Double Header Concerts @ Charsur Arts Foundation
Date 16th December 2014
Time 4.30 PM - 6.50 PM
Venue Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
HN Bhaskar (Violin)
Shrimushnam V Rajarao (Mridhangam)
SV Ramani (Ghatam)
1 Varnam, Kathanakuthuhalam, Adi, Calcutta KS Krishnamoorthy
2 Angaraka, Surutti, Rupakam, Muthuswamy Dikshithar (S)
3 Ganamudhapanam, Jyothiswaroopini, Mishra Chapu, Koteeshwara Iyer (RS)
4 Dharma Shravana, Durga, Adi, Purandaradasa
5 Chakkani, Kharahapriya, Adi, Thyagaraja (RNST)
6 Thillana, Hameerkalyani, Adi, Muttiah Bhagavathar
I entered as he was singing Angaraka and got the Varnam from a person sitting next to me. His kalpanaswara section for Surutti was well done and his deep understanding and presentation of the complicated Jyothiswaroopini ragam added lustre and sheen to the concert. The Durga raga piece of Purandaradasa did not sit well with me before the main item of the day but the Kharaharapriya was a solid affair with a detailed exploration of the raga. His approach was methodical and to the point and the execution was very good. His voice is his most positive aspect but at times he gets carried away with speed and tries too many sangathis that sometimes doesnt click but I am okay with that as long as he continues to mature and slow down. His music has a lot of content but a few of the gimmicks and stylisations that he has borrowed from his teacher does not sound good on his voice. He sang a fiery kalpanaswara that got himself a huge round of applause. The concert was supposed to be from 4.30 - 6.30 and the next concert of Ritvik Raja was supposed to start at 6.45. It was 6.13 when the thani started and Shrimushnam V Rajarao played a thani avarthanam for half an hour and gave it back to Sandeep at 6.43. He then had to finish with a hurried thillana and complete at 6.50. When there is a concert that is following, it is imperative that the artistes are sensitive to time, especially senior practitioners like Shri Rajarao. The thillana was new to me and loved the presentation of Sandeep. I generally look forward to his thillanas as they are not merely a fast paced ending number but get full treatment. Bhaskar on the violin was very melodious and gelled well with Sandeep while Ramani followed Rajarao faithfully.
Date 16th December 2014
Time 7.05 PM - 9.15 PM
Venue Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall
V Sanjeev (Violin)
Trichur C Narendran (Mridhangam)
B Shrisundarkumar (Ghatam)
1 Varnam, Kalyani, Adi, Poochi
2 Brochevarevare, Sriranjani, Adi, Thyagaraja (S)
3 Seshachala Nayakam, Varali, Rupakam, Muthuswamy Dikshithar (NS)
4 E Vasudha, Sahana, Adi, Thyagaraja (R)
5 Rave Himagiri, Thodi, Adi, Shyama Shastri (RNST)
6 Parulana, Kapi, Rupakam, Dharmapuri Subbarayar
7 Alakalala, Madhyamavathi, Rupakam, Thyagaraja
8 Mangalam
The concert started 20 minutes late but it was worth the wait. He started with the less heard Kalyani Varnam in Adi Thalam and then sang a short sketch of Sriranjani. Brochevarevare was sung in a brisk pace followed by an imaginative section of kalpanaswarams. He then followed with Seshachala Nayakam at a pace slightly slower than normally heard and embellished it with a few lovely rounds of neraval and sprightly melkala kalpanaswaras that garnered a very good applause. Sahana ragam was elaborated with the bhava in mind and E Vasudha was breezy. Sanjeevs reply of Sahana was especially good. Thodi was scholarly and highly gamaka oriented while slightly slower in pace as compared to the usual treatment. Rave was a rare and apt choice that went well with the mood of the raga alapana by RR and Sanjeev. The swarajathi was sung at a sedate pace and the neraval at Shyamakrishnanute was expertly handled. The kalpanaswara section was sung in keezh kalam and then moved into mel kalam through the koraippu in pa following which he sang a thunderous flurry of swaras for the last round and finished off with a korvai. The thani was expertly played. Narendran and Shrisundarkumar seemed to enjoy each others company throughout the concert and gelled very well with each other during the thani. I especially liked the tone of Narendras mridhangam. Through the concert though I found his accompaniment to songs slightly sedated and felt he could have done a little bit more to lift the concert. Sanjeev was great in his individual sections and seemed to share a good rapport with RR on stage. RR has a very melodious voice that has good depth and bhava but he does tend to sway away from the microphones at times. Though his actions and mannerisms on stage remind one of his guru TMK, his music reminds one of the olden day TMK steeped in classicism that we all yearn for which is a welcome aspect in my books. Sandeep was also seen in the audience for the first 3 pieces. It is great to see these guys attend each others concerts.
Common for both concerts
- There was a full house for both concerts with people sitting on stage and surrounding the artistes
- There was an annoying camera placed in the middle of the auditorium that makes viewability difficult from the back rows
- The acoustics was really good and gave a good atmosphere for the concerts
- Nice to see two upcoming young musicians singing with established accompanists and making a mark for themselves
:namaste:
S Venkatraghavan