Ramakrishnan Murthy - Singapore - 07.04.2017

[bilahari]

Ramakrishnan Murthy - vocal
Charumathi Raghuraman - violin
Manoj Siva - mrudangam
B.S. Purushotham - khanjira

SIFAS Annual Festival
Esplanade Theatre
2 h 40 m

Approximate Songlist:
slOkam - Arabhi
sAdincanE - Arabhi - Adi - T
nIayatAkSi - paras - tiSra tripuTa - SS (S @ sAmagAna)
kadaikkaN - bEgaDa - miSra cApu - Ramaswami Sivan (R, N, S)
viSwanAtam bhajEham - chaturdasa rAgamAliga - Adi - MD
upacAramulanu - bhairavi - Adi - T (R, N @ jAnakI pati, S, T)
rAgam tAnam pallavi - khamAs - khaNDa tripuTa - RKSK
Pallavi: varada varavenkaTAsa vAsa viSwAtkamAsahita (please correct)
+RM swaras in hindOLam, kuntalavarALi, sindhu bhairavi, bEhAg, suruTTi, and then in reverse
eppO varuvArO - jOnpuri - Adi - GB
varugalAmO aiyyA - mAnji - miSra cApu - GB
mangaLam - sowrASTram - Adi

It was a good concert. RM was clearly struggling with his voice and pitch, and the first two items were a wash. The concert picked up a little with the bEgaDa alapanai, which not only emphasized the gamakas of the bEgaDa madhyamam and nishAdam but also used flat notes to good effect. The S-P,MGR and SD,MGR type phrases also used in the neraval were pleasing. I am hearing MD's ragamaliga live for the first time, and frankly became a little impatient with it midway through. Admittedly, I'm not a big fan of ragamaligas: there is much more breadth than depth to the raga exploration, and the constant flurry of swara-sahitya passages can be a little dizzying for my now 30 year-old vertiginous self. The second half of the concert beginning with the bhairavi was arresting. I thought the bhairavi ragam was very well constructed using the classical phrases as a base and adding flourishes and nuances to these to personalize the alapanai. RM did that very well throughout the concert. upacAramulanu was sung beautifully, and the neraval was thorough in two speeds. The swarams were particularly interesting for the use of the initial swaras from the SS swarajati in ascending the scale; e.g., starting an avartanam with S,RNSR, and then improvising, and then starting the next cycle with R,G RGS, and then improvising, and then finally ending in S,GR,SR,... The RTP was brief (20 min) but very concise and left me with a satisfying portrait of khamAs. The alapanai was sweeping from the start, switching between octaves with phrases often ending evocatively in the upper shadjam. There were some nice phrases using S-M (ascending) and S-M (descending). The tAnam was solid without alapanai-ish phrases and maintained an inherent rhythm. Yet another brilliant pallavi composed by RKSK was sung with a brief neraval. The swaras also used the S-M motif, with each ragamaliga beginning with S-M. The kuntalavarALi was particularly well done. Both the post-main items were so touching. There was a particularly tender moment when RM started 'karai kaNdEnE...', and all the accompanists paused leaving only the lingering tampura in the auditorium. RM's rendition of this kriti was the highlight of the concert.

RM's voice was not the most cooperative this evening, and he was sniffling and hoarse. Yet he managed to focus on the gamaka aspect of his music, his clear enunciation, his soulful kriti renditions to turn this concert into a success. What always strikes me about Ramakrishnan Murthy is how much maturity there is in his music at such a young age. He just seems to grasp the essence of ragas and compositions, and communicates that essence with consummate ease to us. On top of that, his manOdharma is so refreshing: he has a heavily classical base in his phrases so one is never left unfulfilled at the end of an alapanai, but he always manages to take subtle twists and turns, ending phrases in unexpected ways (like a seemingly standard SMGM PNDN PDNS->M...SM...GRS). The longer phrases in his alapanais demonstrate great vision and understanding of ragas. His tutelage under RKSK must be paying rich dividends given how much scholarship there is in his music as well. I just hope he preserves his voice and continues to build on his successes.

Charumathi was excellent as always on the violin. Her raga returns managed to capture both Ramakrishnan's key phrases and her own twists. I thought her bhairavi ragam, in particular, brought out a lot more of the definitive phrases, and was very satisfying. Her khamAs tAnam repeatedly won applause especially in her expert maneuvering between the octaves. She is another musician gifted with a supreme sense of aesthetics, and that always holds her in good stead. Her technique is always interesting to me. Her limpid, forceful bowing is very reminiscent of the TNK school while her fingering over the years has focused more on glides than hard stops; she also appears to have adopted several elements of the Parur style with her S-P-S swoops, although she does it in a more subtle fashion.

Manoj Siva and B.S. Purushotham were both fantastic. They played with great understanding, and demonstrated great sensitivity to the singing. Their accompaniment for kritis was, in particular, very appropriate. That moment when they both stopped during varugalAmo, sending a serene silence echoing through the concert hall, was music at its utter finest. Their accompaniment for kalpana swaras was also expert, anticipating patterns with ease. The tani was very engaging.

All in all, it was an evening well spent. Although I have to say that these concerts at the Esplanade always reinforce that CM is a chamber art. Even with a world class concert hall and acoustics, the sheer intimacy and intensity of the concert experience (being able to directly look at the artistes, observe their interactions on stage, observe the technique of the instrumentalists...) are all sorely missing in these concerts, and it is difficult to come away from these experiences with a sense of total fulfillment.

[rajeshnat]

Bilahari
Nice one and well written. With respect to RKM the voice strain is something that he has to be watchful.

Bala747
By any chance did you attend this concert?

[melam72]

Carnatic Music's newest superstar, the musical lovechild of KV Narayanaswamy and Ramnad Krishnan, Ramakrishnamurthy (or, as I like to call him, Rocky M), finally deigned to perform in Esplanade. Given the fact that he was not herding Cows or driving Cars, the Other One and I decided to pay a visit.

He was singing Sadinchane when we entered the hall, and his voice had thickened. NOT a good sign. Yet, the Other One and I placed ourselves in our temporary perches on the fourth row, as we waited as Rocky delivered an imminently forgettable Sadinchane. Even concluding the charana swarams at 'Sadinchane' was a sad effort (pun intended). Why he did so, and sung Samayaniki Tagu Matalagene at the end, remains a mystery. For this samayam, Ramakrishnamurthy ended up putting up a tagaatha effort.

At least, things picked up. Or so, I think.

The next krithi was Nilayatakshi in Paraju (no, I refuse to anglicise it into 'Paras'. This lovely ragam is not a controversial member of the Nepali royal family ). A slow, yet pulsating rendition was delivered, and there were a couple of times Rocky M lost count of the talam. Yet, the swarams delivered with a swaraksharam of 'sa-ma-gaana...' were especially luscious, and it seemed like Rocky's voice stabilised.

At this moment, I must mention the contribution of Charumathi Raghuraman. Without her contribution, I maintain that Rocky would have crumbled and melted due to his ailment (he was shivering). She often laid the violin on her side, which produced a wonderful, yet scratchy tone, mainly in thukkuda sections. I will not call her an accompanist, for, in my opinion, her role in the concert was more of her dueting with Rocky. There were moments (like during the main) where she easily overshadowed Rocky.

Coming back to Rocky, his voice finally stabilised, thanks to the palliative presence of Charumathi, and he launched on an alapana of Begada, which, unlike most Begada alapanas, wasn't staid; indeed, his rendition, as well as his neraval, kept the audience glued to their seats, their mind pulsating with Rocky's scintillating neraval.

The Chaturdasha Ragamalika was next. Uniquely presented, it was unlike MLV's version we all know and love; instead, it consisted of many straight swarams, and was devoid of the usual brigas. This was a blessing in disguise, for it enabled Rocky's voice to stabilise on Rocky foundations, and it enabled us to see a new, unique way of rendering Sri Vishwanatham. The explanation supplicated prior was an evidence of Rocky's superior scholarship with RK Shriramkumar (Rocky S, in the porcine parlance).

He began Bhairavi, which invoked deep fears in me - Bhayam that the next krithi would be the dreaded Upacharamulu. But for now, Charu's and Rocky's music put me at peace, almost like a last meal before execution. Yes, Upacharamulu, followed. A lengthy neraval of the line 'Janaki Pathe Daya Jesi Nadupacharamulanu Chekkovadhaiya' followed, brought to dazzling crescendo-like endings by Rocky and Charu. The swarams proffered were lovely, and made smart, creative use of the swarams of the Bhairavi Swarajathi. A thani followed.

Musicians world-over raise hue and cry that the audience walks out during a tani. That is only because the mrdangist is mediocre. Not Manoj Siva. While the patterns replicated in the tani themselves were forgettable (like the trademark koraippu from 4-4, to 3-5, 2-6, and then 1-7), the sounds he managed to create with the mrdangam were remarkable. He is not dissimilar to Srimushnam Raja Rao in that aspect; though, while Raja Rao does so through a combination of paan-chewing, swearing in Madras bashai, and treating the mrdangam like an Air India lavatory, Manoj manojes to do so through Kajoling, soothing, and loving the Mrdangam, while Kareening towards a dramatic finish.

The thukkuda section began with a ragam tanam pallavi in Khamas. Yes, you heard me right, the RTP was akin to a thukkuda. The portrait of Khamas was lacking, and left us wanting something more, all due to Rocky's abyssmal concert planning. The pallavi itself was unremarkable, a standard Khanda Thriputa, 2-kalai, 2 aksharams away from the samam eduppu, but was composed by Rocky S, the line being 'Vara Venkatachaldipathe, Vishwaka Masahithe'. A brief round of neraval was followed by ragamalika swarams rendered in Hindolam, Kunthalavarali, Sindhubhairavi, Behag, and Surutti, and rendered in Vilomam. Charu really shined in this segment, especially excelling in the Kunthalavarali and Sindhubhairavi parts. A very unique thukkuda, but would have suited enlargement.

A forgettable rendition of Eppo Varuvaro was followed by a very memorable Varugalamo in Manji, which really brought out KV Narayanaswamy, except with far better pronunciation. The emphasis on the anya swarams of anthara gandharam and kakali nishadam was soul stirring, and brought out tears in our eyes, persisting through the Mangalam.

But that wasn't the only reason why there were tears in my eyes. Despite his recalcitrant voice and illness, Rocky really Rocked Esplanade, but only with the help of his 'Pack' - Charumathi, Manoj, and the Kanjira player. First class concert, but forgettable in parts. Yet, I feel that, given his age, he can, and should, include some frills in his music (even Charumathi's sari was a subdued black silk with a gold border). His music sounds like it belongs in the morning slot of Music Academy, with the super-seniors like R Vedavalli. A little less austerity, and an inclusion of a little bit of frills (like brigas) would go a long way from elevating his sadhu, sannyasin music to the next level.

But, bravo!

[rshankar]

Bilahari - you are quite the globe-trotter!!

Several people have commented on Sri RKM's voice issues - I was under the impression that he was working on it, and in fact, some of the reviews from last year, and earlier this year seemed to suggest that he was indeed doing that. I wonder if the issues with this concert were secondary to an upper respiratory tract infection (I think you said something about sniffling). If not, I do hope he pays close attention to what the likes of you are saying. I am certain that Sri RKSK will be in a position to help him with that as well.

Bala747
By any chance did you attend this concert?

Well, there's another review of this concert - a self-confessed porcine one, but another one nevertheless.

[devan]

You are right. Koncham pinchila pazutha mathiri Iruku. Not singing to his age.

[rajeshnat]

melam72
Nicely written to add to bilahari charm. I guess RTP was a thukkada because it was 2 hours and 40 mins concert. Charumathi Raghuraman is a brilliant violinist - bowing is smooth and the azhuttam is always high.

[bilahari]

Ravi, yes. I think it was a URI.

[Nick H]

An End, I cry, to these rightly-called Thukkada RTPs!

If there is no time for an RTP, there is no time for it. Either sing something that can be fully shown in the minutes available, or let people go their dinners a little early!

[melam72]

If there is no time for an RTP, there is no time for it. Either sing something that can be fully shown in the minutes available, or let people go their dinners a little early!

To be frank, he was at a very, erm, uncomfortable part of the concert after the Thani, with about 30 minutes left. If he hadn't taken such a long line for neraval, then he would have had 40-45 minutes, allowing a nice, medium-sized RTP.

[Nick H]

Of course I wasn't there, and there are many ways of doing things both right and wrong. I'd rather see an extended neraval in the main than a contracted RTP. And it is not hard for them to add a little to each song when approaching the end.

Who knows, if I had been there I might have enjoyed that RTP! But plainly, I would not have had the pleasure of a good thanam or extended series of ragamalika swaras --- which are perhaps my favourite features of an RTP, because it could not be done in the time.

I recall getting somewhat hot under the collar in what was advertised as an RTP concert, as the artist (a good one and a favourite of mine) spent far too much time not even getting started on it.

But I'm just hard to please.

(Well, actually no: at worst I come away feeling that I would probably have rather spent the time listening to a person sing than sitting at home, so I am easy to please. But hard to satisfy!)

[arasi]

Nick in a Sabha Canteen...

Sir, enna vENum? (server, with a smile)

Ah, let me see (Nick returns the smile, pleased).

dOsai, vaDai, pongal?? Anything you wish, sir!

dOsai, please, and a cup of tea! (smiling still, Nick is pleased).

A few minutes later...

If you call THIS tea! Honestly! (Nick is not amused. Actually, he's not one bit satisfied)...

[Nick H]

If you call THIS tea! Honestly! (Nick is not amused. Actually, he's not one bit satisfied)...

Had that exact conversation...

Three people in a Camden Town (London UK) "Indian" Restaurant. Two of Bangladeshi origin, one Chennai resident.

The meal was nice, but the people from opposite ends of the subcontinent disagreed that the liquid in the cups bore any resemblance to "chai" whatsoever.

The manager said that was how they made it, but agreed not to charge us for it.

[mohan]

He sang the nAta pancharatna in Sydney and the Arabhi one in Singapore. Will he sing gowla in London ?