R Vedavalli@Sastri Hall on Nov 13th,2014

[rajeshnat]

R Vedavalli@Sastri Hall on Nov 13th,2014
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Vocal : Dr R Vedavalli
Vocal support : Sumitra vasudev
Tambura support : Sumathi Krishnan
Violin : M A Krishnaswamy
Mrudangam : Mannargudi Easwaran

Concert duration/Day : 55 minutes /Thursday
Concert Type : Nirvana (prime evening concert , no concert to follow)
Sabha/Hall : Sastri Hall
Crowd : ~70
Ticket : Free
Occassion : Violinist Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu Homage and Tribute

1A. guru brahmA guru Vishnu -?? - ??
1B. evari bOdhana(S) - Abhogi - patnam
4 mins swaras
2. eTula brOtuvO (R, N, S) - chakravAkham - T
6 mins alapana and 2 mins violin
neraval in the pallavi line etula brOtuvO for 6 mins
swaras for 3 mins

3A. RTP in shankarAbharanam
mahima teliya tharamA venkatasAmi nee (not mahima teliyaka rAmA venakatasAmi nee)
RTP was for 24 mins
3B. tani for 7 mins

4.pathiki hAratirE - shuruTTi - T
5. pavamana + swasti prajabya

In the papers it was put that there is a function where vidwans MS anantharaman and M Chandrasekaran are honoured by Dwaram venkataswami trust .THe start of the award was mentioned around 05:30 pm . I thought the function will go till 7 pm , any way started on time for that target . But traffic snarls took me to sastri hall at 07:25 pm ,but I was still 10 minutes early for the concert. This is a typical award function overshooting and curtailing the concert that followed . I was thinking when she started at 07:35 pm ,the concert will go till atleast 9 pm , but there was a hard stop at 08:30 pm.

PUtting that aside Dr RV was assisted by her two disciples sumitra and sumathi in vocal and tambura respectively. RV has a strong sense of Yes to what is aesthetics and perhaps the strongest sense of No in terms of what is not aesthetics. Her delivery has certainly got a bit compromised with her age , but she keeps a certain carnatic intensity which adds a zing to her music . THe zing was felt atleast for sufficient duration of this mini concert.

The start in slokham and she winding up with Abhogi varnam was very good.A sprinkle of swaras is always to my liking as among the many varnams i have a special love for AbhoGi which usually brings a daring start . THe next alapana in charkravAkham was well sung - for few sangathis at the beginning I was thinking it was vasantA . THe alapana was nice and she kept a very pleading muse for the krithi . I liked her neraval the most in chakravakham , the support of sumithra came in handy .I felt sumithra's mike was not that well heard for this krithi. THe swaras of chakravakham was a bit of letdown not much there.

The main was a lovely pallavi in shankarabharanam . Long time back i have read a writeup by eminent Neurophysician Dr B Ramamurthi that shankarabharanam brings down mental agitation . This shankarabharanam was one of that kind , it was very short , but she kept a certain still aura that calmed the agitation which was perhaps there because of the useless traffic snarls. The entire shankarabharanam was centered in madhyama kalam. The alapana muse continued in taanam and she was still with her focus on serenity and we all indeed calmed down for sure . Perhaps she and sumitra could have gone more from madhyama to mel kalam like a ms amma or semmangudi spa bharanam that would have been a complete cure for mental agitation. THe pallavi had a venkatasami mudra and she sang few avarthanas and ended with brief swaras- overall the muse was intact , the agitation was significantly gone and the late neuro ramamurthy was indeed right.

Post pallavi she sang just a shurutti and pavamana to forward the minute clock to 08:30 pm. She could have gone more that too with a supporting artist . MA Krishnaswamy played well and went with the flow of the vidushi. Easwaran from mannargudi was born for the mannargudi born artist with the right tharitkata thom sensitivity There were occassions where he had to get bit more aggressive ,he consciously moved the mike away from mrudhu angam.

Overall a very good concert for nearly an hour.

[arasi]

Thanks Rajesh.
Though you didn't live in those times, you sound like one from that era in music matters with your sensibilities, thanks to the rasanai migu elders in the family!

Isn't the pallavi line mahima theliya tharamA? nI...?

Were the speeches in tamizh or English? I was thinking of Nick

[rajeshnat]

Arasi
I think you are right mahima teliya tharamA venkatasAmi nee (not mahima teliyaka rAmA venakatasAmi nee). May i know the meaning of these very common phrases . Certainly the pallavi is an adaptation of a popular shankarabharanam song from veena dhanammal school. Tx

[Sundara Rajan]

Rajesh: I guess you are only joking that you do not know the meaning of these simple Telugu words !
Mahima = efficacy, effect, grace =mahimai in Tamil
teliya= to know, to understand = theriya in Tamil
tharamA= Is it possible ? = same in Tamil also
venkatEsaA= same in Tamil or English
ninnE= your, ninathu in Tamil
Is it humanly possible to understand your grace, VenkatEsA ?

[Nick H]

Were the speeches in tamizh or English? I was thinking of Nick

I had some prior business, arranging my Special Music Season Accommodation and arrived only by 7.00pm, expecting to be sadly late for a concert that should have started by 6.30. I'm sorry: I didn't really take much notice of the speeches!

A friend commented on functions running into concert time, but I do recognise that, for this kind of event, the organisers' priority is the function.

Even though it lasted less than one hour, Smt Vedavalli's concert had the quality of 'completeness.' It is amazing to manage such a short time to include an RTP. The experienced elders, and some of the younger ones like Sumithra, have this ability to give us a whole concert in whatever short time may be available to them.

[rajeshnat]

Rajesh: I guess you are only joking that you do not know the meaning of these simple Telugu words !
Mahima = efficacy, effect, grace =mahimai in Tamil
teliya= to know, to understand = theriya in Tamil
tharamA= Is it possible ? = same in Tamil also
venkatEsaA= same in Tamil or English
ninnE= your, ninathu in Tamil
Is it humanly possible to understand your grace, VenkatEsA ?

sundararajan sir
I did know some what the meaning of mahima equating with thamizh and also teliya. Tharama i did not know , she sang venkata sAmi connecting Dwaram garu

[sureshvv]

she sang venkata sAmi connecting Dwaram garu

Looks like you got the most important but easy to miss part

[mahavishnu]

[
I did know some what the meaning of mahima equating with thamizh and also teliya. Tharama i did not know , she sang venkata sAmi connecting Dwaram garu

Yes, surely Rajesh you knew taramA in the context of "tatvam ariya taramA"?
And as SureshVV mentioned, you got the difficult part which is the obtuse connection to Dwaram garu.

A lot of people have sung pallavis loosely based on this line, including KVN on a number of occasions.

[harimau]

The organisers were ready to start the function as advertise at 5:30 pm. The sparse audience and the lateness of some of the invited guests were the reason the speeches started late.

[sureshvv]

tharamA= Is it possible ? = same in Tamil also

tharamA - am I worthy?

would be more correct and may rajesh's approval

[arasi]

Yes. 'tharamA?' has a few shades of meanings for me. The sweeping one being: is it possible for me?

tharam means quality. So, am I of such high quality (am I qualified?) to speak of you?

The subtlety of meaning in that question (being a question of wonderment) is what is very appealing. No wonder the word came to Sivan his rIti gowLai song.

[vasanthakokilam]

Let me use this opportunity to promote a thread that has been dormant for too long a time: http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=8135 "500+ most frequently used telugu words in carnatic music" . I wish we can complete it but it is already very useful in its current state.