SEASON'S BEST- 2012

[KNV1955]

1. The best concert I attended this season - TNK & Sriram solo at Nada Inbam.
(I didn't attend the concerts of big crowd pullers except Sanjay Subramaniam & Ranjani & Gayatri & Shashank at Academy).
2. The best voice I heard - Bharathi Ramasubban. As good as MS at this point of time.
3. Consistent performer (Junior) Ramakrishna Murthy (Academy & Nadainbam).
4. Consistent performer (Senior) Ranjani Gayatri
5. The best instrumentalist Sruti Sagar. Very promising
6. The most entertaining concert Sanjay .
6a. The Raga I heard most Todi
7. The find of the Season Venkateshkumar Hindustani Musician at Academy
8. The soul filling session Visaka Hari Kathakalakshebam at Academy ( I felt low after I heard the tragic news of Nithyasree. This prog had a calming effect)
7. The best (large) auditorium Music Academy & behaviour of Academy Staff.
8. The best (small) auditorium Nada Inbam & the pleasant smile of Jaya SVK daughter.
9. The best article I read by Ramanathan Iyer in Hindu.
10. The best speech I heard Srirams on Tygaraja at TAG Centre
11. The best food I had Members day Breakfast at Academy.
12. Best Toilet - Music Academy.
13. Pleasant Surprise - Could connect with my old friend Sachinathanandam & family(R Sachi) thro this forum.

Concerts I attended - Junior-Bhavana Iyer/Bharathi Ramasubban/Bharat Sundar/NJ Nandini/Ramakrishana Moorthy/Sruti Sagar/Padma Sugavanam/Vidya Kalyanaraman/Aishwerya Vidya Raghunath/Rema Ramkumar/Trichur Brothers/Sangeetha Swaminathan. All performed quite well.

Seniors: Sanjay/R&G/Shashank/Gayatri Venkatraghvan/Amrutha Murali
Veterans : TNK/Vedavalli/Alemelu Mani/TK Ramachandran.

To be taken in lighter vein. Worst will share later.
KNV

[Rsachi]

KNV!
with your appetite it seems 13 isn't unlucky at all, for us!
Keep it up, sir.
Sachi R

[KNV1955]

I forgot to add Vignesh Ihswar & K.Gayatri in my list of performers I attended.

[MV]

KNV Sir-agree with your list. I also heard Sowmya @ MMU. I thought her subject 'Pravaham' had no potential so went out of curiosity and stayed the whole hog. Some lovely rare Thyagaraja & MD kritis. Really enjoyed it

[KNV1955]

I wanted to attend some but missed. Sowmya/Ravikiran demo/Abishek & Ananthakrishnan combine/Malladi Brothers/Vijay Siva/Salem Sriram/Neela Ramgopal/Sumitra Vasudev/Nisha Rajagopal. I can always attend anytime these artist being in Chennai. Looking for some CULTURED VOICE during off season at my favourite venue Raga Sudha Hall.

[rajeshnat]

Here is a take representing the best of best concert in margazhi season 2012-2013 :
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Attended close to 11 full concerts , period Dec 2012(reviewed all of them)

Best Varnam:
------------
Not anything that worthy to call it best.Everything had some problem more with the mike may be.

best #2 :
---------
Amrutha venkatesh@vanimahal(mini) on Dec 25,2012
2. tAyE yashodhA (N,S) - tOdi - OVK
7 mins each in neraval and swaras
neraval in "kAliniL silambu konja

Best Submain
---------------
Suryaprakash@sastri hall on Dec 24th,2012
3. mA jAnaki (R N S) - kAMbOdhi - T
5 mins alAPana and 3 mins violin return
6 mins neraval in "rAja rAjavara rAjIvAkSa vinu"
8 mins swaras

best no between submain and main(slow number)
---------------------------------------------
I am finding it so difficult to make up my mind here , list all 4 of them as stong contenders

First is Suryaprakash@sastri hall on Dec 24th,2012
4. sounderarAjam AshrayE (N) - brindAvana sArangA - MD
neraval in "Tumburu Nuta Shree Kantam Duritaapaha Vaikuntam" for 7 mins

Second is Abhishek Raghuram@NGS on Dec 31st,2012
3. Satta lEni dinamulu (R)- nAganandini - T

Third is Vijay Siva@Music Academy on Dec 17th,2012
4A. slokham "gAndharvAnara" - yadhukula kAmBOdhi
4B. kAmAkshi - yadhukula kAmbhodhi - SS

Fourth is Abhishek Raghuram@Music Academy on Dec 19th,2012
3. tAmadam tagadayyA dayAparA thunai(R S) - mOhanakalyAni - Lalgudi gOpAla Iyer
10 mins alapana in mOhanakalyAni
6 mins violin return
swaras for 7 mins

In oscar style , I am asked to choose between Gandhi ,ET in year 1982 , the winner is Vijay Siva for kamAkshi in yadukula kAmbOdhi

best no between submain and main(fast number)
---------------------------------------------
Surprising only four concerts/musicians have sung fast fillers. Are musicians bit afraid to sing fast songs as it involves lot of vigour, though time constraint is there .I dont think seethamma mayamma sung by vijaysiva or CEde Buddhi by Sumitra is fast enough to me and also did not have swaras, but there are two strong contenders

First ,Trichur Ramachandran@Chennai Cultural Academy on Dec 10th,2012
7. ninnu pogaDa taramA - kuntalavarAli - GNB
god bless shri Trichur ramachandran, I see what a great musician he is with his vigour

Second ,Suryaprakash@MFAC on Dec 29th,2012
5. sevikka vEnDum ayyA(S) - AndOlikA - MT
8 mins swaras

MT pips GNB,The winner is suryaprakash for AndholikA

Best main number
---------------
Many concerts that I attended for singing pallavi , the main was kind of advanced at the submain position, or may be submain was only there. I am skipping those ones .There are three strong contenders

First is Trichur Ramachandran@Chennai Cultural Academy on Dec 10th,2012
5A. nannu pAlimpa (R N S T) - mOhanam - T
8 mins alapana and 4 mins violin return
5 neraval in "surapati nIla maNinibha tanuvutO nuramuna" and 6 mins swaras

Second is Vijay Siva@Music Academy on Dec 17th,2012
7. shree kamalAmbikAyah (R N S) - bhairavi - MD
11 mins alapana in bhairavi
neraval in "nAda maya sUksma rOOpa sarvasiddhi" for 11 mins

Third is Abhishek Raghuram@Aastika samAjam(alwarpet)on Dec 09th,2012
4A. sama gAna priyakaram (R S T) - keeravani - Swami surajAnandA(tuned by Shri TMT)
17 mins of alapana and 9 mins violin return
15 mins of swaram

The winner is keeravani - Abhishek

[rajeshnat]

RTP with rAgamAliga pallavi
----------------------------
Three contenders

First Suryaprakash@sastri hall on Dec 24th,2012 » 25 Dec 2012 19:30
6A. RTP in vakulAbharanam
alAPana for 13 mins
tAnam for 11 mins
pallavi neraval for 10 mins
pallavi line "yAdhava kula AbharanamE kannA thAlelO"
swaras in vakulAbharanam + kApi + nalinakAnthi for 12 mins

Second Suryaprakash@MFAC on Dec 29th,2012
6. RTP in quad-core four hamsa ragas
The pallavi in misrachapu talam had these lines
Anandi ni sadhA pAhi
dhwani swaroopini
sunAda niranjani
sAma gAna viNodini
shree hamsa
20 mins ragam, 7 mins tAnam and 25 mins pallavi + swaras in the same quad 4 ragas.

Third Vijay Siva@Music Academy on Dec 17th,2012 » 18 Dec 2012 20:47
9A. RTP in chArukEsi
7 mins each for alApana and tAnam
14 mins for pallavi and swaras
pallavi line was "padam eNru nambinEn ammA umA niNathu pangayya"
swara ragamaliga in chArukEsi + hameerkalyAni + kuntalavarAli

The winner is vakulAbharanam- lovely rendition of suryaprakash @ Sastrihall

best single rAga RTP
--------------------
Left with only one choice as I heard just one . But certainly Abhi was superb

Abhishek Raghuram@NGS on Dec 31st,2012 » 01 Jan 2013 08:57
4A. RTP in sindhubhairavi
19 mins alAPana
15 mins Tanam
9 mins pallavi
4 mins swaras
pallavi line "mAl marugA murugA guha shanmughA magapathiyum?? vithiyum thozhum "


Best Slokham/viruththam and tukkada:
-----------------------------------
Four strong contenders,They are

First ,7A. viruththam AgalakillE niraiyum - bhAgeshri - azhar pasuram
7B. shrikanthA enagistu dhaya mAdhO - bhAgeshri - PD

Second ,Vijay Siva@Music Academy on Dec 17th,2012 » 18 Dec 2012 20:47
10A. slokham "tAmudhbhUtam" - bilahari +nAyaki?? + neelAmbari
10B. mAdhava mAmava - neelAmbari - NT

Third, Abhishek Raghuram@Aastika samAjam(alwarpet)on Dec 09th,2012
5. anjAdE nenjE(RS) - kamAs - tiruvarutpA (tuned by PSN)


Fourth, Amrutha venkatesh@vanimahal(mini) on Dec 25,2012
6A slokham "kasturi tilakam" - darbAri kAnadA -
6B. gOvardana giridhara - darbari kAnadA - NT

The winner is by a whisker, Vijay Siva for slokham and neelambari tukkada

Best thillana:
--------------
ONly Two strong contenders and I think heard only two.

First ,Amrutha venkatesh@vanimahal(mini) on Dec 25,20121
dhritutOm "gAyaka jana" - bEhAg - BMK

Second,Kaashyap Mahesh@Sastri Hall
I heard this youngster for the last twenty minutes , prior to Suryaprakash concert at sastri hall
He sang Poorvi thillana that MDR popularized

The winner is the young kaashyap Mahesh for poorvi

Best tani:
----------
Attended sudha concert from the last half of pallavi where patri played tani

The BEst tani was indeed Patri satish Kumar- N guruprasad(sudha concert)@NGS on Dec 31st,2012

Patri is way beyond many many mridangist, what a controlled aggression.

WOuld like to mention also JV in Academy who played well.Also Anantha krishnan was rocking in NGS.


Comparison of 2011 vs 2012:
--------------------------
I could not attend much, only 11 I attended . There are about few half or quarter concerts that I attended .

# TVS @ CCA (he sang meevalla in kApi , and a Kambodhi main and vasudevayani - Bit too loud, but his voice power is indeed there)

# TNS@ CCA (KalAkshepam of Nandanar charitram, he was quite good)

# Unnikrishnan@CCA (gowrimanohari krithi of T - garuda gamana vasudeva and I think he sang kpriya as main. Heard him after a decade or so, voice modulation is at times cannibalizing words, but he sang well)

#sudharaghunathan@NGS (pallavi with rksk, The extraordinary patri and N guruprasad, she sang a pallavi is simm madhymamam I think, chinnachiru kiliyE and PD-venkatAchala nilayE - she is better than last i heard)

CRIB CRIB:
---------
If it is a nirvana concert , dont ask musicians to wrap up in 2 hours or 2 hours 15 minutes. madurai somu, semmangudi , mmi is indeeed living with musicians like abhishek, suryaprakash etc, give them atleast 2 and half to 3 hours where ever it is nirvana concert.Even in NGS- prime evening II concert,abhishek had only a 2 hour 15 min concert. Where do i go ???

Find of a season:
-----------------
Kaashyap Mahesh- heard him for the first time the last 25 mins . did not attend any one else new this season. But he is indeed singing well.

Concert of the season:
----------------------
Two strong contenders, both excellent to outstanding

Suryaprakash@sastri hall on Dec 24th,2012

Vijay Siva@Music Academy on Dec 17th,2012

Vijay beats Suryaprakash, for all round team -Vijay- RKSK- JV and Alathur Rajaganesh

[rajeshnat]

Mods change the title to Seasons best - 2012

[rbharath]

My best:
I heard only a handful of concerts this season.

Palkulangara Ambika Devi @ Nada Inbam.
Her 'kAmAkshi kanchadalAyadAkshi' still haunts me!

[Nick H]

My concert of the season has just come now, a week or two late:

T N Krishnan & Viji Krishnan Natarajan --- Nadopasana, Raga Sudha Hall, 20 Jan '13

[Purist]

Would like to add one more category -
Best Time Keeper - Rajeshnat :tmi:

[satyabalu]

*Lec-Dem TMK-SRK in MA .