Amrutha Venkatesh Concerts - March 16th, 17th, 23rd, 24th

[tvrfan]

March 16 , 2013
Venue: Ragapriya , Madurai
Pandiyan Hotel
Time: 6pm
Accompanists: Karaikkal Venkatasubramaniam
Arjun Ganesh


March 17 , 2013
Venue : Arkay Convention Center
Chennai
Time:6:30pm
Accompanists: Rajeev
Arjun Ganesh


On Saturday ,March 23rd there will be a telecast of the concert under the auspices of the South Zone Hook up program on DD Chandana , Saptagiri , Podhigai and DD Malayalam from 9am to 10am IST

March 24 - BTM Cultural Academy Bangalore (Theme: Swathi Thirunal)

[Nick H]

Why is everybody doing something on March 17th?

I already have two concerts and an arangetram to split my time between, and that is after having said no to a wedding invite!

Really sorry I can't make it. Best wishes to Amrutha,

[kssr]

Pleased to see concerts of Amrutha.

[sweetsong]

The concert on Sunday the 17th of March will be webcast live from 6:30pm IST onwards at

http://www.arkayconventioncenter.in/live.aspx

[Sreeni Rajarao]

Thanks for this live webcast of Amrutha's concert!

I am tuning in late - I don't know what I have missed so far, but enjoying the SankarABharaNa swara-s.

[sureshvv]

folks...

Tune in! Something fabulous going on.

[Sreeni Rajarao]

Is this an all tamizh songs concert?

If not, I hope she is going to sing bArayya venkataramaNa - she just started sAveri AlApana.

[Sreeni Rajarao]

It is not bArayya venkataramaNa, She is singing muruga muruga.

She sings so well!

The accompanists are excellent as well!

[Sreeni Rajarao]

It is not an all tamizh songs concert - japat japat hari nAm in progress. It is a samskRta composition of Swati Tirunal, tuned by Rama Varma-ji in rAgamAlika;

[Sreeni Rajarao]

After a composition of MDR in sindhu Bhairavi, She is now on to Veena Sheshanna's tillAna in junjOTi - dhiranA tanadhImta dhiranA

[vasanthakokilam]

That is a bad miss on my part. I have been meaning to catch a live performance of Amrutha, after having 'discovered' her recently.

[Sreeni Rajarao]

VK (and Nick and all others who missed it live)

I realize it is not "live" but a video of the same concert is already here!
http://www.arkayconventioncenter.in/videos.aspx

I need to catch up on the earlier part of the concert also. I tuned in late this morning!

I was following the concert and the comments from people who were watching on line. The organizer (Sweetsong?) Mr Muralidhar (if I remember right) was on line answering questions.

Violinist Rajeev's Mother was also on line! She must be one proud Mother - Rajeev's performance was nice! Arjun Ganesh on mRdanga was also very good!

[vasanthakokilam]

Awesome, I was checking out the video recordings of some past concerts at Arkay but did not notice this one is already on. Thanks Sreeni.

[Nick H]

Amrutha is a really good artist, and, being still very young, promises even greater things in the future. I'm really glad that others are, more and more, recognising her and appreciating her.

It's been a busy day, and I only managed, carnatic-wise, to catch the final part of Sumathi Krisnan's concert.

[kssr]

On the occasion of Amrutha's concert at BTM Cultural Academy,I wanted to share some personal notes on the organisers. BTM has been doing a commendable job for the last 20 years. The organisers show interest in making each concert a special one. Thematic concerts based on composers, festivals fully with "duets", lecdems ( the one by Sreevalsan menon on MD was amazing), regular RTP concerts, bringing out talented artists from karnataka and also other states and so on.

I heard recently an RTP concert of violin duet by Charulatha Ramanujam and Ramanujacharlu which was excellent. This was in fact the 400th concert of BTM. Interesting to note that they keep count. I also happened to have a brief talk with the chief organiser on that day and he told me that he had attended all 400 concerts How many organisations can claim such dedicated leadership.

My humble opinion is that they need all the support from rasikas and they have not got the recognition that they so richly deserve.

[arasi]

Kssr,
I'm not surprised to hear that the chief organizer has attended all the four hundred concerts!
I have to say, BTM is unique in that sense, as far as I know. Getting different levels of musicians there to perform throughout the year, taking the trouble to showcase musicians from other states, encouraging local talents, having thematic concerts which are not just nAm ke VAste thematic--are some of its assets.

Another thing which surprises me is that the office bearers (volunteers, of course) are easily approachable and they welcome newcomers without any fuss--send program brochures faithfully to members. I also feel a sense of equality in the air. You can sit wherever you can find a place. Even the VIPs who are seen there are not fussed over.

I somehow missed being there during my short stay in Bengaluru this time and so, missed paying my annual membership dues
Hope I can attend a few concerts there next time.

Over the years, I have heard many big artistes of Karnataka and of other states there. R.K. Srikantan, M'S. Sheela, Bombay Jayashri, Sikkil sisters, Gayathri Girish, Saketaraman and so on. I have heard local talents, been to one of theArAdhanAs and have listened to a very good Lec-dem by Srivatsa on Shyama Shastri with Carnatica Brothers doing the singing.

In short, BTM is an old, members-friendly sabha which goes about its business with seriousness and very little fuss, as I perceive it.

[kssr]

Arasi

Interestingly I have been attending concerts probably right from its beginning- earlier held in a temple in Jayanagar 9th block (if I am not mistaken). I have heard today's biggies for the first time there- Sanjay, Unnikrishnan and even a young Arjun Kumar who made remarkable impression by the way he was blasting away

I have paid a life time membership fee for myself and my wife which is not much. Even individual concert tickets are just nominally priced- I think around Rs.50 (less than a dallar for you ) You mentioned rightly- absolutely simple people- no fussing- I love that attitude. Also, consciously encouraging good talent like Sreevalsan menon, Amrutha Venkatesh and other youngsters.

[srikant1987]

Indeed, it is a nice sabha. Simple ambiance, that makes one feel at home. I have listened to Smt Manda Sudharani and Smt Bhagyalakshmi Chandrasekaran's recitals there.

[arasi]

The annual fee is a few hundred rupees. Perhaps one fourth of what one pays for a concert for the best seats during the season (for a plastic chair which is no comfort for someone resting after a long wait in the line early that morning for tickets).
Good to know you and your lady are life members. Will go for that next time I'm there.
In some concerts, the children of Ramana Maharshi School for the blind (the venue) come listen to the concerts (depending on the space available).

Srikant,
The ambiance is there, may be because of RamanA and the work of educating the children which goes on there.

[sweetsong]

Video recording of the Doordarshan SRSN program

Aaragimpave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qRhvyZg ... xg&index=6

Smarajanaka
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs3U7iNj ... xg&index=4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APM6XX83 ... xg&index=6

Ayye Metthakadinam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58tbA2h9 ... -A&index=1

Nageyu Baruthide
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay9OTB1e ... xg&index=1

Hindolam Thillana
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVWEiGKJ ... xg&index=1

[Rsachi]

I heard Amrutha Venkatesh on the available videocast, webcast and you tube recordings. My opinions:
Amrutha Venkatesh strikes me as a serious Carnatic music aspirant and emerging star.
She makes a pleasant impression rightaway.
She has a pleasant voice. If voices can be tagged like ragas with time of day, hers is a mid-afternoon voice...not too deep, not sleepy, not too sharp, not too sweet and high pitched.
She sings with an 'effortlessness'. She has absorbed many influences, but the most prominent is of her current mentor the Prince and his own guru BMK.
She has a wide repertoire and seems at ease with compositions of many in many languages. It is rare to find someone equally at ease with Tamil and Kannada.
Her manodharma seems to be a languid 'don't try to do too much' style but with occasional surprises of adventure. She negotiates these moments with a smile on her face and no excesses in hand gestures.
I wish she would sing a bit more full throated, as she seems to be holding herself back and perhaps she could do better than sound as if she is 'half-biting' her own vocal chords, if I may say so.
Full throated: this is what I think Thyagaraja said in Shobhillu- 'nAbhIhRtkaMTharasana'.

My best wishes to Amrutha Venkatesh.

[vasanthakokilam]

Rsachi, Excellent characterization. Exactly same as what I thought but could not come up with the right words like you did.

My overall impression the few times I have listened to her is 'My goodness, she IS good'.
How you characterize her manodharma is what is most attractive about her to me. A hint of nonchalance (in the good sense, confident but not cocky ) puts the listener at ease. That provides the platform for taking in the surprises which seems to be natural to her. That kind of stuff usually comes from a place of innate confidence which is rare. I sort of view that aspect as 'a bit of MDR in her'. I first noticed that in her rendering of bhavayami raghuramam ( available in youtube ).

I sincerely hope she takes in the aspects of the Shri. Rama Varma/BMK bANi that suits her and not go whole hog. For example, Rama varma has some fascination for straight note executions which suit him. But I would prefer Amrutha employe that only to an appropriate degree, may be for some (modern) thillanas where speed, straight notes and jumps are the key ingredients. On that count, so far so good. And in some distant past, we heard some remarks that Shri. Rama Varma eschews niraval. That is good for him but I can only hope Amrutha follows her own path here.
Niraval kind of things are her strengths. She can do a niraval on the phone book and I can probably listen to that for hours!! Glad to hear her excellent niraval for Aaragimpave.

I am also with you about her employing a little more full-throatiness but we have to see how it suits her over all style.

[Rsachi]

Thanks for your corroborations, VKLM!
Eschewing niraval means losing out on a major strength of CM...it is like not including a genuine seam and wrist swing bowler in the cricket team and sticking to straight bouncers or rank 'rough spot' pitchers.
Will listen to Bhavayami..a timeless favourite and an MDR speciality!

[Nick H]

I sincerely hope she takes in the aspects of the Shri. Rama Varma/BMK that suits her and not go whole hog.

Of course, the lineage can be heard, but one thing that I thought was remarkable, the last time that I saw her, was that she sang a BMK thillana without sounding at all like BMK! I am not saying it would have been bad if she had done, but the fact that she didn't, especially given that she is so close to that influence, is a mark of her independence.

[vasanthakokilam]

Nick: That is great to hear. Mutations and variations in the hands of a natural artist like her are good. Good for her and good for us.

[Sreeni Rajarao]

Thanks to RSachi, VK and Nick for a good analysis of Amrutha's music!

I have the same observations but I do not think I would have been able to express as well as all of you have done it.

Sachi avare,
There is a CD brought out by Ananya (Bangalore) in which Amrutha's has sung jAnakiramaNa (Sudda Seemanthini), pankaja lOcana (kalyANi) and the Elaradayane (jAvaLi in Bhairavi). This CD was produced in 2006, I think.

I thought I would suggest this CD to you in case you have not listened to it.

In fact, I would recommend the whole series (T S Sathyavathi, Manasi Prasad, Maruti Prasad, Chandan Bala, G RaviKiran, C K Pavandeep, Pattabhirama Pandit, Ranjani Hebbar, Kasaravalli Sisters and Bangalore Brothers)

Sorry for the digression, but I wanted to spread the word about these CDs brought out by Ananya. I wonder if they have produced any more in the recent times.

[Rsachi]

Thank you, Srini!

[rajeshnat]

I do know there are few amrutha venkatesh close fans in chennai , who feel her music in general is moving away from perhaps from Charumathi Ramachandran style and getting slowly morphed more with Prince Rama verma (She has another guru in her earlier days by name selvanarayana but I am not aware of his style/ school etc). Certainly her music 3 or 4 years back was exceptionally good , but in the last concert that I heard the influence of Rama Verma/BMK was not to my liking .Very few diehard fans of Amrutha also feel the same . Ofcourse she is very young , but she has to watch out for this comment. This statement does not take away the classicism/teaching and all the goodnesss that Sri Rama Verma /shri BMK are bringing to Amrutha.

About few years back , there was a discussion about Ramnad krishnan's music in this forum. The viewpoints were his influence was majorly from GNB school in his early days and towards the second half of his career he tried adopting from Brinda Muktha school. The opinion of many was Ramnad krishnan music towards the second half was not as best as it was in his first half of his career.

Amrutha Venkatesh has a real soothing voice and a very solid shruthi alignment.

[sureshvv]

This may be a little from left field but I find quite a bit of Sanjay's influence in her music particularly in alapana and kalpana swaras, only with an added precision when threading the needle. Lately it is also expanding to the repertoire. Definitely an artiste who is worth watching!