Ganesh/Sashikiran concerts

[kalyani]

Hi all,

I’ve been reading with great interest, all the reviews on this forum and decided finally that I’d join and contribute my reviews too, for whatever they’re worth!

Since yesterday evening, I’ve attended three concerts of Ganesh and Sashikiran on the trot! I am unable to zero in on any one aspect that makes their concerts so lovely, but it is probably a combination of a number of things, like their manodharmam and the importance they seem to attach to bhavam. Some of the kritis they rendered were very elegant, probably due to the fact that they belong to the Brinda/Mukta school?

Concert #1
Kapali Fine Arts
Shastri Hall
6:30 pm
Dec 23
Accompanied by – MA Sundareswaran (Violin), Trichur Narendran (Mridangam) and Udipi Balakrishnan (Ghatam)

List of songs

1. inta calamu – begaDa – Adi (S)
2. sri venkaTEsha nA manavi – phalamanjari – Adi (S)
3. nIlAyadAkshi – paras – tisra triputa
4. divAkara tanujam – yadukulakAmbhOji – catusra Eka ( R )
5. entaninnE – mukhAri – rUpakam ( R, N, S)
6. paridAna mecchitE - bilahari – khaNDa cApu
7. rAmA nI eDa – kharaharapriya – Adi (R, S, T)
8. venkaTAcala nilayam – sindubhairavi – Adi
9. makuTakE mangaLam – madhyamAvati – Adi

Each kriti in this concert was so well rendered. I especially liked 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Concert #2
Mylapore Fine Arts
9:00 am
Dec 24
Accompanied by – MA Sundareswaran (Violin), Srimushnam Raja Rao (Mridangam) and AS Shankar (Ghatam)

List of Songs

1. vanajAkshi – kalyani – khaNDa aTa
2. jaya jayA – nATTai – khaNDa cApu
3. mEru samAna – mAyAmaLavagauLa – Adi (N, S)
4. paripAlayamAm – rItigauLa – rUpakam (S)
5. tuLasi bilva – kEdAragauLa – Adi (S)
6. okapAri jUDa – kalAvati – Adi
7. RTP (shrI satyanArAyaNam sadA bhajEham) – shubhapantuvarALi – Adi (T)
Ragamalika swarams in shubhapantuvarali, pratapavarali, kokilavarali, kuntalavarali
They did the pratilomam that has been talked abt in another thread. Very interesting to watch!
8. tungatIravirAjam – salAgabhairavi, ahirbhairav – Adi


Concert #3
Nada Sudha, Velachery
6:30 pm
Dec 24
Accompanied by – Mysore Srikanth (Violin), H.S.Sudheendra (Mridangam) and Adambakkam Shankar (Ghatam)

List of songs:

1. vAtApi gaNapatim – hamsadhwani – Adi (S)
2. kanathanrinApai – dEvamanOhari – Adi (S)
3. rAju veDale – tODi – rUpakam (R, N, S)
4. brOcEvArevarurA – khamAs – Adi ( R)
5. paTTiviDuvarAdu – manjari – Adi (S)
6. mAnamu lEdA – hamirkalyANi – Adi ( R)
7. raghuvamsa sudhAmbudhi – kadanakuthuhalam – Adi
8. bhajarE rE mAnasa – AbhEri – Adi
9. pankaja lOchana – kalyANi – misra cApu (R,S)
10. manamOhanA – kuntaLavarALi – rUpakam
11. tArakka bindigE – tilang – Adi
12. note – shankarAbharaNam – Adi
13. makuTakE mangaLam – madhyamAvati – Adi

The duo announced before the concert that the audience could send in chits and they would sing as many of those songs as possible. It turned out that everything from the varnam to the note was sung on audience request and the stage was almost flooded with chits! Their enthusiasm on stage was infectious and they got a standing ovation at the end of the concert.

I’m already planning to attend their concert with Shri UKS on the mridangam tomorrow morning at Brahma Gana Sabha.

[kalyani]

Here's something I forgot to mention. Sri Srimushnam Raja Rao played the mridangam for the tanam in shubhapantuvarali in the Mylapore Fine Arts concert. That was another thing I liked.

[chalanata]

the pair sing very well but there is a tendency on the part of KNS to sing as if he is throwing up. this has to be avoided.

[rasam]

>> the pair sing very well but there is a tendency on the part of KNS to sing as if he is throwing up. this has to be avoided.

Forgive my ignorance, but what does this mean? And how can it be 'avoided'?

[chalanata]

KNS sings very excellently and if you have heard his singing you would understand what i mean. you get a feeling sometimes that his rendition is casual. this is a minor lacunae which he does unconsciously and this can be corrected very easily by consciously singing with clear expression of focus in rendition.

[vasanthakokilam]

>you get a feeling sometimes that his rendition is casual

Your previous description did not give the impression you meant 'casual'..