Amrutha Venkatesh @ Rama mandali,Jayanagar on 3rd April 2014

[kssr]

Amrutha venkatesh- BK Raghu - BC Manjunath

1. Thodi Varnam- Era Naapai

2. Vandisuvu dadiyalli Gananathane - Nattai. Excellent swarams. Directly lifts the concert to a higher rung.

3. Harikatha sravana maado- ReethigowLa

4. Pantuvarali ragam- Aparaama bhakti. Neraval @ Kapivaaridhi dhattuna. Also, swaram in second kaalam only. One of the best alapanais of this ragam that I have heard. First of all, there was not a moment when there was even 1% doubt if it could to Poorvikalyani. Great relief !. Also, people can learn from this how Pantuvarali is to be sung in a pure way. Very impressive.

5. Hechcharigaga raa raa- Yedukula kambodhi

6. Ramachandram Bhavayami- Vasantha - swift round of swarams.

7. Kapi Main. Then the surprise of thanam. I never expected. Both were done in a crisp way befitting the raga which does not give too much scope for elaboration. Pallavi line: Rama manthrava japiso. Swaram - ragamalika in hindolam and two other ragams.

8. Thani - (as well as anticipation and following ) by the single percussionist BS Manjunath was very impressive. A bit overstretched - probably to cover the time of the other imaginary percussionist as well!!

9. Vachana- ULLavaru Shivaalaya - Madhuvanti

10. Pavanaja stuti ... Seetha kalyana vaibhoghame. (Included Rama kalyana vaibhogame as well, on her mother's prompting )

11. Hari hari rama naama- bhajan type- behag.

12. Kunthalavarali BMK thillana

13. mangalam.

My observations:

1. The concert was of a very high calibre as rasikas have started to expect these days from Amrutha.
2. Hall was good and airy. Sound system was quite good- esp balancing among the sounds of the three artists. This has now become a rarity.
3. Amrutha has started using nowadays TAT-TAT-TAT , during alapanais (Kapi in this case) . I also heard it in the webcast from Ananya recently. Sanjay style? Acceptable at these moderate levels of usage. More of it will become unpleasant.
4. Violin Raghu has improved a lot and is now very good. But I felt he could just not play the thanam in Kapi. Also, replies to interesting usages by the main artist would be impressive if he exactly follows the original prayogam. Once you approximate, the charm is gone. This, of course needs 100% concentration when the main artist is singing. Should listen to stalwarts like MSG- MC. Just my feeling. Raghu is still definitely a very good violinist.
5. Guru Sri.Rama varma was there, also playing the role of videographer. Great encouragement to his student. Do not know if he is now stationed in bangalore, as he also attended the ananya concert.
6. Looooong list of people who sponsored the kutcheri and prasadam. Each of them was honoured. The only ones left out, at the end of the ceremony were probably myself and my friend
7. When the programme concluded, a RRRRed prasadam emerged for distribution. I took to my heels. My stomach.... you know...

[Rasikapriya2013]

Amrutha venkatesh- BK Raghu - BC Manjunath



Pantuvarali ragam- Aparaama bhakti. Neraval @ Kapivaaridhi dhattuna. Also, swaram in second kaalam only. One of the best alapanais of this ragam that I have heard. First of all, there was not a moment when there was even 1% doubt if it could to Poorvikalyani. Great relief !. Also, people can learn from this how Pantuvarali is to be sung in a pure way. Very impressive.

When the programme concluded, a RRRRed prasadam emerged for distribution. I took to my heels. My stomach.... you know...

:ymapplause: Too good Kssr ji !!!

Brevity is wit they say. Thank you for summarizing the concert so beautifully. I am a great fan of Pantuvarali myself. Must have been wonderful, from the way you have described her Alapanai and her kalpanaswarams. She is such a brilliant artist with the right kind of conscience towards music. I have heard her Guru Rama Varma sing this beautifully in the Sivagami Petachi auditorium last December. I loved the way you have compared her Tu tu tu with that of Sanjay very much. Could not help smiling when I read that line. Thank you

[kssr]

I just missed making one important observation about her swaraprastharas. Each one of the following swaras in- Nattai, Panthuvarali, Vasantha, Kapi - were totally handled differently, whether it is the sequencing, speed, cyclical patterns, etc., - a unique feel and effect. Sincerely wish her a great musical future.

[harimau]

Amrutha venkatesh

4. Pantuvarali ragam- Aparaama bhakti. Neraval @ Kapivaaridhi dhattuna. Also, swaram in second kaalam only. One of the best alapanais of this ragam that I have heard. First of all, there was not a moment when there was even 1% doubt if it could to Poorvikalyani. Great relief !. Also, people can learn from this how Pantuvarali is to be sung in a pure way. Very impressive.

Paging Bilahari! Paging Bilahari! )

7. Kapi Main. Then the surprise of thanam. I never expected. Both were done in a crisp way befitting the raga which does not give too much scope for elaboration.

I heard Sri T N Seshagopalan sing Kapi in a 3-hour long one-raga-one-krithi concert but then Seshagopalan is probably the only artist today who can pull it off.

3. Amrutha has started using nowadays TAT-TAT-TAT , during alapanais (Kapi in this case) . I also heard it in the webcast from Ananya recently. Sanjay style? Acceptable at these moderate levels of usage. More of it will become unpleasant.

Et tu, Amrutha? [-x

Et tu, et tu tu, et tu tu tu! )

7. When the programme concluded, a RRRRed prasadam emerged for distribution. I took to my heels. My stomach.... you know...

On the other hand, whenever I feel bloated, I eat a little bit of chutney with my idli and clear out my alimentary canal without resorting to the use of Ex-Lax and the like. Uncooked food in India has that effect.

~o) Is there no icon for a beer mug? After all, this is a concert in Bangalore! )

[varsha]

there is indeed
start of happy hour :-!
closing time =)) =))

[Rsachi]

Harimau, you must remember that the Kingfisher calendar girls are waxing away the offseason and the tycoon won't be far behind. So low season for beer mugs.
But diehard drinkers find at EVERY corner of Jayanagar streets booze joints delightfully named as
Tirumala Bar
Sri Lakshmi Wines
Raghavendra Beer Bar....

[rajeshnat]

I heard Sri T N Seshagopalan sing Kapi in a 3-hour long one-raga-one-krithi concert but then Seshagopalan is probably the only artist today who can pull it off.

Harimau
To the best of my knowledge there was a 2 hour one raga one krithi of TNS in KAmbOdhi which came out as DVD from mudhra . If I recall correctly once before he has sung todi for 2 hours when mudhra was holding .

Can you tell the source of 3 hours kapi please where and when did you hear?

[rajeshnat]

4. Pantuvarali ragam- Aparaama bhakti. Neraval @ Kapivaaridhi dhattuna. Also, swaram in second kaalam only. One of the best alapanais of this ragam that I have heard. First of all, there was not a moment when there was even 1% doubt if it could to Poorvikalyani. Great relief !. Also, people can learn from this how Pantuvarali is to be sung in a pure way. Very impressive.

...
7. Kapi Main. Then the surprise of thanam. I never expected. Both were done in a crisp way befitting the raga which does not give too much scope for elaboration. Pallavi line: Rama manthrava japiso. Swaram - ragamalika in hindolam and two other ragams.

9. Vachana- ULLavaru Shivaalaya - Madhuvanti

Kssr
Few years back when I heard a pantuvarali main there was certainly a bit of ambiguity - but I guess as a submain there is no ambiguity. One reason is sticking with ARI format of pantuvarali as a submain and never take a chance to push it to main .

I am very happy she squeezed a taanam and a pallavi in kAPi . Kapi has been elaborated apart from TNS and also by Suryaprakash (Both have sung for 1 hour 10 to 20 mins without tani). .There are also few vintage recordings of KVN and TVS where they have also given a kApi a great scope . ONce pattabhi pandit also sang wonderfully for nearly an hour or bit more. As such I get what you say when you say it does not give that much scope of elaboration - I agree in alapana when compared to a todi/kalyani/kamBodhi- that is how I read it.

I am also glad she sings vachanas that too an haunting raga like madhuvanti (who is the composer of that is that basavannna?). I hope she gets vachanas more and more - we had a great Late ranjani hebbar guruprasad who with her lovely shruthi suddham was simply out of the world to sing vachanas.

[harimau]

Harimau
To the best of my knowledge there was a 2 hour one raga one krithi of TNS in KAmbOdhi which came out as DVD from mudhra . If I recall correctly once before he has sung todi for 2 hours when mudhra was holding .

Can you tell the source of 3 hours kapi please where and when did you hear?

It was a concert held at Mylapore Fine Arts Club auditorium some 6 years ago. Sri M Chandrasekaran was the violinist. I don't think it was ever released as a DVD or CD.

Most likely, this concert too was sponsored by Mudhra.

A couple of days before the concert, the word leaked out that the raga chosen would either be Kapi or one major raga (whose name escapes me) which would have given great scope for elaboration. But TNS proved that, in a master's hands, there is nothing like a minor raga!

[Rsachi]

You know, a 3 hour Kapi or a 48 hour nonstop dance etc. wins a Guinness Record perhaps, but any day give me a quality Kapi for a few minutes and I will be more than happy

The best coffee is an Italian Espresso served in a small cup for me.. Not the tall litre mug of watery Cafe Americano ~o)

[vasanthakokilam]

Few years back when I heard a pantuvarali main there was certainly a bit of ambiguity - but I guess as a submain there is no ambiguity. One reason is sticking with ARI format of pantuvarali as a submain.

It is not a question of whether there is ambiguity or not. There can definitely be ambiguity and there can definitely be no ambiguity in the same alapana or song. I am sure Amritha would have created ambiguity in some rasikas and not in kssr And this can happen with a sub-main or main or padam or a thillana.

So what is going on?

The situation is this. These two ragas do share common phrases and they have quite a few distinct set of phrases. And in a typical alapana, both the common phrases and distinct phrases are sung. I often confuse the two myself and I know quite a few rasikas who do. It is quite common. This is all due to us latching on to those overlapping parts and not to the distinguishing parts. So, setting aside the not so good renditions, even when the artist is perfectly in line with the raga lakshana of either raga, the rasika can claim ambiguity.

Ambiguity is in the ears of the beholder!

The best, by far the best, demonstration of the common phrases and the distinct phrases is done by this artist here:
http://www.ragasurabhi.com/carnatic-mus ... lyani.html

Just incredible clarity. She adopts a nice demonstration method to convey the points. I say bookmark it and whenever there is any confusion, get back to it to get a refresher.

[Rsachi]

VKM,
Yes! Raga Surabhi is a great site indeed.

[kssr]

Whose Vachana was it? May be a person like Sweetsong will be able to tell. I had a feeling that sweetsong was there in the concert.

Regarding Pantuvarali/Poorvikalyani discussion, I think that the trick is to start the alapanai with a 30 sec- 1 minute string of the pure raga usages of the particular raga you want to sing. It gets imprinted in our minds and we start listening to the rest of it with that impression. Interestingly Amrutha being in the sishya parampara of Dr.BMK, (via Sri.Rama Varma), it is refreshing that she starts a raga presentation without causing ambiguity

[gardabha_gana]

Great Review kssr!! What exactly is RRRR prasadam?

[kssr]

Great Review kssr!! What exactly is RRRR prasadam?

You are missing the ed after RRRR. It means verrrry RED

[Rasikapriya2013]

Whose Vachana was it? May be a person like Sweetsong will be able to tell. I had a feeling that sweetsong was there in the concert.

kssr - ji
this should answer your query

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw8oMGU03jg

Wiki link to throw some light on what a vachana is

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vachana_sahitya

[kssr]

A sumaar photo from my mobile. There was a beautiful painting on the left, behind Manjunath. Also marble Ramar set of idols as a backdrop.

[varsha]

Whose Vachana was it?

Ah ! such an artha garbhitha question .
Does it belong to AnaKru who goaded Mansur to include in his repertoire
http://www.culturalindia.org/data/anakru.asp

Or to Mansur ?
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp ... 545972.ece
who sang it first ( of the many ) ?
https://archive.org/details/UllavaruSivalayaMansoor

Or to his disciple Siddaram Jambaldinni, who trained under Mansur for Hindusthani and took to vachana singing as a lifelong mission
http://www.kannadaaudio.com/Songs/Devot ... adinni.php

--
Sthavarakke Alivuntu Jangamakke Alivilla ...

[kssr]

rajeshnat wrote:
"I am also glad she sings vachanas that too an haunting raga like madhuvanti (who is the composer of that is that basavannna?).

Many youtube sites claim that the author is basavanna. For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_fgFgeNioU

If you want to listen to one of the most touching songs hear this- supposed to be Madhukauns- very close to Madhuvanti; but a shade more touching/sorrowful;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk8Yb1PELuk

[kssr]

The carnatic equivalent of madhukauns is sumanesaranjani.

An expert like Amrutha should try to tune a touching tamil song as a virutham followed by a song in sumanesaranjani. An azhvar paasuram or kamba ramayanam song? Just a request/ suggestion.