Amrutha Venkatesh - Sankritilaya San Jose March 27, 2016

[mahavishnu]

Amrutha Venkatesh – vocal
M Rajeev – violin
SJ Arjun Ganesh – mridangam

1. Nattaikurinji varnam – Chalamela – Rangaswami Nattuvanar
2. Adikondar – Mayamalavagowla – Muttu Tandavar (R, S)
3. Pada vendume – Hamsanadam – Dhandapani Desigar (R, S)
4. Janani Mamava – Bhairavi – Swati Tirunal (A, N, S, T): N & S: @ Pallavi Line
5. RTP Poorvikalyani – Chatusra triputa Khanda nadai
vElai paNivadE nam vElai | adi kAlai avan kAlai (composed by Sri TRS)
Tanam in: vagadeeswari, bindumalini, kambhoji
6. Japat japat hari nAm – ST bhajan – rAgamalika
7. Theerada vilayattu pillai – Subrahmanya Bharati – rAgamalika
8. English note – triple meter - HMB
9. Tillana – dhanasri – ST
10. Mangalam
(items 7-9 audience requests)

Amrutha Venkatesh gave an extraordinary performance on Sunday. I must confess that I have not heard her since she started training with Rama Varma. I remember her performance about 8-9 years ago during the music season and being very impressed by her MLV-esque powerful vocals and bold approach to brighas and solid manodharma. I was very pleased to note that she has retained all of these amazing qualities; in fact she demonstrated that she has a lot more rocket fuel in reserve.

First, Amrutha demonstrated that you can pull off an amazing, weighty and solid 3.5 hour concert without a single Trinity composition! In fact, I only realized that when I was writing the song list out a few seconds ago.

Amrutha has an excellent syntax generator when it comes to her manodharma; the music just seems to flow from a higher center. There were moments where one could see a very original flavor to all aspects of her music.

She is one of the few people today that creatively uses jumpy octave shifts (like getting to the upper shadjam in the last chittaswaram of the nattaikurinji varnam, something BMK does as well). Her swara singing in MMG had the polish and flow of the Semmangudi style (especially around the PPDP repetition on the use of DPG, PG, MG when achieving geometric reductions in her koraippu). Amrutha used the madhyamam as an anchor during the bhairavi alapana and came back to it like a gliding eagle as she explored the other territories, reminiscent of a bhakti viruttam.

In all of these exercises, I noticed an originality to her music, not just a portmanteau of multiple styles. In fact her music reminded me of an early career Sanjay Subhrahmanyan, especially in the employment of staccato phrases followed by an almost irreproducible brigha. I could also sense that she might have been holding some of these expressions back, a mark of great restraint, maturity and measured kutcheri stagecraft. It was also nice to see a TRS pallavi (he usually sings this in Kharaharapriya), showcasing the diversity of influences in her music.

Rajeev was excellent on the violin. He played his part perfectly with a very sweet tone throughout. He plays with a cheerful countenance and his promptness in supporting the vocalist by embellishing a phrase or providing a creative next line or forgotten earlier line was subtle yet visible. He is soon establishing himself as a front-ranking accompanist.

Arjun Ganesh played like the rolling thunder. He is the kind of activist mridangist I like; he plays for the music and not around it. His creative use of the filler phrases and strong anticipation of sahityam and swarams was especially noteworthy. His kuchi instrument has the same ring that his guru Poongulam has, especially evident at this shruti.

I was quite impressed by the young and talented team. Amrutha is truly one of the more original voices of her generation. We expect great things in the years to come as she blossoms further.

P.S: This was the last concert of their North American tour. The organizer did not thank the accompanists in his thank-you speech, which I thought was a notable omission.

[mmani]

Yes - my mistake in omitting the thank-you of not just the co-artists but artist herself. I wanted to mention a lot of things - and I omitted them - needless to say this was one of them. Hopefully will do better next time (It tends to happen with me when as tour organizer I defer it off-stage)

-mani

[arasi]

Mahavishnu,
Delighted--both with your "I'd like to keep a clipping of this review" quality review and with Amrutha's performance

She is an original. Among all the strong assets she possesses, this young musician has to be admired for that.

I remember Sanjay being chided for not singing a single TyAgarAja kriti one season in the Academy. You didn't give it a thought because all songs turned out to be rich in content, offering a range of composers. Amrutha has been an admirer of his music, and I have seen her in his concerts in Bengaluru, ever since she was little. Saw her in his February concert as well, at the Gayana samaja

Respecting her present guru, she makes it a point to sing a song or two of ST in her concerts. The Semmangudi bit comes from her earlier training perhaps...

As for you, please bring your brilliant reviews, however busy you are

[kvchellappa]

I second Arasi in this as in most other things. I love to read your reviews Mahavishnu.

[Rsachi]

Mahavishnu, a fitting review for an original musical presentation!
I agree heartily with all your positive observations.

Apart from creatively incorporating successful musical styles from SSI to Sanjay to MMI to BMK, I also clearly discern, listening to Amrutha often in recent days on TV and webcast and live, that she has uniquely adapted several "instrumental" phrases into her singing. Her veena and violin and nagaswaram - inspired phrases often leave the violinist behind!

Add to that her very keen understanding of sahitya, her precise and appealing enunciation of words, her very cheerful demeanour, her instant rapport with accompanists AND audiences, and never a casual or businesslike attitude. You have a "maha" winner! A bit like Virat Kohli in batting!

[arasi]

Sachi,
How true! Does her vINA playing help her pl(a)y her voice like an instrument, I have wondered.

[Rsachi]

Yes, Arasi, she incorporates many veena gamakas often into her vocal renditions. And also other instruments' !

[Rasikapriya2013]

Was waiting for this review and other reviews of her tour concerts. Thank you.
Rightly said, she has a reserve of rocket fuel which is yet to take off and then sky is the limit for this great artist.

[rajeshnat]

mahavishnu
Mangalam must have nee nAma roopamulaku by T . That is my best guess- one trinity is just there. I like what you have written about the brilliant Arjun Ganesh - I hear him always as some one who fills wonderfully.He has got extraordinary skills and is already in my top list. Keep it up amrutha - consistency and a inclination to drop anything with the great TRS in mind is a sure winner . Also rajeev has lovely sowkhyam and azhuttam. 3 brilliant stars and 3.5 hours with a trs pallavi - what more to ask.

Mmani
For sure thank you is not needed when you organize programs and more importantly when you have given atleast given 3.5 hours in bay area. Appears to me you are a great organizer and I am glad to see what all you are doing . Special applause to you.

[HarishankarK]

6. Japat japat hari nAm – ST bhajan – rAgamalika

Seems to be inspired by Sri Sadasiva Brahmendral.

[HarishankarK]

6. Japat japat hari nAm – ST bhajan – rAgamalika

The title of the song may sound like a brijbhasha bhajan but this is a Sanskrit composition. Seems to be inspired by Sri Sadasiva Brahmendral.
Maand, Sivaranjani, Behag and Sindhu Bhairavi ragamalika.

[rshankar]

As always, an eloquent review! Thank you once again for sharing it.

One day, I hope to catch a live performance from this artist.

The pallavi created by Sri TRS seems to have an echo in one of Sri Kannadasan's creations with a unique feminine twist (between 2:15 and 2:30 minutes of this track)

[mahavishnu]

Thanks All.

Mmani: Thanks for organizing such wonderful events! I realize you had a lot on your mind that day. The sound system at CET has been excellent this year.

Arasi/RSachi: From what I had heard (and as Rajesh mentioned elsewhere), I was expecting her singing style to be more like Rama Varma, but instead I was pleasantly surprised to see such a wide variety of influences and the evolving originality.

Rajesh: Yes, the mangalam was a Trinity composition! She could have easily gone with bhujaga sayino or ramachandraya by bhadrachalam ramdas (both would not have been unusual given her heritage), but she went with the classic in sowrashtram.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

6. Japat japat hari nAm – ST bhajan – rAgamalika

The kriti was first tuned by Sri Shertalai Gopalan Nair in Sindhubhairavi and he taught it over AIR Tvm in the seventies. K. Omanakutty sang this in numerous concerts. Sri R Krishnaswami - the Ace tutor- popularised it in Kalyana vasantham and sang in his programmes. A few doubted its authorship and ventured to declare it was 'Irayimmam Tampi's(though the argument failed). But tuning in Ragamalika seems to be a recent attempt.

Yes, the lyrics follows the Purandaradasa or Brahmendra approach.

A much 'talked about' song of those times!

[mahavishnu]

The kriti was first tuned by Sri Shertalai Gopalan Nair in Sindhubhairavi and he taught it over AIR Tvm in the seventies. K. Omanakutty sang this in numerous concerts. Sri R Krishnaswami - the Ace tutor- popularised it in Kalyana vasantham and sang in his programmes. A few doubted its authorship and ventured to declare it was 'Irayimmam Tampi's(though the argument failed). But tuning in Ragamalika seems to be a recent attempt.

Yes, the lyrics follows the Purandaradasa or Brahmendra approach.

Very good to know. Thanks for this information. I thought it was a BrahmendrAL composition as well till I heard the Padmanabha mudra in the end; it is a very different composition style than associated with ST.

Lakshman-ji's version on karnatik.com says that the composition was in tODi.

[HarishankarK]

6. Japat japat hari nAm – ST bhajan – rAgamalika

The kriti was first tuned by Sri Shertalai Gopalan Nair in Sindhubhairavi and he taught it over AIR Tvm in the seventies. K. Omanakutty sang this in numerous concerts. Sri R Krishnaswami - the Ace tutor- popularised it in Kalyana vasantham and sang in his programmes. A few doubted its authorship and ventured to declare it was 'Irayimmam Tampi's(though the argument failed). But tuning in Ragamalika seems to be a recent attempt.

Yes, the lyrics follows the Purandaradasa or Brahmendra approach.

A much 'talked about' song of those times!

Interesting historical information on the song.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

To my knowledge Japata Japata has never been sung in the (ST exclusive) Navaratri Mandapam.
Deviating from the thread spirit, I must say that KVN has sung the Huseni kriti 'Pahimaam brihannaayike' at the Mandapam. There is a tinch of doubt as to its ST authorship. (It is a Sthala kriti.)

[gardabha_gana]

Many Sanjay concerts in Bangalore I have seen amrutha in attendancr