Prof T.N. Krishnan - Naada Inbam - 4 Aug 2013

[bilahari]

Sri T.N. Krishnan - violin
Guruvayur Sri Dorai - mrudangam
Trichy Sri Murali - ghaTam

Thatha's Memorial Concert Series
Duration: 2h 15m

Approximate Songlist:

vallabha nAyakasya - bEgaDa - rUpakam - MD (R)
sObillu saptaswara - jaganmOhini - rUpakam - T (R, S)
sogasugA mrudanga - srIranjani - rUpakam - T (R)
brOvavamma - mAnji - m. cApu - SS (R)
rAma ninnu - mOhanam - Adi - T (R)
ninnE namminAnu - tODi - m. cApu - SS (R, N, S, T)
marubAri - khamAs - Adi - Dharmapuri Subbarayar (Sketch)
parulannamATa - kApi - rUpakam - Dharmapuri Subbarayar (Sketch)
orutti maganAi - bEhAg - Adi - ANDAL (R)
chandrasEkara - sindhu bhairavi - Adi - Annai Vaidyanatha Iyer (R)
madhyamAvati rAgam

It was a fantastic concert. We could hear strains of bEgaDa behind the curtains as Sri TNK was tuning, and sure enough, it continued into an elaborate alapanai as the concert started. It was bEgaDa as it should be played, with elongated jArus emphasising the madhyamam and nishAdam. Vallabha nAyakasya was a nice invocation to the evening, but I was surprised that he eschewed swaras. Sri TNK then immediately launched into a brisk and vigorous jaganmOhini alapanai. The jaganmOhini was outstanding, and his use of NNPP,M phrases was beautiful. SObillu and the kalpanaswaras were both energetically played, with nice triplet patterns leading to the eDuppu. It was an evening of surprises as Sri TNK started a madhyama kAla exploration of srIranjani, replete with his trademark glides and many durita kAla phrases. There was also a sudden shift from the upper reaches to the mandra dhaivatam and nishAdam, which was very nicely handled. Sri TNK's immaculate balancing of gamaka and brigha phrases never ceases to amaze. Sogasuga mrudanga tALamu was played beautifully right down to the triple repeats of mrudanga tALamu at the end, and Sri TNK announced he'd played the kriti as a tribute to Sri Dorai's playing.

Sri TNK immediately took up mAnji, with no confusion whatsoever with bhairavi due to elongated D1 and sharp nishAdams. The alapanai was again delivered in madhyama kAlam, which was a surprise given the usually languorous explorations I have heard of this raga . BrOvavamma was played thoroughly and movingly, and the entire mAnji was my highlight of the evening. Sri TNK is ideally suited to bring out the majesty and dignity of SS compositions with his shruti and gamaka shuddam and bowing control capable of delivering elongated notes and kArvais necessary for vilamba kAlam. A very quick alapanai of mOhanam followed, and Sri TNK's absolute fidelity to pitch made me appreciate a ragam I usually find rather bland. A kriti I did not recognise followed at breakneck speed (thanks to Jaya mami for identifying it).

TODi was the centerpiece of the evening. I have a special fondness for Sri TNK's interpretation of this ragam, without the rather weepy and melodramatic emphasis on the gandAram given by so many others. Sri TNK employs some very beautiful janTa brighas in playing the ragam, and his fingering yesterday was as immaculate as always. He has an almost patented way of playing the ragam, and yesterday's exploration was intense, traversing the octaves with ease, drawing claps, nods, and chu-chu-s aplenty as he took us on this thrilling joyride - one that we have been on repeatedly but enjoy just as much each time, excitedly anticipating each twist, and thrilled by the sudden ascents and drops landing us on the tAra rishabam for fitting finale. Another surprise came as Sri TNK picked another SS composition for the main. Ninne namminAnu was played with grandeur, and Sri TNK played an elaborate, gamaka-laden neraval at kAmAkSi kanchadalAyadAkSi. The swaras were mostly in second speed, and the final round of swaras was played with amazing verve, bringing the house down.

After the tani, Sri TNK obliged chits and played all his favourites: khamAs, kApi, bEhAg, and sindhu bhairavi. I particularly enjoyed his bEhAg ragam, with stunning jArus taking us well into the tAra stAyi, and he played a composition my entire family, and especially thatha, especially enjoys[-ed]. Sri TNK's sindhu bhairavi was very elaborate and another highlight of the evening. It takes special concentration and mastery to play fast phrases in sindhu bhairavi, given the multitude of notes appearing variably in its scale, and Sri TNK delivered a near-perfect alapanai. ChandrasEkara, the Alathur favourite, was played lovingly (there is a great video of Sri TNK and children playing it with Sri Yella Venkateshwara Rao on YouTube that I return to very often). The concert concluded with a great sketch of madhyamAvati, with the concluding phrases interestingly played largely on the A string going all the way up to shadjam and then tapering neatly to conclude the rAgam and the concert. However, the greedy being that I am, I was holding out hope for a nIlAmbari and suruTTi as well.

Sri TNK inspired awe yesterday with his authoritative playing of ragams, with each gamaka delivered perfectly (ANittaram is the word for it). The sheer clarity he brings to each note he plays is due to both his musical wisdom and his astounding technique. People commonly compliment his honeyed tone, which is due to the sheer force of his bowing, as we discussed before on this forum where Mahavishnu had uploaded an interesting paper on violin sound. Indeed, the kind of powerful cuts he gave while playing the koraippu in tODi was almost intimidating. However, another important aspect of his technique, as I was enlightened by a sishya of his, is the force of his fingering as well. He achieves amazing clarity of notes - especially evident in the brighas he plays - by hitting each note as hard as possible on the finger board. Most other violinists do not apply much pressure to fingering, which results in an obfuscation of notes especially in fast phrases as fingers slip around the area of contact on the finger board since they lack the grip permitted by sheer force (frictional force varies with normal force...?). In addition, the hard fingering also allows consistency in tone when playing glides, which is another common problem for those who finger more gently, often allowing inconsistencies and even dramatic reductions in volume when playing glides. This is especially evident in the upper half of the A and D strings. Sri TNK's technique and music both appear so effortless, but as any violinist knows, it is well nigh impossible to even play a 30s kArvai in, say, G3 like him. Listening to a TNK concert has two effects: it inspires me to take up my violin and try to play like him. The second effect is when I actually take up my violin and realise how futile it is to achieve such music myself, or anything remotely close to it, and a sense of despair sets in. I think I will stick to medicine.

Guruvayur Sri Dorai was outstanding on the mrudangam. He and Sri TNK share a remarkable rapport, and he played for each sangati knowing full well how Sri TNK would play it. His playing for brOvavamma was so appropriate, often allowing extravagant moments of silence. Another highlight for me was Sri Dorai's playing for chandrasEkara. Sri Dorai, as I have observed before, uses the left side of his mrudangam with remarkable sensitivity. This was in full view last night as he played for kritis. He has an admirably sparse style that fits so well with Sri TNK's own minimalist music. Trichy Sri Murali was subdued last evening, and unobtrusive, though he shared the swara and neraval segments. He had good understanding with Sri Dorai, and enjoyed playing with veterans. Their tani Avartanam was enjoyable, and it was nice to hear a tani in cApu.

As expected, the hall was packed and then some more last evening, as an attentive crowd stayed until the end and enjoyed every note and sollu, showing appreciation with numerous spontaneous bursts of applause for the musicians on stage. I had written to Sri TNK before the concert requesting that he play a dEvi kriti by SS, since thatha had a special fondness for these, and I am grateful that he obliged by playing not one but two SS kritis, including the main item. The concert was a special one for my family and for thatha's old friends who attended it yesterday, as it brought back memories of my thatha, his fondness for music, and also the music that sustained him through the decades as reflected in Sri TNK's distilled music, itself a memorial of the musicians he has played with and the gurus he has learnt from over the years.

[pattamaa]

fabulous concert and a great review!

thanks a lot bilahari for sponsoring and giving us an opportunity to hear real vintage music! there were several magical moments in the concert, aptly written in the review.

[mahavishnu]

Wonderful review, Bilahari. Wish I could have been there.
TNK is one of the greatest of all time, a connection to an era bygone. We need to celebrate his music as you have in your review. :ymapplause:

[ramanathan]

Kicking myself for seeing the ad in the morning and then cleanly forgetting about this until 8.30 pm ((( And a solo, to boot! #-o
On the brighter side, I'd like to invite all you rasika friends to a double bonanza that I'm hosting next week as part of the Svatantra fest. Prof TNK & his sister Dr N Rajam will be presenting a jugalbandi at Chettinad Vidyashram, RA Puram, Chennai on Aug 13th from 7-9pm. Sri Dorai and Sri Ajeet Pathak will be accompanying. Festival details are on the Gen Discussions page. Hope to see many of you there!

[balakk]

What a brilliant concert. There's an incredible sense of lightness, positivity and cheer that comes from a TNK concert - that's difficult to describe in words. I am partial to the Parur style Sindhubhairavi, but yesterday's piece was a revelation. Wow!

[rajeshnat]

Lovely review bilahari, could not be there as I had been to SKGS to attend Shri KS mahadevan's centenary celebrations. YOu give quite a few perspectives on violin perhaps few pointers that I can watch in future as a layman who has not learnt violin . So today there is a young vidushi aishwarya vidhya raghunath with our semmu86(Aravind Raghuraman) which completes your series.

[CRama]

That was an analytical review of the great concert of TNK. I could not come as I had gone to KSM Centenary prog in KGS. Happy that you will be sharing the concert with us. Thanks.

[Nick H]

Bilahari and his family have given us what must be one of The Great Concerts of The Year! They have given us a wonderful series of concerts, and this series, if it is repeated in the same format, is going to make early August something that we look forward to each year.

I remembered the story about Ravi Shankar telling an applauding western audience that he was just tuning, and had not started playing yet. I remembered this because the TNK magic sent shivers through me the moment his bow touched string --- even for tuning!

There were two young American tourists there. I asked them if they knew the music, or were there by chance. They said they were just passing through, did not know much about carnatic music, and had picked the concert by chance. Imagine that! By chance they picked the very, very best!

Bilahari, a million thanks to you and to your family for these concerts. On top of the concerts, your reviews have been almost as good as the concerts themselves. What a pity for us that you are not based here!

(I'm sorry not to have made it to the final concert, and especially to have missed Arvind. We had a termite emergency in the house and then there was some important financial business to deal with. By the time all was over, I realised it was 7.30)

[rshankar]

Bilahari - I am so glad that you and your family will be keeping your tAtA and memories of him alive through these concerts. I am so gald that they have been so uniformly wonderful.

[balakk]

Was that Mohanam song really "rAma ninnu" ? It sounded very different to me - I initially thought it was that as well. Looking forward to the recording

[harimau]

Nick H wrote:

"I remembered the story about Ravi Shankar telling an applauding western audience that he was just tuning, and had not started playing yet."

It is immortalized in the LP record of the Hollywood Bowl concert. When the audience applauds at the end of Ravi Shankar's tuning, Ravi Shankar says, "I know you would enjoy the concert because you applauded even my tuning of the sitar" or words to that effect.

[hnbhagavan]

Dear Bilahari,

I request you to kindly post the concert of Sri TN Krishnan for the benefit of Rasikas.A Video form will be apprreciated.

[CRama]

After going through the happenings in respect of Injikudi concert, you still request for uploading. Surprising. OR you have not read those posts.