Sri. R K Shriram Kumar: Violin
Sri. K Arun Prakash: Mridangam
SVETA Lakshmi Venkateshwara Temple, Redmond, WA, USA
2015, Nov 14th, 1500-1815
- Inta Paraka — Mayamalavagaula — Rupaka — Anai/Ayya (Niraval, Svaraprastaram)
- Paramatmudu — Vagadisvari — Adi — Thyagarajar (Ragam sketch)
- Pankajalocana — Kalyani — Misrachapu — Svati Tirunal (Ragam, Niraval, Svaraprastaram)
- Cetah Sribalakrshnam — Dviajavanti — Tisra Eka x 2 — Muttusvami Dikshitar (Ragam, Svaraprastaram)
- Sari Evaramma — Bhairavi — Khanda Jhampa x 2 — Syama Sastri (Ragam, Svaraprastaram, Taniavartanam)
- RTP — Janaranjani — Khanda Triputa x 2 (Ragam, Niraval, Trikalam/Tisram, Ragamalika Svaraprastaram)
- Idadupadam Tookki — Khamas — Adi — Papanasam Sivan
- Malasai Kopam — Jonpuri — Adi — Arunagirinathar
- Slokam — Senjurutti
- Ninyako — Ragamalika — Adi — Purandaradasar
- Srivenkatagirisam — Suratti — Adi — Muttusvami Dikshitar
- Mangalam — Suratti
The start did not disappoint; I love Mayamalavagaula. I do have misgivings about singing Inta Paraka in Mayamalavagaula; to me, it's clear that the song is in Nadanamakriya, but who am I to argue with the likes of Sri. Semmangudi! Unlike Sri. Semmangudi, Ramakrishnan (R from now on) was careful to avoid the more Nadanamakriya-like phrases, which I'm not sure is better or worse. Anyway, R performed a very nice niraval at "Santatamu sivasmaranavasantamadi mora bettatina"; the artistes created a quite wonderful effect at the melkalam.
Paramatmudu is a favourite of mine, but I'm really not sure R & co. did justice to the song. The song has some brilliant sangati, song of which require some dramatisation & flourish; R's music isn't of that kind, I find, and he fell a little short of 2 wonderful renditions I've heard — Sri. T K Rangachari's recording and T M Krishna live a few years ago in Seattle.
I preferred Sri. Shriram Kumar's Kalyani ragam to R's. I have 2 touchstones for a Kalyani alapana, and they're actually very different. Sri. GNB's Kalyani is just outstandingly imaginative and full of flair. Sri. Semmangudi's Kalyani is deep and has not one light phrase. R doesn't sing like GNB, and my problem with his Kalyani is that it had all these phrases with a flat gandharam, which just made the whole thing light. Shriram Kumar (RKSK from now on) did no such thing, and in fact, even played the beginning phrase of Pankalalocana
The niraval was at the standard "Vrndavanantakrtavividhasukhavihara".The Dvijavanti piece is a standard Dikshitar Tisra Eka x 2 piece. I guess it was soulful, but I'm not a big fan of pieces with no layam, so that's that.
The Bhairavi ragam was out of the world!! R started at the Tarashadjam and there were just so many exquisite phrases, I was lost to the world for a good 15 minutes. He did a great job performing murcchana around the Madhyasthayi Madhyamam, and again around the Tarasthayi Rishabham, finally ending at the Tarashadjam. RKSK responded quite well, and when he also started at the Tarashadjam, I wondered if that was a clue. Again, RKSK played the opening phrase of Sari Evaramma, and this time that clued me in
I actually like the song a lot; I find the Madhyamakalam phrases just spectacular. I *was* a touch disappointed, because this song seems to be en vogue these days. I wouldn't have minded, say, Upacharamulanniyu or Tanayuni Brova or even Koluvaiyunnade.Svaraprastara was at Nirajadalanayana (samam), which also happens to be a svaraksharam. The svarams were decent, but I felt R was trying too hard to create patterns around the Nishadam. There was a kuraippu, and then it was time for the Tani. Arun Prakash played a good Tani; there was some Misrachapu playing (starting 1 aksharam/4 matra-s into the talam and ending at samam), and there was also some Misragati playing, Palani-style.
R's Janaranjani ragam was mediocre. The tanam was better. The pallavi was "Pahi Mam Srirajarajesvari Krpakari Sankari', with an atita eduppu of 2 matra (1/4 aksharam, the kalam being chaukam). The niraval was decent; R slipped up when doing Trikalam, but got it right at attempt #2. The ragamalika svarams were the best part of the RTP; R and RKSK switched ragams in the middle of a kalpanasvaram, and the effect was pretty good; they tried Nattai, Dhanyasi, Kanada and rounded it off with Darbarikanada.
I wished the post-RTP fare would comprise padams, javalis and thillanas, but none of those happened
We got to witness Nirajanam (aka Arathi) of the deity while Srivenkatagirisam was going on, which was special.All in all, it was a wonderful 3 hours spent; R remains a musician I'll run the extra mile to listen to.
