Kottakkal Madhu&Nedumpalli RamMohan, Kathakali pada katcheri

[braindrain]

Organised by Sahrdaya, at Keshavakalpa Sabhangane, Malleswaram, Bangalore
Date : 27th July 2013, 5:30 - 8:30 pm

Ponnani : Kottakkal Madhu

Shinkidi : Nedumpalli Ram Mohan

Chenda : Sadanam Ramakrishnan

Maddalam : Kalamandalam Venu

Edakka : Peringode Subramanian

List:

01. harihara vidhinuta – rAgamAlika ( darbAri kAnaDa, sahAna, Anandabhairavi, sindhubhairavi) – thODayam

02. SLOkam ( pItAmbaram karavirAjitam) – SrI

ajitA harE jaya – SrI – kuchElavrutam

03. shArada rajani varunnu tEril – Arabhi – arjuna vishAda vrittam ( O )

04. SLOkam ( tvavAt vaikunTa vAmEtara ) – nAtakurinji

mAdhava jaya shaurE – nAtakurinji – kirmIra vadham

05. SLOkam ( kAnthan kaninju parayunnoru) – pUrvikalyANi

sAmyam akannoru udyAnam – pUrvi kalyANi – naLacharitam Day 2

sarvartu ramaNIyam – kharaharapriya – naLacharitam Day 2

06. Siva Siva enthu cheyvU – ghaNTAram – naLacharitham Day 1

07. karNA, pArtha sadruSan Ariha – brindAvana sArang – uttarA swayamvaram

08. entiha man mAnasE – hindOLam – karNa SapatHam ( A )

09. vIra virATa kumAra vibhO (kummi)- USAni (husEni) – uttarA swayamvaram

10. SLOkam ( iTi sa NrupatinA khagO visrushtO ) – kAmOdari – naLacharitam Day1

UrjitA ASaya pArthiha tAva – kAmOdari ( kAmbOji) – naLacharitam Day1

tani Avartanam (cheNDa,maddaLam,eDakka)

11. SLOkam ( sudEvOktam swadayitanO ) – dwijAvanti – naLacharitam Day3

maRimAn kaNNi mauliyuDE – dwijAvanti – naLacharitam Day3

12. thillAna ( ta ta kiTa takkiTa ) – bhAgEshri – Kottakkal Madhu (on the deity of Kottakkal)

13. pushkara vilOchana – surutti – kuchElavruttam

14. padma vallabha pAlaya bhagawan – madhyamAvathi – sItA swayamvaram ?

SLOkam ( srI kAnthAya mukundAya) – madhyamAvathi

This may be a bit off from the regular discussions here, but i thought it will be interesting to put a comparative concert list. Kathakali pada katcheri is a new concept, to bring the music out of the performance and put it up as a separate show. This genre is less than 2 decades old in its existence and still trying to get a structure and form established. Mostly sung in the houses ( typical Namboodiri house holds as part of some festivities), it is now have more takers and wider audience. While this concert may not have featured rare or usually associated with Kathakali ragams - samantha malahari , kAnakurinji, and pADi (diferent from Dikshitar's pADi), this still has a few interesting mix of 'old-traditional' padams and a few new incorporation ( Arabhi, brindavanasarang etc). Overall, it was pretty nice.

[mahavishnu]

Brilliant! Nice to see a review of a kathakali singing performance.
First of a kind here.

Thank you braindrain.

[keerthi]

I attended this concert too, thanks to Jayan’s invitation. It was unusual in that, I was the only non-namboodiri in the hall, including mike arrangement chap and stage crew! The concert was really really good, and often, when I listen to Kumar Gandharva’s nirguni bhajans or the Bhagavata mela darus/ yakshagana pieces (when sung well) or such a performance of Kathakali padams, I am in danger of losing taste for the ‘classical’ presentations of music, which seem to have more exaggerations and artifices, when compared to the full-throated, leisurely and natural structure of these other rich music forms. But the feeling is short-lived and Shyama Shastri brings me back home.

KoTTakal Madhu was the lead singer, and Rammohan was second string. This was clear in that KM would sing a line and RM would repeat it, sometimes with a different sangati. The latter’s singing seems to be influenced a bit more by training in the carnatic idiom.I have observed in Bhagavata mela and Yakshagana and in other nameless traditional songs sung in my village, that there is no to very little use of the sphurita or the so called ‘birka’. The use of the jAru or meend is seen, but is different, and the predominant gamaka used is the kampita-andolita family. And to what remarkable effect they used it!

Now I know where KVN learnt his faultless pronunciation, where MDR learnt his meaningful padaccheda and meaningful dovetailing of bits of sahityam from the previous line. I know where they got their sense of perfect rhythm, which flowed as undercurrents rather than as an in-your-face horse-gait. I know where all that expansive, drawn out development of raga and neraval comes from; with almost imperceptible shifts in the sahityakSaras to stunning effect.

All these features I observed in Madhu and Rammohan's presentation.

1. Their pronunciation was near-flawless, except for a few words which are pronounced differently in Sanskrit and Malayalam, and the deshabhASa gets the benefit over Sanskrit in such cases. To hear the shankara ‘sha’ and the SaNmukha ‘Sa’ pronounced correctly was a real pleasure. Exhibit 1 - KVN’s shESAcala-nAyakaM.

2. Their duet wasn’t like the carnatic duet, with both singers perfectly synchronized in sangatis. Rather, the lead would take up a line, or a sangati variant, and the other would repeat it, often adding a word from the previous line, for complete meaning; which very very few, precious few singers care to do, (or can do). Some of the segments were sung in perfect unison, and the combination of one gravelly and one smooth voice always makes for excellent effect.

3. The kala-pramana they chose for the first padam, ‘Ajita harE’ was exemplary, and if one didn’t follow the hands of the singers, it was evident that one could see it as much as adi talam with an undercurrent of the misra nadai (slow) as misra chapu with a caturasra gait. This excellent , nuanced understanding of laya eludes most musicians. Kshetrayya and Shyama shAstri had it, but those who sing their songs often don’t employ that feature. The Sankarabharanam padam, inta mohamemi and the purvikalyani song ninnu vinAga are examples of this caturasra-Misra toggle.

4. As they took turns repeating the lines, improvising sangatis, the sangatis took on a complexion akin to neraval, but not quite; wherein this incremental-yet-stunning tectonic-plate shift in sahitya was done, in a very subtle understated way. The number of carnatic singers who do this is infinitesimal. Dr. Pani, Voleti, T.R.Subrahmanyam, would sing sangatis with slight sahitya shifts, as does the violin doyen Ivaturi.V.Rao.

5. The presence of a raga framework, but not hidebound by scales and ‘permitted sancaras’ with the not-infrequent bhAshanga tinge, made it more beautiful and infused the singing with rakti. The khamas sancaras in the kambhoji seems most appropriate to me, rather than anti-laksana or any such. The tAra sthAyi srg,mR I have heard in other renditions of this Sriraga padam Ajita hare added charm and bhava, rather than diminish it.

6. The ghaNTAram padam has preserved a kernel of an arcane ghaNTA(ravam), but has emphasised more of certain certain sancaras than the (barely) current carnatic version does. I have similarly noticed the Kathakali dhanyasi to have many older sancaras retained, while carnatic music has either dropped them, or redistributed the sancaras to an ahiri and a desya tOdi.

6.5. What is worrisome is the increasingly overwhelming influence of carnatic, north indian classical and other streams of music, which threaten stylistic elements as well as raga choice, presentation format etc.

p.s. – This is hardly a review, must appear like a diary entry. However, I want to put on record my AnandAnubhava of listening to this (and other such) musical performances which sharpen and broaden, rather than distract one’s understanding and appreciation of the carnatic idiom.

[keerthi]

I forgot to add, the penultimate piece 'PuSkara vilOcana' in SuraTTi was real neat. It is the padam sung by KucEla/ SudAma, bidding KRSna farewell, telling him, 'It was lovely to have seen you and enjoyed your hospitality, its time for me to return home - yAmi mama gEhaM. I hope we meet again - darshanam punarastu etc'.

That they sang this song in the end, [they had to catch a train back home] was most appropriate. It also hinted that Bangalore folk should call them again and again for concerts (darshanam punarastu) !!

The delightful Sankrit-interlaced Malayalam [which they insist on calling MaNipravALam] was a delight, (and like tyAgarAja's telugu) was accessible to a non-Malayali.

[arasi]

Keerthi,
Your 'diary entry' is as delightful as the performance was to you--thanks to Jayan who helped mark this date in your diary.

Though not from the same level as yours, as a pAmara rasikA, I would have been moved by a performance like this. Away from the 'professional to the core' ones, still retaining the freshness and innocence (?) of the folk elements of the form--would have been something akin to watching talented young children perform naturally (and not under glaring studio lights).

As for sAhityAnubhava, even with the highly professional artistes, that's what draws me to their concerts. Somewhere else, there was a mention of 'fake feeling of the sAhitya', which abounds on the concert stage. Those who see the sAhitya and music as not two separate entities (knowing that they exist as one)--each enhancing the other, are the ones who make their music worthwhile for us.

With all that you know about music, your 'diary notes' are a pleasure to read. Does age come into this? No, your pANDitya and rasikatva belie your age...

[mahavishnu]

pANDitya and rasikatva

Cannot agree more. Excellent observations, Keerthi.
It was a pleasure to read, including your possibly inadvertent Americanism :p

I forgot to add, the penultimate piece 'PuSkara vilOcana' in SuraTTi was real neat

[rshankar]

First off, thank to Braindrain for the announcement and review. My usual refrain (like a broken record) - was this recorded? My greed aside, based on what Keerthi has said, it appears that these styles have to recorded and preserved for posterity in their near-pristine format, before they get corrupted by the neo-classical musical styles of CM and HM!
Keerthi - what a pleasure it was to read your post. I do not know if you (and the other knowledgeable folks on this forum) know it, but your posts are the very acme of music appreciation courses/classes - so, anantakOTi namaskAra for recording your AnandAnubhava!

2. Their duet wasn’t like the carnatic duet, with both singers perfectly synchronized in sangatis. Rather, the lead would take up a line, or a sangati variant, and the other would repeat it, often adding a word from the previous line, for complete meaning; which very very few, precious few singers care to do, (or can do).

Once in a while I see this in bharatanATyam performances during the vocalist-violinist interplay during the elaboration of the sancAri - of course, to appreciate what is being done (especially during the violin assays) one must know the sAhitya to know that the 'line' from the vocalist is not being 'tossed' back in the same way.

[braindrain]

Ravi,

Will upload few samples..

Here is the appetizer : Pushkara vilochana (not from this concert, but a live program - Nedumpalli Ram Mohan is the lead singer) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxsaGxDTPrQ

[pattamaa]

thanks BD

i was too shy to ask for recordings...thanks a ton

[ramanathan]

To quench people's thirst for live Kathakali recordings, this website is there: http://www.kathakalipadam.com

[Radhakrishnan]

the only non-namboodiri

Now I know where KVN learnt his faultless pronunciation, where MDR learnt his meaningful padaccheda and meaningful dovetailing of bits of sahityam from the previous line. I know where they got their sense of perfect rhythm, which flowed as undercurrents rather than as an in-your-face horse-gait.

What is worrisome is the increasingly overwhelming influence of carnatic, north indian classical and other streams of music, which threaten stylistic elements as well as raga choice, presentation format etc.

yes,an art form enjoyed by mostly members of that caste,though most of the artists belong to other castes.I recall number of whole night concerts in 80s,where,as you put it,only non nambudiri in the audience!
your observation is absolutely true.Not only KVN and MDR,but singers with Kerala origin got that kathakali touch.In fact some singers,like B.V.Raman and B.V.Lakshmanan learnt kathakali padam.Regarding the kAla pramAna,there are plenty of slow paced(pathinja padam)scenes,love scenes,where care should be taken by not only the singer,but the actor and chenda player,to keep the pace going.
and on influence of carnatic and hindustani
as mentioned,kathakali padam is bhava sangeetham,it goes with the mudra performed by the actor.As rightly said,the only occasion where such a concert being performed,is during the wedding ceremony of nambudiris.I remember such an occasion when late Venmani Haridas sang.
to sing kathakali padam is a tough task,with the high decibel chenda and maddalam accompanying.For a concert like this,they choose songs with melodic touch,but for a real kathkali performance,being a classical dance drama,there will be war situations,where the songs will be high pitched and less melodious.There are certain rules and restrictions,for instance,the love scene of kathi vesham used to be in paadi ragam,which goes brilliantly with the mood of the scene.
the experimentation of kathakali singing started probably in 1970s with Neelakandan nambeesan,who introduced carnatic ragas,especially if there are many charanams,like in kalayAmi sumate,in kuchela vrittam.And 80s saw his disciples,Unnikrishna kurup,Sankaran Emabrandiri,Venmani Haridas and Hyder ali making lot of changes,and as you observed,singing the carnatic way.And that was the period,where certain new plays like karna sapatham got popularity and the over influence of carnatic music.
I recall an incident when Venmani Haridas experimented too much with a certain padam and after the play,a nambudiri told him 'haridAsante dwijAvanti kEmam,pakshe kathakaliKu yojiKiLa' which means the dwijavanthi is excellent,but unfit for kathakali.That was the time Haridas just returned from Ahmedabad after the stint with Darpana,and should be the reason for that over hindustani touch.But he took nambudiris comment seriously and the touch of hindustani was less form that incident onwards.
nothing wrong to conduct kathakali pada kacheri,but the real essence of it comes only during the performance.
kathakali performance is a team work,there should be synchronization of singing,chenda,maddalam and the acting.
how can one forget the period when kalAmandalam rAman kuTi nair(or ramankutti asan,as he was known)with Krishnan kuYi poduvAl on chenda,Appukutti poduval on maddalam and Unnikrishna kurup singer....they belong to the same kalari their team work is something unique.