TN Krishnan@Chetpet on Nov 28th,2015

[rajeshnat]

TN Krishnan@Chetpet on Nov 28th,2015
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Violin : Prof TN Krishnan
Mrudangam : Bombay Balaji
ghatam : Vaikkom Gopalakrishnan

Concert duration/Day : 1 hour and 20 minutes inclusive of 10 mins speech /Saturday
Concert Type : Nirvana (no concert to follow)
Hall : Tapovan Hall, Chetpet
Occasion : Organized by Bombay Balaji
Crowd : 25 and was free

Saturday in chennai had the usual choices of Arkay center and BVB in mylapore.In arkay , three slots are given each for 1 hour and 45 minutes (from evening I and II, we have I , II and III) .Decided to hear a pristine violin touch from mahavidwan . The advertised time was 06:30 pm but unfortunately shri TNK could not make it till 07:00 and with another 25 minutes gone for setting up the stage , the concert started very late at 07:25 pm. The hall was big but the crowd was certainly too low for an extremely accomplished vidwan. Personally this is the first time i am entering this hall to hear a concert.

1. vathapi - hamsadhwani - MD
2. nAda tanum anisam(S) - cittaranjani -T
3. paridAnamachittE (Ragasketch, N , S) - bilahari - patnam

3A. mariverE dikkevarayya rAmA (R S T) - shanmughapriya - patnam
3B.tani

4. speech break by tnk and bombay balaji

5. sindhubhairavi(R) with a small number
6. mangalam

- The violin was bit rough, did not have the usual tone of TNK . hamsadhwani krithi was played where he ended with anupallavi without going to charanam. cittaranjani roughness was aurally more noticeable.

-+ He got his spark in pockets in bilahari and shanmughapriya. IIRC, personally have not heard him play shanmughapriya, and i liked it the most when he played few lovely patterns in swaras. At the end of tani he did not complete the song and shri TNK started speaking about the association of mrudangam artist bombay balaji and family.Balaji was also egged to speak , balaji had said his arangetram was with TNK and Vaikkom roughly four decades back.

+ His sunaada bowing with melody was well demonstrated in the brief alapana in sindhubhairavi and perhaps the folk like number that followed added maximum tmk intersect of bow and melody.

+ Nice to associate the face of Bombay balaji . I am hearing and seeing him for the first time . Shri TNK told balaji faithfully follows patterns of his gurus. I personally felt he could have had bit more volume on his right , looking forward to have a better aural second impression and I found his style and head movement was more like his another codisciple of his guru- Manojsiva. Tani was crisp with vaikkom showing his azhuttam and class .

This is the first time I am hearing prof TNK in a seated position where he had to keep his violin in a tripod like stand. Perhaps he did not get that much grip because of the stand . He certainly has the muscle to press with his trademark azhuttam - in that aspect he is only 87 years "young", but certainly his age and perhaps delayed start could have discomforted him to play more which is somewhat understandable.

Overall a good concert .

[pattamaa]

thanks Rajesh... i love his sindhubhairavi alapanas (also)... remember hearing him playing this in ragasudha hall (may be last year), and all of us were enjoying and seeing each other faces during alapana..