Sandeep Narayan@ SKGS on Aug 13th,2016

[rajeshnat]

Sandeep Narayan@ SKGS on Aug 13th,2016
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Vocal : Sandeep Narayan
Violin : M A Sundareswaran
Mrudangam : Srimushnam Raja Rao
Kanjira : Anirudh Athreya

Concert Type : Nirvana - No concert to follow and Ticketed concert
Day/Duration : Saturday /2 hours and 5 mins
sabha/Hall : skgs Main hall as part of Gokulashtami Series

Quite a few in this planet believe age is just a number .Sandeep voice power is enormous , the youngest Anirudh has been improving year on Year . On the other side of the age Srimushnam Raja Rao and MA sundareswaran have enough of musical intellect to interest me . In the context of Carnatic Music concert, I think irrespective of age there should be phase of controlled aggression typecast that I prefer , and a typecast of Brashness that I would not prefer. Not really compartmentalizing with a strict boundary the two typecasts Controlled Aggression and Brashness - I am okay drawing up a boundary like a indian Occupied Kashmir and Pakistan occupied kashmir. But when I am seated as a rasika the collective experience of having More Controlled Aggression and Less of Brashness matters. This concert had unfortunately a heavy share of nearly equal brashness and controlled aggression.


Controlled aggression at its best :
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Sandeep sang a lovely saveri . Saveri ragam is more sumptous when musicians find a way to move usually away from squat to more shoots . Sandeep gave an enjoyable submain , the tirupavai is rare and the neraval in tirupavai is very rare . I liked this the most .The kalyani alapana was quite welcome and I liked sandeep ideas more in the alapana . THe darbAri krithi had enough controlled aggression and this krithi ,tukkada and raga never lets you down . The ravichandrika song , I have heard him once and sanjay few times , there is a galloping speed and if I am right sanjay or may be KSK added more share of cittaswaras . Possibly the ending portion of ravichandirka was bit of brashness , but i am liberal in the boundary so it was overall ok. The round of alapana in saveri by MAS was display like his illustrous chittappa -the violin was showcased as a vadhya beauty. The tani portions in the first half when srimushnam raja rao played amazing patterns in the first half with ANirudh giving a real good sawal jawab return


Brashness at its worst:
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I came half way thru KambOdhi varnam. I guess from the days of alathur brothers there is always a certain heavy dose when this kambodhi varnam is taken - if percussionist give a cushion that could be better but it did not happen. Thank god sandeep did not follow the ariyakudi paddhati of repeating the varnam and main in the same raga , that too considering his aggressive style.. The kalyani .Purandara dasar had a high share of brashness from the senior -main percussion artist , the krithi may be from sangeetha pitamaha composer , but it does not have enough ingredients to qualify as a main.To an extent sandeep could have chosen a more vistaramana krithi as main . The bilahari thillana had a lot of young brashness , it was not that great . MAS when he played kalyani alapana gave so much of brash touchpoints with a very weak kalyani signal.

[rajeshnat]

1. varnam in KAmbOdhi ????
2. paripAlayamAm (S) - reetigowlai - ST
swaras for 5 mins

3. uNdu madhakalEEtran (R N S) - saveri - AndAL thiruppavai
9 mins alapana and 5 mins violin return
8 mins neraval in senthAmarai kaiyAL seeRAl valai olippAr
6 mins swaras

4.niravadhi sukhadA - ravichandrika -T

5A. zaraNembe vANi poreyE kalyANi (R S T)- kalyani - PD
not sharanam hE vAni orahE kalyAni
13 mins alapana and 6 mins violin return
swaras for 9 mins
5B. tani for 21 mins

6. gOvardhana giridhAra (raga sketch)- darbAri KAnadA - NT
7. dheem tadira dhAni .... ninnu kOriyunna nAdupai - bilahari - ariyakudi
8. pavamAna

This was a ticketed concert as part of gokulashtami just like the previous day concert of brinda which was also a ticketed one . I was thinking the difference in hall size will give more musical content . When sandeep gave brief raga sketch of darbari i Thought it was a pallavi and not a NT krithi. Yes srimushnam-anirudh may have possibly played a 10 minute + tani - but it was a 20 minute plus tani. Sandeep could have typecast himself as a brash vidwan who sang a pallavi extending the concert say by another 20 minutes(it is okay to have even a short RTP say with zero or minimal violin return- he only sang a main RST not a RNST) , but like brinda he was a 2 hour finisher - is skgs main and skgs mini hall blurring .

Overall a very good concert for 2 hours and 5 minutes.

[Rsachi]

zaraNembe vANi, poreyE kalyANi
Oh, goddess Sarasvati, I say obeisance! Please save me, oh auspicious one!

I heard this Purandaradasa song as a kid in Tilang from my mother.

[CRama]

It was a very good concert. Saveri rocked. Kalyani became a dampener. It does not have the weight for a main song. It is not on Krishna. Then why he chose this song I don't know. There manay other songs of PD n Kalyani which could have been chosen. MLV used to render this song Sarnambe vani in Gambheeranatai.