real quick turns but sumitra did not manage to give that .I assumed she was making way for a bit longer pallavi and it was a fairly big 40+ minute pallavi.

[rajeshnat]

8A. rtp in ramapriyA
8 mins alapana and 6 mins violin return
Taanam for 8 mins
tAlam - rAgavardhanam
pallavi line "gOvindA harE gOpAlA mAMpAhi govardhanO dhAra"
pallavi was for 15 mins
swara ragamaliga in ramapriya + sriranjani + ??? + bowli + behAg all for 16 mins
8B. tani for 11 mins

9A. slokham kArAra viNdena - sindhubhairavi + shyamA + bhAgeshri - Balamukundashtakam
9B. konjum siLambOliyum - bhAgeshri - ????

10. mOdi jesevelara - kamas - paTTAbhiramiah


Few heads scratched when she sang rAmapriya, there was a poorvikalyAni mAri irukke whisper , but I liked her singing in RTP.RamapriyA ragam was perhaps bit rationed , but she sang a very good tAnam . She announced her pallavi was composed by her paramaguru mudikondan and it had 19 aksharas . The pallavi was very meticulously done and if I was a more laya buff I would have enjoyed . The swara raga maliga was well done , the trace from rAmapriya to shreeranjani to some familiar raga which I missed and then to bowli and finally to behag was excellent.

Her voice settled quite well in viruththam and she sang all 3 ragas well ,she wrapped the slokham in a krithi konjum silamboliyum in bhAgeshri which I was hearing it for the first time . The javali in kamas was good and she had to wrap up.

The violinist padma shankar played well and she gave a good lung support to the vocalist . B sivaraman had nice strokes , but I felt his percussion in general could bring in little more sound and aggression. B sivaraman has to bring in little more left (thOppi) sound and add more pep. THe kanjira artist rajagOpal was just good.

vidushi sumitrA gave a more intellectual presentation , but I would have been bit more happier if she sang with little more aggression . Her musical paddanthara intellect gave her the path of rare musical compositions/pallavi but certainly her throat did not backup with the musicality effect that I missed.

Overall a very good concert for 2 and half hours.

[bilahari]

Nice to see brindAvana lOla on a list after some time! I love MDR's version of this kriti, sung in a unique kAlapramANam.

On another note, I do agree that presenting serious manOdharma in the earlier part of the concert can go a long way in drawing rasikas in and holding our attention. Some artistes like NSG are very good at doing this.

[mahavishnu]

B sivaraman had nice strokes , but I felt his percussion in general could bring in little more sound and aggression. B sivaraman has to bring in little more left (thOppi) sound and add more pep.

I thought B Sivaraman's mridangam was actually superb for this concert. His accompaniment for pieces like cheDe buddhi mAnurA was almost like his guru.

Sumithra's performance was stellar. I was quite blown away by the Ramapriya RTP. It was award-winning quality; very Mudicondan.

swara ragamaliga in ramapriya + sriranjani + ??? + bowli + behAg all for 16 mins

The missing ragam is vagadeeshwari. And it was bhupalam (no N3) not bowli.

[hema]

I too was there. I was wondering why there was not a review of this. I too did feel traces of purvikalyani with N sounding different in the RTP.
This is my first exposition to Ramapriya -- her exploration was really good and she really managed the 19 aksharas really well.
Both the violinist and the percussion were really struggling. I did feel that there was not much understanding between the artists
and accompanists.

Todi was usual and good but not really exemplary. I would have preferred more sancharas in the middle, lower octave rather than
the middle, upper octave.

The viruttam and the subsequent song were very good.

I feel the audience was rather terrible. There were hardly any applauses. I think it is important for the audience to encourage people
like her who have great potential.

[rajeshnat]

Mahavishnu
Can u confirm the raga of the first number and the composer of meenalOchani.

Hema
The crowd at the start was about 50 to 100 in the first floor, it gradually picked up as more people actually came to hear the second concert of Vijay. I agree audience applause could have been more , but the concert was not a janaranjakam one . I am guilty as I have stopped applauding as my hands are not free with mobile and pen .If you want to hear a ramapriya alapan in long (but not detail )search for skalyanaraman.

[Lakshman]

rajeshnat: You have correctly stated the rAgA and the composer of the varNa. It is in AbEri and by Mudikondan Venkatarama Iyer.

[Nick H]

Both the violinist and the percussion were really struggling. I did feel that there was not much understanding between the artists and accompanists.

Padma is one of my favourite violinists, and a very sensitive and able accompanist. I enjoyed her playing as much as I ever do. I'm not sure, though, she she actually enjoys the maths as much as, for instance, Hemalatha, might have done. Sivaraman kept up splendidly, but the kanjira man was having a bit of trouble, and, obviously, this sort of a presentation is not the easiest thing in the world for a soloist to present (if it were, it wouldn't be the peak item it is) and Sumithra did not want to be put off her count and calculations, and indicated, once or twice, to the kanjira man to leave it to Sivaraman.

Does anybody know what speeds/nadais she sang? I was completely lost, but thought I detected khanda at one point.

I feel the audience was rather terrible. There were hardly any applauses. I think it is important for the audience to encourage people like her who have great potential.

I suppose you are right (Guilty!). But she must have been aware that, whether we applauded or not, she had plenty of friends in the audience.

it gradually picked up as more people actually came to hear the second concert of Vijay.

This is something the Academy needs to clamp down on. It is very disconcerting for the audience who have sat through the first concert, and must be disturbing for the artist. It is one thing to nip in/out of a concert, and actually listen, but these people who are only concerned with finding seats and composing themselves for what comes next should be kept outside until the first concert is over. The Academy is mad about timing for artists: let it be [at least a little bit] mad about timing for audience too.

(confession: I came into VS's concert about 10 minutes late, having been been hobnobing with the artists and co outside. I think they should give us a leeetle bit more time between concerts. I had reserved a seat near the end of a row, and didn't have to disturb anyone)

[hema]

Rajeshnat
What do you mean by "janaranjakam"?

[rajeshnat]

Rajeshnat
What do you mean by "janaranjakam"?

Hema
Janaranjakam means something that is well appreciated by a critical mass in the audience.class and mass intersection = janaranjakam.

[arunk]

I must have missed you rajesh in the crowd (i did bump into Nick earlier) - pl. send me email.

To me, there was zero doubt about ramapriya from the very start. Thought her first outline showed all the swarasthanams needed.

Arun

[rajeshnat]

arunk
I had no doubt at all about rAmapriya that too with me seeing the souvenir . i was just mentioning some one next to me saying that. Atleast to my lakshya trained ears You get shades of chakravAkham, a shade of vAchaspati and also poorvikalyani. Tricky raga to sing .Mailed to your id.