Amrutha Venkatesh @ Vishesha Fine Arts on 8.3.2015

[kssr]

Amrutha Venkatesh- Rajeev- KU Jayachandra Rao- Phanindra Bhaskara
Vishesha Fine Arts. Brigade Gardenia Hall.
8th March 2015 10 AM concert.

Songs:
1. Sarasuda- Saveri Varnam
2. Nee paadame gathi NaLinakanthi - NaLinakanthi -GNB (announced)
3. Bharathi deviye nene- Karaharapriya- N, S @ kinkini kini padha - Purandaradasa (Ragam)- submain
4. Varali- brief R outline- Seshachala nayakam. S @ Vishesha pala pradha - (for the benefit of the organiser? )
5. Summane Baruvade- Anandha Bhairavi- Folk style- Purandaradasa
6. Devi Jagajanani - Main - Swathi 1st navarathri krithi. (announced that same will be sung by AV in this year's Navarathri mandapam concert, as is the custom)
7. Thani
8. Visweswaru dharisanu karu - swathi- Sindhu bhairavi.
9. Theeratha vilayattu Pillai - ragamalika-Bharathiar
10. Sri ramaNi jaya thribuvana janani
11. In dina dinave subha dinavu as mangalam

Comments:
1. A pleasant enjoyable concert. AV knows the fine art of how to beautify a particular raga or a sahithyam, in order to bring out the best in it (similar to musical giants like MS, MLV, santhanam).
2. She is willing to experiment with little known compositions. It is a good idea to do it in small house concerts like this one. She pulls it off successfully too.
3. She was never a nervous singer. But I see that her confidence level is increasing and so also her free hand movements like a seasoned artiste. Good.
4. I got the feeling that with time, her music is moving towards the softer side. All aspects of the concerts seem to move smoothly in a floating sliding fashion. It is quite enjoyable. But when the technique is adopted to heavy numbers like karaharapriya , there is a lack of fulfilment for traditional rasikas. It could also be due to the fact that our listening is primed and conditioned by decades of SSI style (azhuttham) renderings. I am a bit afraid that the floating voice may not be able to hold large audiences to their seats for a long time. Just my personal feeling.
5. 1st kaalam swaram of sankarabharanam, in my opinion is the highlight. Real interesting manodharmam, kachchitham, teasing kaalapramaaNam- totally delightful.
6. Theeraatha viLayaattu pillai was a Sweetsong
7. Guru Rama Varma was there with his video camera. Spoke a few words too. Naturally humorous. Very gifted person. Seems he had come from Chennai (?), for the sake of this concert.
8. Rajeev was flawless and accompanied well. Sri Rama varma mentioned that Rajeev was the best among Kum.Kanyakumari's disciples. It seemed that he did not get an opportunity to show such brilliance during this concert. Jayachandra Rao was an able accompanying artist and did well. Phanindra is developing well and demonstrated new skills in this presentation.
9. Hall ambience was excellent and so were the sound system and aircon. May be it will get cramped if there is a larger audeience.
10. Most importantly, I would like to thank Vishesha for giving such a good concert. Sri.Sateesh, a senior executive in an MNC and well known vocalist Smt.Vani Sateesh take time off their busy schedule and meticulously arrange many programmes throughout the year. May their service to CM continue in the years to come.

[rajeshnat]

Kssr
Lovely review, kssr . I did not know the khp and ananda bhairavi krithi till you wrote the review.By any chance is NJ Nandini putting tambura.

[kssr]

Kssr
Lovely review, kssr . I did not know the khp and ananda bhairavi krithi till you wrote the review.By any chance is NJ Nandini putting tambura.

No. She is a young girl. I have seen her participating in some of the music competitions. Nandini may be just a couple of years younger to Amrutha and in all likelihood may expect amrutha to play tambura for her

[Rsachi]

Good review. Good photo. Sateesh ravarige vishesha abhinandanegalu.

The photo is telling. Is it a mini (electronic ) tambura shrunk to the length of a violin or a cello/double bass as tall as a tambura?

[keerthi]

The photo is telling. Is it a mini (electronic ) tambura shrunk to the length of a violin or a cello/double bass as tall as a tambura?

Sachi,

Nice observation. But it is neither (or both). the image captures the fact that the importance of the tambUri is shrinking, and that of the Violin is increasing, to the point where they appear to be of the same 'stature'. Through the looking glass, we can soon expect to see a picture with a violin the size of Chowdiah memorial hall, and a teaspoon sized tanpura.


Nice list of rAgas. I fondly remember R.K.Srikantan singing Summane baruvude mukti on AIR Bangalore.



kssr Sir,

vishESa-phala-pradAyakam please. pala means meat, and while I don't mind it at all, some may be scandalised to hear about shESacala-nAyaka being a vishESa-pala-pradAyaka among other things.

All of you who refer to your ekAdashi diet as 'palAharam' instead of phalAhAram, may have trouble, err.. swallowing this morsel.

[kssr]

kssr Sir,

vishESa-phala-pradAyakam please. .

Sorry once again for the mid spelling. I heard it as pala and not phala, as in phase, phrase or philosophy

[Rsachi]

Philosophic phrase from both of you. Keerthi is commentating as a consummate Kavi on the shrinking future for the tambura.
Do you know that today you can stream 360kbps Android Tambura sound from a 4 inch pocket device via Wifi or Bluetooth to the speakers to fill the Chowdiah Hall!? invisible but audible impact of technology.

[keerthi]

In Sanskrit, the 'ph' phoneme is not pronounced like the first consonant sound of phrase [or phoneme]. It is like the second syllable of 'cup-holder' or 'hip-holster' if they were pronounced as single words, i.e. with an aspirated p.

Saying fala instead of phala would be fallacious.

I may have written this elsewhere - the golden standard for pronunciation in shESacala-nAyakam (other than my teacher) is KVN. Right from his clear differentiation of the first and second sha in the shESa and vishESa, to the right amount of softening while singing the harsh conjunct syllable in prabhRti; his treatment of the sAhitya was exemplary.

I only wish he had experimented with singing it in different kAlapramANas, and would have loved to hear a cauka version of this song by him. Possibly his reverence towards ARI extended even to not changing his tempi for songs.

RSachi, I look forward to the day when CD covers will feature artistes fondling an android device, with a half-dreamy blissful look on their face, instead of holding the cumbersome and antediluvian tambura, which is no more than a prop dusted up for the photo. And the CD will probably feature on of tyAgarAja's two tODi songs that refer to strumming a tambUra, and purandaradAsa's tambUri mITidava..

[Rsachi]

Keerthi,
Have you noticed that the only presence of the Tambura in concerts these days is that of the one depicted as held 200 years ago by a bearded old man answering to the name of Thyagabrahmam?

Some considerate sabhas with considerable cash sponsorship erect a backdrop of the bard on a plastic spread in technicolour reminiscent of Raj Kumar movie posters of '70s.

I pick Raj Kumar since he was a paragon of measured acting compared to the current stars jumping out of posters as if they want to lift and carry away the Metro train from Mantri Mall stop.

[kssr]

Unfortunately no one has taught me nor have I learnt by myself Sanskrit and definitely not the strange spellings with English alphabets to mean very different things. In transliteration I use English alphabets on as is basis to be read as you read english. There may be mistakes in even that and on such occasions I do not mind brickbats or even rock bats.