Say no to 'Mini RTP's

[Sivaramakrishnan]

The tendency to entertain 'mini' or even miniscule RTP's should be discouraged. Taking up RTP when there's just half an hour or less left, is sort of get away / escape from an otherwise possible well designed tukkada session.

A repeatedly discussed topic warranting a revisit.

[rajeshnat]

SRK
MS amma you love her a lot in her sangeetha kalanidhi sang only 25 mins bhairavi RTP. Do you have anything to say on that ?? I think I agree you need more time but it is still ok to have RTP the acccompanying violinist should quickly hand over the baton,otherwise it is a flop. Not singing RTP and only singing designed tukkada sesssion will be good for few concerts but may have a stunted impression for the artist when he/she does the same.

[Sachi_R]

A story occurs to me.

An aspiring singer slotted to perform at the academy, seeks advice from a master how he could squeeze in a mini RTP. The master replies, "No. Not so. Never".

Lo and listen, the mini RTP, sung in 3 speeds in 3 ragas in all of 3 minutes, has the pallavi line:
"No... Not so... Never!"In Chatushram Trisham, Mishra Gati, Eduppu on 2nd, and Arudi on the fifth.
The 3 ragas are
Nalinakanti,
Nattai,
Nasamani.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

rajesh,
I don't know how much time MS Amma had in hand after the RTP.
I would recommend RTP only if the concert runs at least for 3 hours.

[rajeshnat]

rajesh,
I don't know how much time MS Amma had in hand after the RTP.
I would recommend RTP only if the concert runs at least for 3 hours.

SRK
I am told we have around 3000 concerts in chennai on Nov to Jan . Two four hour concerts in mudhra and recently parivAdini.BGS in Petachi have 3 hours , some mofussil sabhas like pozhichalur and few nanganallur give it as they start at 05 30 or 6. So all put we may have 25 concerts with three hours .If you go to Academy, NGS and SKGS the top 3 sabhas with your logic you will get no RTP as it is 2 and 1/2 hours . We can have a obituary headline RTP dies in academy, ngs and skgs.

[sankark]

rajesh,
I don't know how much time MS Amma had in hand after the RTP.
I would recommend RTP only if the concert runs at least for 3 hours.

SRK
I am told we have around 3000 concerts in chennai on Nov to Jan . Two four hour concerts in mudhra and recently parivAdini.BGS in Petachi have 3 hours , some mofussil sabhas like pozhichalur and few nanganallur give it as they start at 05 30 or 6. So all put we may have 25 concerts with three hours .If you go to Academy, NGS and SKGS the top 3 sabhas with your logic you will get no RTP as it is 2 and 1/2 hours . We can have a obituary headline RTP dies in academy, ngs and skgs.

So keep it simply as submain with comparatively short RNS & main is RTP or RTK with full fledged RNS. Eminently possible in 2:30 without a enga-athukararum-kucherikku-ponar (sorry non-tamilians translating this to other languages will lose the sting; roughly me-too) RTP.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

rajesh,
Don't hasten to conclusions!
A standard RTP can be accommodated even in a concert of 2 hrs provided you edit the format suitably as sankark has indicated.
What happens in reality is that RTP is what gets edited!!

[rajeshnat]

SRK
POint taken , i did not hasten it was perhaps a blur on your earlier wordings. No worries .In general you look it at nowadays the main or submain gets cut and RTP getting in is better even for a reduced concert then thinking this duration is too short skip the RTP. But in all of this pakkavadhyam proportion is the key. Violinist playing essence and not playing every sangathi of vocalist and percussionist especially those who are senior should give more air time then playing an extremely long tani for a concert of 2 hours or 2 hours and 30 mins is key. Ideally 3 hours is best on normal spread and with concert overload of 2 and half hours with right pakkavadyam proportion in margazhi is key.

[srikant1987]

A standard RTP can be accommodated even in a concert of 2 hrs provided you edit the format suitably as sankark has indicated.
[What happens in reality is that RTP is what gets edited!!

I recently heard the second part of a Duddu Radhikka at Srinivasa Shastri Hall. She began a Saraswati RTP around 6 o'clock, when the next concert was to begin at 6:30. She slightly stretched, but it worked all right in the end. There was even a couple of avartanas of tani, and one small song afterwards.

It all depends on the rAga, and also the kind of tempo and energy level of the team at the time. Also, tukkada section may not be a big strength for some artistes, who may prefer to cut it shorter.

[ratanabhinav]

Best way to utilise a 3 hour time slot :
varnam
2 krithis
RTP for atleast 2 hours with elaborate alapana , thanam in ragamalika mode -> atleast 10 to 15 ragas , each for 2 mins , pallavi niraval , etc , ragamalika swaras , thani . This would be even better if it is a ragamalika pallavi .
thukkada for 15 mins
mangalam
This is a show of only manodharmam , manodharmam , manodharmam , and more manodharmam .
The best way to present max number of ragas in succinct form is this .

[Sivaramakrishnan]

ratanabhinav,
Take it easy yaar!
The annual 'Pallavi Durbar' happening in Chennai would immensely satisfy Pallavi fanatics but the 'problem' is that the fare could be too 'technical' keeping one perpetually at the edge of the seat unlike Meccademy in The Season.

[HarishankarK]

I think better to cut submain rather than cut main - because if main is cut neraval may be cut off too
Better have one or two starter songs (15 mins) and then launch into main for about 45mins and keep an hour for RTP with tani and then 15mins for slokam / tukkadas

[jodha]

RTPs don't interest me at all.A concert can survive without RTP.Of course there are programmes like Pallavi darbar for those serous about RTPs.
I don't know what is really there about RTPs that you miss it or long for it while an average rasika (they are the majority)can't even put a adi thalam properly ?The R & T is o.k with me but not the pallavi.

[Nick H]

The R & T is o.k with me but not the pallavi.

I would add neraval and ragamalika swaras to your R & T. The pallavi is an an exercise in laya calculation and virtuosity: at its root, it is a purely mental thing. However, on some occasions, artists do make it into beautiful music too.

I'm not so sure about what I think was the "palalavi darbar" this last year: it had become a) a competitive thing and b) a quick-fire artist after artist thing, not quite as bad as these half-hour-veena programmes but almost. It was, I remember, "curated." Always a bad sign .