Rithvik Raja @ NGS on 24 Dec 2017

[shriram.krishnan72]

Rithvik Raja - Vocal
B.U. Ganesh Prasad - Violin
Patri Sathishkumar - Mridangam
B.S. Purushothaman - Ganjira

01 O Jagadamba - Anandabhairavi - Adi (NS)
02 Appa Ramabhakthi - Panthuvarali - Rupakam (RNS)
03 Narasimha - Mohanam - Mishra Chapu
04 Teliyaleru Rama - Denuka - Adi (RS)
05 Ragam Thanam Pallavi - Dwijavanthi - Adi
(Cheta Shri Ramam Chinthaye Jeemutha Shyamam)
Ragamalika Kalpanaswarams in Begada, Poorvikalyani, Saveri
06 Sapashyath Kowsalya - Jonpuri - Adi

Observations:
A great morning concert with top class accompanists. The hall was relatively full by 9:50 AM and by the time the concert started there was no space. There were also a fair number of people sitting on stage and adjusting. I also heard that his Vani Mahal concert was flooded with people and had more than 20 people standing behind in the last rows. Looks like he is becoming the next crowd puller waiting in the wings after Ramakrishnan Murthy has been pushed to the next slot. If Rithvik gets promoted then the onus next year will be on Ashwat Narayanan and Vignesh Easwar to fill the void.

Highlights:
Anandabhairavi, Panthuvarali, Dwijavanthi

Positives:
His voice was great from the get go. There was no warming up and settling in. The sound was nice and all the instruments were in great balance. One could hear a lot of adjusting from behind the screens before the concert and it looks to have paid off.

He started the concert with yet another big Keerthana and this time it was the magnum opus O Jagadamba. It was sedate and slow with a beautiful Neraval at Parashakthi. Then he also sang Kalpanaswarams at the Pallavi. Set the mood for the concert. I wonder how this will work for other artists.

Panthuvarali Ragam was delivered with power and was a contrast to Anandabhairavi. There was a good dosage of speedy Neraval and Kalpanaswaram at Lakshmi Devi which gave the concert more momentum. He shared great rapport with Patri and the exchanges during the Kalpanaswaram section between all the artists on stage was absorbing. The final crescendo got him a thunderous applause. He shows his aggressive and sensitive sides in good measures every time I hear him. Good appropriate balance of both.

Narasimha was the song in Mohanam which I also heard from Amritha today. First time I am hearing this song. He followed this with a short Ragam of Denuka and Teliyaleru Rama with Kalpanaswarams.

Dwijavanthi was delightful and was the best piece of the concert. Raga Alapana presented with a lot of tonal modulation was soulful. He had the audience eating out of his hand and roped them in to raptures. Thanam was crisp and measured and he outdid the violinist here who did not quite match up. The Pallavi was Cheta Shri with a few rounds of Ragamalika.

Patri and Purushothaman were a great combination and matched each other stroke for stroke like a partnership between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Their Thani was exuberant.

There was time for only one more song and he burst into Sapashyath Kowsalya in express speed providing a dramatic ending to a fabulous concert.

Negatives:
Violinist was probably the weakest link. I wish it had been Bhaskar or RKS to have engaged in a more intense give and take with Rithvik.

Thoughts:
Another winner concert. Great team work, selection of songs and presentation. Hope he continues with this intensity and depth throughout the remaining season and regales the audience. Look forward to his concert at SPSS where I hope he sings Bilahari or Kamas.

I wonder how vocal artists prepare for their morning concerts. What goes into getting the voice concert ready so early?

- SK72

[sankark]

I had a very bad experience with him a month or so ago @ Chromepet Sri Ram Samaj (with RKSK, Mannargudi Eswaran) and left mid way thru and have been very wary since then