Vittal Ramamurthy - Violin
Neyveli Narayanan - Mrudangam
If the jury is still out, intensely debating 'nature vs nurture', someone should have introduced them all to Subhashree Thanikachalam and brought them over to Chettinad School last evening.
Along with their President Shrimaan. Malcolm Gladwell.
Could ten thousand hours of intense, focused and deliberate practice alone produce Abhisheks out of lesser mortals?
Or does it have to be on top of something that is innate, naturally endowed and genetically coded?!
Needless to say, another scintillating AND soulful performance from dear Abhishek.
The Nattakkurinji alapana was sowkhyam personified. 'Kandan seyalandRO yaavum' the kriti. Sort of testifying that it takes 'Kandan's blessings' too in getting into the elitest league in any vogue of life!.
Mohana KalyaNi -a class act it was! The lightning speed swaras taking our breath away! And the joie de vivre conversation with Vittal Anna!
'Thaamadham thagaadhayaa...' - the ebbs and flows and glides still reverberating!
Enjoyable Madyamaavathi alapana and the kriti 'DEva Srithapastirtapura". Well supporeted by Vittal Ramamurthy and Neyveli Narayanan.
Being a singer with first-hand knowledge of the intricacies of laya, one wishes to have seen a Kanjira accompanist too -- someone of the order of Purushotam or Sri Sundar Kumar would have added an extra lustre to the concert IMHO!
Thillana in Kamas and a Lalgudi special Sindu Bhairavi song of only swaras with Abhi switching off the Tampura and the Violin replacing it!
End of the concert, Shri. Gladwell would have committed to donate one half of his multi million dollar empire for the building funds of Sri. Rasika Ranjani Sabha and the other to Sri. Parthasarathy Sabha.
Also tried for himself his 10,000 hours theory -- Gladwell Bhagavatar (ala Late Shri. John Higgins).
Of course, Chennai would have got the futuristic, ultra-modern "Gladwell Hall" which would go on to set the classical discourse in the 21st Century! :-BD
Move on 'Carnegie Hall' -- you are so 20th Century, we say :-!
as in he has become 'predictably' brilliant??!!! #:-s