Suryaprakash@Pozhichalur On Dec 11th,2016

[rajeshnat]

Suryaprakash@Pozhichalur On Dec 11th,2016
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Vocal : Suryaprakash
Violin : VijayaGanesh - student of AGA Gnanasundaram ,who was a senior student of LGJ
Mrudangam : TR Sundaresan
Ghatam : Madipakkam Murali
Concert Type : Nirvana - no concert to follow and Ticketed concert
Day/Duration : Sunday 3 hours and 15 mins

Sabha : Trimurthy Sanageetha Sabha , Pozhichalur

1. Varnam -Ahiri - Tharagampadi ????

2A. viruththam - karpaga vinayaga-saranga -???
2B.gana nAthanE (S)- saranga- PT
4 mins swaras

3. rAmAbhi rAmA (raga sketch) - darbar-T

4. siva siva siva enarAdha (R N S)- pantuvarAli - T
11 mins alapana and 5 mins violin return
neraval in Agama mula nithi yenthi for 5 mins
swaras for 6 mins

5. guruguhA dhanyam (R) - balahamsa - MD
5 mins alapana in balahamsa and 2 mins violin return

6. rAmanukku mannan (RS,S)- hindOlam - AK
10 mins swaras

7. pAmAlai ini undO (N,S) - harikAmbOdhi - psivan
neraval in thamizhnAdu seidhda thava payanAi vandavar for 6 mins
swaras for just 2 mins

Pozhichalur is a very special sabha, the start is anywhere from 05:30 to 05:45 pm, I have a special liking for this place as there is more musical intensity of the real december season. The december season is of two types one where there is musical depth like pozhichalur and the other where december season is a by product of commercial escapism with excess packaging that robs the artist intent on content .

THey say if you hear Ahiri you would not get food . But this place is little tricky to drive with the GST Road towards pozhichalur getting closed due to construction. I stopped at a place to grab some food and because of me having food , for a change i lost the first ahiri varnam .As I entered he was segueing with the last trademark Ahiri slow glides and he announced the composer , i could not catch the name. with ahiri you either dont get food or you get food and not hear ahiri.

The next sAranga was well done ,starting with the viruththam on Lord Ganesha and into gana NathanE, one could feel TRS Jr (using munirao's sobriquet when he wrote TR Sundaresan was TRS Jr)was playing the role of Ganesha andit appeared from there on there was a close contest of man of the match between suryaprakash and trs-jr. Swaras were sung in one long cadooble and I enjoyed more when vijayaganesh decided to smile for sAranga during return.

The standard ballrolling pantuvarAli was taken , it was not a swati tirunal sArasAksha of semmangudi over drive mode , but it was well done more in the lines of santhanam like , brisk but very centered on madhyama kAlam. The sparkling krithi of pantuvarAli negates the feel of huge musical appetite and all of the performing artists grabbed it .

THe neraval lines were well done in the first half , especially with only one phrase agama and then agama mula , trs jr was pounding and he moved on to become a nandi from ganesha. I wish suryaprakash went little more in mel kalam in pantuvarali but he disappointed me with a censor in neraval . However swaras were well done , the symmetry of pantuvarali swaras gives a ferrari like ride and there was brilliant finish

Of late I have noticed this vidwan is just not taking a rare krithi but also comes up with a longer alapana for a rare raga . I was not very sure with balahamsa , i wrote it down , I had their local vidwan abhilash to assert that I was right . Alapana was well done , for sure it is a tricky raga and the MD krithi guruguhadhanyO was well done , did MD compose this krithi when King George was visting india along with all his Note swaras - nevertheless nice krithi and towards the end the charanam takes a nice rhythmmic dance

The contrast of HindOlam after a head stretching balahamsa was great. The only unfavourable respite is atleast one mama was singing the whole anupallavi , he was singing a mini neraval in paamaramE unakku and I thought there will be two neravals one bit later by Suryaprakash in pattam Katta yethavan, thank god there was no neraval . With beginning of swaras the next mama stoppped singing . Hindolam swaras was well done , the creative quotient was high and nice rotation by murali added enough oomph.

The next was in harikAmbOdhi. He announced that this was a papanasam sivan composition on mahakavi bharathiyAR .Suryaprakash told that he took it as it was bharathiyar's birthday. This krithi showcases the flair of sivan as a composer , and the musicians have taken a great neraval line to repeatedly assert the mahakavi contribution .

[rajeshnat]

8A.RTP for 1 hour 10 mins in keeravani in pancha gati
pallavi line was raghuvaram rAghavam bhajEham seetha manOharam
21 mins alapana and 10 mins violin return
taanam for 7 mins
pallavi nearavl for 7 mins
swaras for 22 mins in keeravani + Revati + behAg + amruthavarshini+ nAsikAbhooshani + shanmughapriya
8B. tani for 17 mins

9. maayE - tharangini - MD
10. thirana dheem ta thiranA - shenjurutti -veena seshanna

11A. viruththam -murugA thirumAl marugA - sindhubhairavi -???
11B. thull madha vEtkai - hamsAnandi -AGN
12. pavamAna + vazhiya senthamizh

The day was a Pallavi darbAr day for me . WHat a spectacular concept in pallavi . His voice was really having so much of strength in keeravani alapana . Keeravani has an intrinsic beauty where the extra shout is by birth not there .The "throw without shout" was brilliantly portrayed in keeravani . The taanam was non metered and well done , i was expecting TRS jr will join but he did not.

He announced the pallavi was a pancha gati and he said he would start or end with tisra gati , I was not focussing much on his brief explanation .TO me post pallavi neraval the swaras were brilliant to the core . It is one thing to sing ragamaliga swaras say go from kapi to sindubhairavi etc all from rote, but he took 5 superb ragas . Suryaprakash explained at the end after tani that the swara ragamaliga ragas taken were in swara aarohana krama , based on Ri,gA,mA(M2),da and ni leaving out sa and pa the constants . For every swara in the krama arohana. he told he took those 5 notes ri,GA , mA ,dA and Ni that is not there in keeravani and presented the other 5 ragas anchoring on the steady anchor of that respective note, like RI in revati Ni in shanmugapriya and whatever that fell in that place in between those raga devatas. I am still not able to recollect all that was stated in a factually perfect way. I Particularly liked when he reversely traversed in one go from shanmughapriya thru nAsikAbhooshani?? thru amruthavarshini thru behag thru revati(with an extra vedic chant like which is very much part of revati) and final touchdown in keeravani , it was best of musical and aesthetic blend.

In the tukkadas he sang all with considerable verve. I liked he paying obesiance to both his paramagurus mmi and ssi in maayE and shenjurutti thillana.

VijayaGanesh, the second gen disciple of Lalgudi is sticking to pakkavadhya dharmam to the core . Returns in alapana never overshoot and he does not intrude . Possibly when the patterns are longer he can come with more sunaadam and a very very slight press towards the violin board can go away.I guess that is where he is improving day by day. HE is coming back to concert circuit in the last 1 year after many years of corporate work . He will become a very steady violinist who will be sought after as he is sticking to fundamentals and giving more air time to vocalist.

Madipakkam Murali played very well , nice tani and the patterns especially in neraval and swaras were well done . THe pallavi swaras offered a long runaway and he showed his class there

TR Sundaresan is really a dark horse
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What can I say about TRS Jr. His play is taking me to the days of an early TK Murthy .Absolutely no vottam and most importantly he is controlling the volume of his play without an iota of overbang. Loved his play in pallavi swara raga maligas especially when suryaprakash was ideating like Ni Ni ni in shanmughapriya he was following with such precision and never tried to show his seniority which is a habitual extension for many artists. I wish he brands himself bit more , the mrudhu angam is fine , but brand angam is not even work in progress. We all should talk more and more about TRS jr who is the disciple of Yella venkateshwara Rao from the Illustrious Palghat Mani Iyer school.

Possibly a little more neraval in pantuvarali and definitely far more swaras in harikAmbOdhi , i would have bit more happier . All said the balahamsa alapana and most importantly the zero memory rote RTP in keeravani with the 5 anchor swaras in each of those notes (keeraVAni+ revati+ behag+ amruthavarshini+Nasikabhooshani?? + shanmughapriya) did make me happy. Thank you to Pozhichalur sabha , they give time and they adjust the sound right , the crowd is attentive even during tani and that is quite a miracle .THe speech at the end of tani was just 2 minutes and I am glad the swarakalpana muse stayed longer with me and not got robbed by the speech.

Overall an excellent concert for 3 hours and 15 minutes

[Sundara Rajan]

Item No.7 is PApanAsam Sivan's pAmAlakkiNaiyundO ( pAmAlaikku iNai undO ? = Is there anything comparable to BArathi's musical garland ? ) Poularised by DKP in the Forties.

[Jigyaasa]

Could someone who attended the concert explain the tALa aspects of the pallavi? And also provide a clearer explanation of the choice of rAgAs in the pallavi rAgamAlikA?

[CRama]

8A.RTP for 1 hour 10 mins in keeravani in pancha gati

Rajesh, Thanks for your review. It must have been a wonderful concert. Can you pl tell me what is Pancha gati.Rajesh or any body else may kindly chip in.

[Lakshman]

The varNa is ninnE kOriyunnadirA mA nIrajAkSi.