Ashwath Narayanan speeds past Music Academy Clock Watcher, 23/08/2016

[sureshvv]

Accompanists
-------------------
L. Ramakrishnan
N.C.Bharadwaj

Shyama Sastry day song list
---------------------------------------
1. Amba kamakshi, swarajathi, bhairavi
2. Reethigowlai, Ninuvina mari galada
3. Poorvikalyani, ninuvinaga mari,
4. tarunam eedhamma, gowlipantu
5. sankarabharanam, saroja dala netri, nst @ sama gana
6. karuna juda, shri

Observations
------------------
1. Nice voice, Nice range, Nice presence of mind (see 4 below).

2. Vivacious presentation. Shared a few of titbits and factoids in an informative manner between songs about the uniqueness of the composer and the compositions.

3. Excellent thani that may have gone a bit long. NCB sounding mature and solid.

4. Academy clock watcher mounted stage after thani to present honorarium. Aswath enquires
if he can continue singing after receiving it and on being informed that he cannot, asks the
host to wait and starts on the concluding karuna juda. Way to go!!

[pperumal]

Would have expected some new SS kriti in such a thematic concert - this was a textbook shyama shastry list.
Execution was good though - left me a bit disappointed as I went looking to hear atleast one rare SS kriti.
Maybe my expectation was wrong.

- PP.

[thanjavooran]

Shri sureshvv,
Thanks for the review. Excellent song selection. Any interesting anecdontes/ titbits you can share with the forum. Ashwath Narayanan very nicely tackled the clock watcher/ Manikantan / the Kalapramana master. His dhal did not bake well with TM K in the MA season concert few years back. This is my personal opinion.
Thanjavooran
28 08 2016

[sureshvv]

Any interesting anecdontes/ titbits you can share with the forum.

1. The opening of the reethigowla kriti is unique and textbook starting from the mandra ni. He sang the opening gambit of a number of kritis of other composers to show their similar approaches and also how different SS opening was. He mentioned how other schools sing it in Abheri also (which I drove 700km to listen to not too long ago ).

2. He sang the poorvikalyani kriti in deshadi misra nadai. He mentioned the other patantharam in misra chapu talam. In fact NCB needed a bit of prompting to round it off appropriately.

3. It seems that the neraval at Sama gana was so moving that a certain someone had bequeathed his home to MS just for this.

4. How the structure of the bhairavi swarajathi was built upwards from each swara. Unfortunately he was unable to follow it strictly himself and moved freely up and down octaves to accommodate his voice.

[bhakthim dehi]

What is deshadi misra nadai?

[sureshvv]

talam.

[kssr]

I have heard him in Bangalore. A good upcoming artist. Interesting to note that instead of planning the concert to fit the allotted time, artists snub one of the functionaries of the organisers (generously being called "Clock Watcher"). This habit seems to be percolating from some of the popular artists to youngsters as well. It appears that the audience too enjoy such incidents with glee. A pity.

[rajeshnat]

4. Academy clock watcher mounted stage after thani to present honorarium. Aswath enquires
if he can continue singing after receiving it and on being informed that he cannot, asks the
host to wait and starts on the concluding karuna juda. Way to go!!

SureshVV
You are misleading with a wrong title as though Ashwath speeded past MA clock watcher . As the organizer said No , Ashwath has aligned with the organizer by singing the last number which is a mangalam krithi -karuna joodavamma in shree ragam. If he had sung one more krithi and then ended with karuna joodavamma in shree ragam as mangalam then your title is apt.

[rajeshnat]

Interesting to note that instead of planning the concert to fit the allotted time, artists snub one of the functionaries of the organisers (generously being called "Clock Watcher"). This habit seems to be percolating from some of the popular artists to youngsters as well. It appears that the audience too enjoy such incidents with glee. A pity.

Kssr Sir
How do you plan to sing a sub main ,main , and then a RTP with tani given to the percussion artists,at times brief speech all with in the usual 2 hours to 2 hours and 15 minutes which is the usual norm of concert . Help me understand.

[sureshvv]

I am sure the concert was planned to run the 2 hours, But this is not an olympic race. It is entirely possible that the concert can go an extra few minutes more or less depending on various other factors. And in this case, it did.

If the Clock Watcher has any appreciation for music, he would have behaved more appropriately. Rather than get on stage, they could discretely signal for the artiste to wind up ASAP and wait until they are done.

Hope kssr is not encouraging this type of artless behavior as he is an active member here plus an organizer from what I can surmise. It would be a pity if he were.

[sureshvv]

SureshVV
You are misleading with a wrong title as though Ashwath speeded past MA clock watcher . As the organizer said No , Ashwath has aligned with the organizer by singing the last number which is a mangalam krithi -karuna joodavamma in shree ragam. If he had sung one more krithi and then ended with karuna joodavamma in shree ragam as mangalam then your title is apt.

Titles are usually written to draw in the audience Any suggestions on how I may fix it?

I liked the fact that he asked the CW to wait instead of accepting the envelope immediately and winding up the concert which it seemed that the CW wanted him to do. If he hadn't the presence of mind to resist, he may have done that to just please the organizer.

[Nick H]

In UK there are local-authority limitations on the use of halls in the night. Flouting them could result in loss of licence, effectively closing the place down. Here, we have no such worries. Nobody cares if the concert gets interrupted while the place burns down and is rebuilt or whatever. and continues again afterwards. We have no restrictions except the fact that the staff have to go home at some reasonable time.

The MA is right to impose strict time limits during the season, for "non-nirvana" concerts. In fact, all such concerts should have their time limitations honoured as a courtesy to both audience and the following artists. All this JustOneMoreOKbutI'mDoingItAnyway from the artists should be stopped. Using somebody else's time is rude. Timing is a part of the job, anyway, and the real professionals will end their mangalam as the second hand hits 12, let alone the minute hand.

But while that is a necessary professional skill, chopping creativity by the clock for no good reason is anathema to this music. The truly "Nirvana" concert goes on for as long as it goes on. If the MA is bringing down the axe of time for no good reason, then that is just arrogant.

And while I'm ranting... The Music Academy small hall is bad by design and bad by operation. They threw away their money on wrong acoustics and lighting that causes headaches; they throw away their money by cooling it to the temperature of a fridge; they through away their money on a sound operator who thinks it is their job to deafen people. Too loud, too cold, too uncomfortable. I have now blacklisted it. The three halls on the top of that blacklist are now: Sringeri Mutt and that place in Spurtank Road for acoustics that couldn't be worse if they had tried, and MA minihall for reasons stated. The MA thinks it is prime sabbha of the city, but, with all their resources, they cannot get a music auditorium right. How sad it that!

[thanjavooran]

Shri sureshvv

' If the Clock Watcher has any appreciation for music, he would have behaved more appropriately. Rather than get on stage, they could discretely signal for the artiste to wind up ASAP and wait until they are done. '

Rightly said. Such things are quite common in M A history. To mention few, please follow the links below.

http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=23663
http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic ... em#p217765

Thanjavooran
27 08 2016

[kvchellappa]

There is a general reluctance to adhere to timings. Music is no exception. The artists must settle the issue before appearing on the stage. If the organiser is more intent on time than music, the artist must make his own decision.
Rama Varma narrated how MDR once overshot the time in the navarathri concert where also the time limit is sacrosanct. He forgot to sing elaborate managlam and realising it he launched into it and it made him shoot beyond the deadline. The organisers were not happy and told him. He said, 'You need not call me again.' Rama Varma said, 'How dare they not call him again?' MDR, MMI, MS lived for music.

[sureshvv]

And the title was true quite literally.

The organizers stood in attention with their backs to the wall, as if to the national anthem, on the side of the stage & Ashwath sped thru the last song

[kssr]

There is the old kacheri joke where , in a poorly attended concert there were two gentlemen who sat through till the end. At the end, the artist thanked them for their presence to be told that they were just waiting to fold the jamakkaaLams. Probably so also the job of "time managers" of MA. Better we get back to AN's concert !!!

[sureshvv]

Must be among the lessons that the Chennai based Advanced Guru teaches:

• 1. Always keep an eye open for the envelope carrying organizer who will attempt to stifle the concert before the mangalam is sung, and

• 2. sing that extra charanam when he dares set foot on the stage prematurely to discourage future adventurism.
  

[Narayanan NB]

I feel concerts in chennai are too short. They should be at least given 3 hours to do full justice. I am not saying 3 hours should be considered as a minimum time. Artists can very well wrap up the concert before that if they want. But they should be at least given this minimum time. We keep cribbing here in Bombay that we don't get enough concerts. However we are lucky that concerts here go for well over 3 hours without any interruption, sometimes even up to 4 hours.

[sureshvv]

Chennai trend seems to be to make them shorter

Venues are experimenting with 1.5 and 1,25 hour concerts and having 2 in place of 1.
May be in order to accommodate more performers.

[ram1999]

Interesting to note that instead of planning the concert to fit the allotted time, artists snub one of the functionaries of the organisers (generously being called "Clock Watcher"). This habit seems to be percolating from some of the popular artists to youngsters as well. It appears that the audience too enjoy such incidents with glee. A pity.

Kssr Sir
How do you plan to sing a sub main ,main , and then a RTP with tani given to the percussion artists,at times brief speech all with in the usual 2 hours to 2 hours and 15 minutes which is the usual norm of concert . Help me understand.

Is there are rule that an RTP has to be sung in every concert ? A raga alapana can be done beautifully in 6 1 /2 minutes than singing endlessly for 30 minutes or so. what is important is the proportion !

[sankark]

I feel concerts in chennai are too short. They should be at least given 3 hours to do full justice.

The Rama Ravi & Nanditha Ravi concert for Indira Ranganathan Trust on 27/Aug was just for 2 hours 10 mins. Not even the typical 2 hours 30 mins affairs we get there usually. Nonetheless, the trupthi you got out of that 2 hours 10 mins is beyond words. It is in the music, not the time. IMHO.

PS: I know it was recorded - one with a DSLR (that can also record videos perhaps) and with a mini-camcorder. If you can get hold, please do so and loose yourself in that.

[sureshvv]

Rama Varma narrated how MDR once overshot the time in the navarathri concert where also the time limit is sacrosanct. He forgot to sing elaborate managlam and realising it he launched into it and it made him shoot beyond the deadline. The organisers were not happy and told him. He said, 'You need not call me again.' Rama Varma said, 'How dare they not call him again?' MDR, MMI, MS lived for music.

A couple of minor corrections from memory:

1. He didn't forget. His routine was to close with the last charanam of Bhavayami after singing Bhujagasayino and he stuck to his routine in spite of running a bit over.

2. He was called again after a break of a year or two and peace prevailed on earth

Incidentally I have seen even senior artistes (from other states) get rattled by the Academy Clock Watchers and close the concert without singing the mangalam.

[sureshvv]

Is there are rule that an RTP has to be sung in every concert ? A raga alapana can be done beautifully in 6 1 /2 minutes than singing endlessly for 30 minutes or so. what is important is the proportion !

It takes a lot to "sing endlessly for 30 minutes". Not many people can do it. And the few who do it well should be applauded. Many rasikas lose interest in the alapana after they recognize the raga as it is
more of a game for them.

[sureshvv]

Also sang:

2. Neelayathakshi, paras

And pointed out its unique tempo, eduppu & talam

Ppermumal sir may be happy now