N Vijay Siva @ Raga Sudha Hall, Chennai (15th Oct 2006)

ram · Post by **ram** » 15 Oct 2006, 22:25

Venue: Raga Sudha Hall, 85/2, Luz Avenue, Mylapore, Chennai

Date: 15th Oct 2006

Vocal: Sri N. Vijay Siva

Violin: Sri Mullaivasal G. Chandramouli

Mridangam: Sri Palghat Raghu

Khanjira: Sri Abhishek Raghuram

List of songs:

1) vanajAkshi (varnam) - kalyANi - Adi - rAmanAthapuram srinivAsa iyengAr

2) rAma nannu brOvarA - harikAmbOji - rUpakam - thyAgarAja (NS)

3) visAlAkshIm - kAmavardani - misra chApu - muthuswAmi dIkshitar (AN)

4) srI dum durgE - srIranjani - kanDa Ekam - muthuswAmi dIkshitar (AS)

5) gandarva (viruttam) - bEgaDA

kAmAkshi - bEgaDA - Adi - syAma sAstri

6) chinnanADena - kalAnidi - Adi - thyAgarAja

7 ) sri subramaNyO - tODi - Adi - muthuswAmi dIkshitar (ANS - main)

8) pArkum disai (viruttam) - hamIr kalyANi, Ahiri, mOhanam, srI

srI abhayAmbA- srI - Adi - muthuswAmi dIkshitar

9) mAdar pirai - chenchurutti - rUpakam - thirunAvukkarasar

10) viruttam - dEsh

vittala talagOswAmi - dEsh - Adi - purandaradAsa

11) thiruppugazh - danyAsi - Adi - aruNagirinAthar

12) pavamAna (mangaLam) - sOwrAshtram - Adi - thyAgarAja

Its been a long long time since I heard Sri Vijay Siva live and I didn't want to miss this opportunity to hear him at Raga Sudha Hall. In addition, Sri Palghat Raghu was playing for him and in the past 2 months, I have at least gone to 3 concerts where he was supposed to play, only to come to know that he couldn't make it to the concerts as he was unwell. It was a big relief for me when I saw Sri Raghu walk in to the hall for this concert.

Coming to the concert, Sri Vijay Siva sang superbly with his trademark clarity of diction. The tODi raga alapana was the show stealer. Sri Chandramouli played well though he didn't seem to be in his peak form today. Sri Palghat Raghu was as usual superb and Sri Abhishek Raghuram on the khanjira supported him very well. Sri Abhishek Raghuram also played very well during the taniavartanam, especially during the kuraippu. Playing along with his grandfather Sri Raghu must anyway be nothing new to him, having performed in many such concerts in the past.

http://ramsabode.wordpress.com/2006/10/ ... l-chennai/

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 16 Oct 2006, 09:50

i did go to this concert. however, i felt the show stealer were all but the tODi. each person has different views, so i am not contesting whatever ram has written.

Vocalist · Post by **Vocalist** » 16 Oct 2006, 10:09

rbharath, all the same, we still would like to hear what you thought too...i'm sure.

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 16 Oct 2006, 13:04

this is what i have to say about this concert:

I entered while Sri Vijay Siva was wrapping up the kAsirAmakriyA elaboration. The kriti was rendered with neraval at 'kAsIrAgnIm. kapAlinIm'. The elaboration of srIranjani was good. The kriti, a personal favourite, was rendered well and the svarams which followed were real nice. The bEgaDa slOkam was good again and the kriti, yet another personal favourite, was rendered very well and the kalanidhi piece followed.

The main courese, tODi was well elaborated. However, one felt that all else he sang before and after the tODi piece were better. The kriti was rendered nicely with neraval and svarams at 'bhAsamAna vallI devasenO'. I should tell about the tani separtely.

The rAgamAlikA viruttam was just too good. The way he moved from hamIrkalyANi to Ahiri and the subsequent transitions were really good. The srI rAgam kriti was rendered well. The chenchuruTTi tEvAram which followed was also really nice.

To me, The highlight of the concert was the AlApanai of dEsh. It was just too good. The kriti was also very well and gave a good effect. The short snatches he sang between the lines of the kriti were awesome also. The tiruppugazh in danyAsi was good also.

Sri Vijay Siva gave a really nice concert. With a lot of personal favourites sang, I personally enjoyed it a lot. Sri Chandramouli however was not in his best form yesterday. His bowing was shrieky at parts and the replies, were otherwise good.

Sri Raghu, the old veteran, was amazing thro' the concert. His playing for each kriti and each sangati was just tooo good. One could hear him play the songs on the mrudangam. His tani was just tooo good. Advancing age and ill health seems to have very little effect on his playing. The magic he spelt from his mrudangam is still lingering in my mind. The patterns he played during the tani was just tooo good. Sri Abishek on the kanjIra ably supported his grandfather and was good throughtout.

ram · Post by **ram** » 16 Oct 2006, 15:50

FYI ... one change made in the song list ... the tiruppugazh was sung in danyasi which I noted down correctly in the concert but posted wrongly as madyamavati while writing the song list here. Thanks a ton to rbharath for pointing this out.

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 16 Oct 2006, 16:01

The tiruppugazh was probably 'nirAmaya purAdana'?

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 16 Oct 2006, 16:03

prashant, yes it was.

sangeetarasikan · Post by **sangeetarasikan** » 16 Oct 2006, 20:11

IMO, the Palghat Raghu-Abhishek Raghuram combination would be electrifying not only for the sparkling laya but also the beautiful chemistry between guru-shishya or grandfather-grandson, whichever way you want to look at it. Among all the younger generation, I find that Abhishek radiates the joy of music most on stage. He could well be the next Harishankar in the making.

kumaran.nadesan · Post by **kumaran.nadesan** » 16 Oct 2006, 20:20

sangeetarasikan wrote:He could well be the next Harishankar in the making.

For Raghuram's sake, let's hope that is not the case and he sticks to his classical repertoire instead

sangeetarasikan · Post by **sangeetarasikan** » 16 Oct 2006, 20:28

kumaran.nadesan wrote:
sangeetarasikan wrote:He could well be the next Harishankar in the making.
For Raghuram's sake, let's hope that is not the case and he sticks to his classical repertoire instead

I honestly fail to understand what you're saying. Harishankar was one of the classiest and classical Kanjira vidwans. Ask any musician and they will tell you. I remember Trichy Sankaran talk about him on one occasion with great feeling and he distinctly said that Harishankar was one of the best vidwans of all-time.

kumaran.nadesan · Post by **kumaran.nadesan** » 16 Oct 2006, 20:38

Trichy Sankaran's opinion is his own. I do not wish to deride non-classical forms but I rather that Raghuram at this formative stage make his mark in carnatic msuic and one form of genre than expend his energies assuming multiple roles like Harishankar. A number of able musicians have spread themselves too thin and in the end have become a jack of all trades and master of none. Of course, I am well aware of Harishankar's own carnatic lineage and his grounding in ghazals but when one assumes more than one role, it is inevitable that another dimension is ignored or is weakened.

sangeetarasikan · Post by **sangeetarasikan** » 16 Oct 2006, 20:53

I am not sure if we are talking about the same Harishankar! But here is a link that throws some light on his vidwat:

http://www.sruti.com/mar02/marmain.html

I need say no more.

kumaran.nadesan · Post by **kumaran.nadesan** » 16 Oct 2006, 20:57

Oh dear lord, I kept thinking of Harishankar, the ghazal/film singer, given Raghuram's vocal abilities and completely missed the kanjira part! My apologies

And yes, I completely share your sentiments on G Harishankar!

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 16 Oct 2006, 21:06

kumaran.nadesan wrote:Oh dear lord, I kept thinking of Harishankar, the ghazal/film singer,

You mean Hariharan, right?

kumaran.nadesan · Post by **kumaran.nadesan** » 16 Oct 2006, 21:09

sigh..I'm in sore need of some rest. Yes, I meant Hariharan!!!

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 16 Oct 2006, 21:15

I thought the ghazal/film singer is hariharan

mahesh_narayan · Post by **mahesh_narayan** » 16 Oct 2006, 23:12

Vijay Siva sings with complete commitment and sincerity. He has a 'mellisu' sareeram, but his passion and involvement are contagious. However, he should expand his selections a little and sing some more kritis of Tyagaraja, Puci Iyengar/Patnam, Vasudevachar and others. I have heard Visalakshim, Sri Subrahmanyo, Sri Abhayamba far too many times from him. Even among Dikshitar kritis (I assume he is fond of Dikshitar kritis the most), there is plenty to choose from besides the ones he often presents. His guru DKJ Sir had an amazing repertoire of Tyagaraja kritis in addition to Dikshitar kritis.

Vijay Siva's skills and dedication are praiseworthy. He is a worthy disciple of DKJ Sir, who has ably passed on the tradition to him. Is this the first time he is performing with Raghu Sir?

Did he sing at 2 kattai sruti? Raghu Sir's nadam at that sruti is intoxicating. And his azhuttam......aaha !!!.

Sreemathy · Post by **Sreemathy** » 17 Oct 2006, 00:39

Being an unabashed fan of sri.nedunuri, you should be the last person to complain
about Vijay's choice of Dikshitar krithis (and the repetition therein) in his concerts! I also found it mildly funny that you enquired about nedunuri sir singing navavarna krithis in his concerts in some other thread

mahesh_narayan · Post by **mahesh_narayan** » 17 Oct 2006, 01:59

Hi,
What I wrote was not intended as a complaint. I like Vijay Siva's singing very much myself. I just thought that with his commitment, if he presented more from his repertoire, it would enhance the listening pleasure. Also, with his vast database of dikshitar kritis, listeners can get a chance to listen to rarely heard kritis.

As for Nedunuri Sir, I wish he had sung more dikshitar kritis. But for the fact that he didn't cover too many dikshitar kritis, I think he did take up a lot of other composers. I have heard the Malladi brothers sing navavarnams, and I was wondering whether they learnt those from him. Thats why I asked if there was any available recording, so that I could learn his patantaram.

Thats it. I didn't mean to besmirch Vijay Siva's talent or concerts. I apologize if it came across that way.

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 17 Oct 2006, 07:10

Mahesh: interesting comments and I understand the spirit in which they were meant. Actually IMO today Vijay Siva is the only one singing some rare(r) tyAgarAjA krithis like emidOva, elA teliya, enduNDi veDalitivO etc. He also regularly presents rarer Dikshitar krithis - for example in tODi I have heard him sing rAmaCandrAya namastE. I think of all of the current generation of musicians, he is the one with the widest repertoire presented in the most polished form. Even here he has presented the SS bEgaDA which is not at all common today. Maybe on this day he just felt like singing these pieces - sri subrahmaNyO with Raghu Sir must have been a real treat!!!

mahesh_narayan · Post by **mahesh_narayan** » 17 Oct 2006, 08:07

Hi Prashant:
I agree with you. I have heard some Tyagaraja kritis sung by him, like Bhajana Seyave, Ela Teliyalaro, Sangita Shastra, Elara Krishna, which are rarely sung today. I just thought that I had heard a few dikshitar kritis too often. But as you said, he might have opted for a particular combo on this day !

You are spot on, he does present his repertoire in a very polished manner, and takes great care in pronouncing words, which is a delight in itself. Some kritis like Neelachanatham, Sri Sunderarajam, Emi Dova, Prasanna Venkateswaram were first introduced to me only through his recordings. There is always a sense of dignity and proportion in his concerts. He commands attention by way of his commitment.

rajsekar · Post by **rajsekar** » 17 Oct 2006, 09:59

Hello all. It was really a pleasure listening to Sri.Vijay siva and the team..Especially vetren Palghat Raghu sir and his grandson Sri Abhishek Raghuram..... I saw some postings and for their information, i must say that this is not the first time Raghu sir is playing for Vijay..

And like Mr. Mahesh said Raghu sir's Mridangam for that sruthi is like majestic..But its sad that no one is aware of these things these days... but really, i enjoyed the exchange between him and abhishek raghuram..

And also the way Raghu sir played for "chinna natena".. one should listen to the old way of playing for these type of kritis... never rush for the melkalam .... amazing..
i must say all youngsters should follow this...

And the way Vijay siva handled the great master with ease and i really enjoyed Vijay putting the thalam with elegance while the tani.. Overall a great show.

tylerconscious · Post by **tylerconscious** » 17 Oct 2006, 10:55

All of you missed the India-England game and went to this concert?? Well played India.

tylerconscious · Post by **tylerconscious** » 17 Oct 2006, 11:05

abhishek the next harishankar!? i suggest you go jump off a cliff. The guy is good alright, but he doesn't even play that many concerts accompanying on the kanjira. And even if it does, it's only when his grandfather plays. It takes more than one school of thought and execution to become a true and unanimous great, which Harishankar most definitely was.

gundakriya · Post by **gundakriya** » 17 Oct 2006, 13:08

tylerconscious wrote:but he doesn't even play that many concerts accompanying on the kanjira. And even if it does, it's only when his grandfather plays.

Not so... just a month ago, he played a wonderful concert in tandem with UKS, accompanying Ramani Sir. But one has to agree with you on the unnecessary hyperbole, w.r.t. Harisankar.

rajsekar · Post by **rajsekar** » 18 Oct 2006, 09:26

Mr. Tylerconscious.. first u listen to some concert and know at least some thing about khanjira.. people like you r not even fit for watching india england match.. i thinkyou r the biggest vetti and waste in the world.. so before giving such comments about any good artists, just think for a while.. it shows that.....

Well said gundakriya... this is the problem here... people like tylerconscious watch India- England match and give comments about Vijaysiva concert... rather this guy should jump into a well.. hahahahahhaha.....

rajsekar · Post by **rajsekar** » 18 Oct 2006, 09:34

And also i agree that comparing is a bit too much.. but for young artist like Mr.Abhishek raghuram... its a gift.. one should accept this fact..

Regarding the concert of Sri.Ramani... that day Abhishek's performance was really very matured and he was really appreciated by SriUKS as well on stage.. Those who attended the concert will accept this..

So pl instead of encouraging younsters dont watch India Engalnd match.. Rather post ur comments on cricinfo not here..

meena · Post by **meena** » 18 Oct 2006, 09:44

Folks PLEASE!

Let's be civilized. thanku

rasam · Post by **rasam** » 18 Oct 2006, 09:57

>> listen to some concert and know at least some thing about khanjira

Huh? Just because he chose cricket over the concert doesn't mean he is not entitled to an opinion. For all you know, tylerconsicious might be a kanjira artist.

rajsekar · Post by **rajsekar** » 18 Oct 2006, 15:28

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha... Mr.Tylersonscious is a khanjira artist .. hahahahahahah .. so sad... hahahahhhahahahah lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That would be the greatest disaster!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol lol

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 18 Oct 2006, 15:38

As someone who doesn't know so much, I'm regularly introduced to new artists because of going to see the accompaniests!

I was at that concert too (there seem to be quite a few of us...)

I have only had the pleasure (blessing, even, to a mridangam student) to see Palghat Raghu play once before, and I was also introduced to hearing his grandson on that occasion.

I can only echo the positive comments made. I believe he has done some learning from Harishankar, and my uninformed opinion is that, one day... yes...

I don't know if his unerring ability to answer Palgaht Raghu is down to his familiarity with his guruji/grandfather's repertoire --- I would love to see him play with other mridangists.

I would say that I would like a little more gumaka than he gives --- but then people have different styles and emphasise different aspects.

Maybe we should devise a Rasikas.org vesti stripe --- so we can recognise each other. If the politicians can do it? !!!!!!!!

Vocalist · Post by **Vocalist** » 18 Oct 2006, 15:56

prashant & mahesh_narayan: Sowmya, Nithyashree & Sanjay have sung all those rare pieces which you pointed out.

Despite also thinking that Vijay Siva's repertoire is quite extensive, I think it's in an overall sense - not just in Thyagaraja/Dikshithar krithis. Just to clarify.

ignoramus · Post by **ignoramus** » 18 Oct 2006, 15:57

NIck, i am with you on the identification band. I have heard raghu sir some 5 or 6 times, each is a revelation.

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 18 Oct 2006, 19:06

Vocalist: point taken.

rajsekar · Post by **rajsekar** » 18 Oct 2006, 20:20

Nick h.. yeah what u said, i agree with ur points..

See these youngsters like Abhishek, Sri Sundarkumar,Anirudh athreya, K.V.Gopalakrishnan and some others, these guys are very talented to thier own respect. and alreday made thier mark in the music field. Every one has their own strong points.

There are people who get excited to see kids playing to more than thier potential...same thing happend here s well, Abhishek was compared with harishakar. First of all no one can match Harishankar in this world .. every one knows that.. but one has to be certified. for that we need a scale to measure.. thats what happend here.. Its just a statement to the positive side of Abhishek.. Infact i have heard SriSundar kuamr playing with UKS ..and he almost matched every beat to the master.. and reminded us of Shri Harishankar.. so that doesnt mean he is the next Harishankr..

For every youngsters (proimising) they have to learn and gain experience lot of things.. So we must appreciate the effort they made on the particular day the circumstance and other things applied to it.. I am astrong beliver in encouraging.. u can be critical , but just to an extent... As said , "Abhishek is the the future harishakar".. may god bless with him with more than what Harishakar achived.. and for others also.. i mean all the young lads u handle mridangam as well as khanjira or ghatam or violin or vocal anyting... we should keep encouraging talented lads..

According to me at present in the circuit Sri Sundar kumar is the best among all the khanjira artist.. infact his sound matches more with Harishankar's (again this is just asclae to measure his talent).. and all most all people will agree this. I know he has been inspired by Shri Harishankar and he had to make a choice between Mridangam and Khanjira.. and he succesfully made a mark in the circuit by choosing khanjira..

Even Sri K.V.Gopalkrishnan is doing well. Very brilainat artist with lots of imagination and skills.and others too.. Every one have thier own skills and imagination.. and mind u these guys are making their mark in rapid time.

ram · Post by **ram** » 18 Oct 2006, 21:00

I think Sri B.S. Purushottam is another very good khanjira artist

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 18 Oct 2006, 22:32

May there be many future Harishankars, and surely no-one could have wished that more than him.

From the little that I know about him it was his absolute brilliance at calculation and on-the-spot composition that marked him as a number-one in this field. He would have been a world number-one with any percussion instrument in his hands, perhaps with any instrument at all!

This youngster, Abishek, we are discussing in this context has the advantage of the bloodline (was/is his father a musician?). I don't believe these things are inherited, but the sooner in life they start to soak in the better.

He must have contributed a very great deal of hard work, even with the advantage of such a family and such a teacher, to be where he is today.

He has, as someone else has commented, a charming stage presence. To choose any other percussion instrument than mridangam (Unless, like me, you just find it too hard to play: I'm sure that is not true of this man!) requires a certain modesty. One is never going to be at the front of the stage; one is never going to have the possibility to dominate should one mistakenly feel like it; one must always follow and seldom lead, and, I guess, one is never going to get the same pay packet!

The potential of a dedicated, hard-working, modest youngster in that position is unlimited: we can't tell now what he will realise in decades to come, but I feel sure it will be worth watching

chalanata · Post by **chalanata** » 20 Oct 2006, 20:30

abishek is a great player in the making and he has a place in the CM world. Harishankar was unique in 'Gnana" whereas Abishek's 'nadha' is better. these can be compared only with Pudukkottai Dakshinamurthy and Kumbakonam Azhaganambi.

completelyclueless · Post by **completelyclueless** » 20 Oct 2006, 22:43

did you just say abishek has better nadham than harishankar?

and did you just compare both of them to dakshinamurthy pillai and azhaganambi?

have u heard dakshinamurthy and azhaganambi?

and once again, u really think abishek has better nadham than harishankar?

harishankar is the greatest percussion vidvan ever, it is a moot point to compare ANYONE with him.

rajumds · Post by **rajumds** » 21 Oct 2006, 08:44

Such comparisions are to be taken as an encouragement to the budding artists. I don't think any one actually means that the younger artist have become equal to the legends

chalanata · Post by **chalanata** » 21 Oct 2006, 13:09

it is like an atheist asking a pious man 'have you seen God?' There are books on these kind of comparions and hersay.
Usually swiftness does not go with precision. In abishek's case both gel very well. i think of only the doyen valangaiman when he plays on the kanjira.
harishankar no doubt is a great percussionist but i have my own reservations calling him the greatest.
as rightly pointed out by rajumds the comparison is only to highlight the fact of the potential of genius in an upcoming star and abishek has a long way to go. to this extent my posture stands corrected.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 23 Oct 2006, 11:57

How wonderful to have a long way to go --- when one is young and has a whole lifetime ahead to make that journey

MBK · Post by **MBK** » 23 Oct 2006, 11:59

I'm going with rajsekar's views on encouragement.
Furthermore, I am a big supporter of Abhishek, especially after listening to a few of his vocal recitals last season. The young man has a huge future in the world of Carnatic music - in Vocal & Khanjira & it is only fair that we encourage & support him & the other young artists mentioned here in reaching those great heights rather than losing them to some other field that life may offer.
MBK - South Africa

tylerconscious · Post by **tylerconscious** » 23 Oct 2006, 14:48

Ah, I see there has been a minor storm over my points. I have been away for the last 2 days, and hence couldn't comment.

@rajasekar: dear sir, what makes you think that I have no idea of what I am speaking? I am very much aware of what CM is about and definitely can appreciate the nuances of playing a kanjira. Do i need to be a kanjira vidwan to have certain views? Getting into personal territory by saying that I do nothing and must be a vetti is totally uncalled for. You may well see that many others on the forum also agree to the fact that Abhishek is not the next Harishankar and more importantly he plays only with his grandfather. Just a one-off concert with UKS proves nothing.