T.M.Krishna @ R.R.Sabha, Chennai (26 Jan 2007)

ram · Post by **ram** » 27 Jan 2007, 00:48

Venue: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Auditorium, East Mada St, Mylapore, Chennai

Date: 26 Jan 2007

Organizer: Rasika Ranjani Sabha (R.R.Sabha)

Vocal: Sri T.M. Krishna (TMK)

Violin: Sri Vittal Ramamurthy

Mridangam: Sri B. Ganapatiraman

Ghatam: Sri N. Guruprasad

List of songs:

1) valachi (varnam) - rAgamAlikA - Adi - kothavAsal venkaTrAma iyer

2) bhakti bichamiyyavE - shankarAbharaNam - rUpakam - thyAgarAja (OS)

3) mundu vENu - darbAr - Adi - thyAgarAja (AS)

4) rAga sudhA rasa - AndOLikA - Adi - thyAgarAja

5) vAtApi gaNapatim - hamsadwani - Adi - muthuswAmi dIkshitar (ANST)

6) kANavEnDAmO - srIranjani - rUpakam - pApanAsam sivan

7) pibarE rAmarasam - yamunAkalyANi - Adi - sadAsiva brahmEndra

8 ) krishNam kalaya - mukhAri - Adi - nArAyaNa tIrtar

9) nI nAma rUpa mulaku (mangaLam) - sowrAshTram - Adi - thyAgarAja

(Key: O=raga outline, A=raga alapana, N=neraval, S=kalpana swaram, T=taniavartanam)

One of the many reasons I admire TMK is the fact that despite being one of the busiest musicians around giving so many concerts, he manages to make each one of them a success. Today's concert was yet another example of this. TMK started with the navarAgamAlikA varnam and went on to sing Sri Thyagaraja's "bhakti bichamiyyavE" with kalpana swarams put at the pallavi line. An elaborate alapana of darbAr followed this serving as a prelude to a moving rendition of "mundu vEnu". A fast paced GNB style "rAga sudhA rasa" in AndOLikA came next. It had one of these beautiful sangathis for the words "nAdOnkAra swara" in the charaNam which I can't remember havind heard anyone sing before. What followed next would have surely taken many by surprise. Hamsadwani as the main raga for the day !! A detailed raga alapana was followed by "vAtApi" which I have never before heard being sung anywhere else but at the beginning stages of a concert. TMK did a great job with the alapana, with the kriti rendition and with the neraval and kalpana swarams which were put at "parAdi chatvAri vAgAtmakam, praNavaswarUpa vakratuNDam". I especially loved the slow speed kalpana swarams where TMK kept traversing the lower octave and the lower half of the normal octave.

Sri Vittal Ramamurthy followed TMK well and played in a somewhat restrained fashion. Sri B.Ganapatiraman and Sri Guruprasad were brilliant. Kudos to Sri Ganapatiraman for playing so beautifully for all the songs !! The taniavartanam in Adi talam played by the percussion duo comprised the chatusra and tisra naDais. Here also Sri Ganapatiraman played some really difficult sollus with unbelievable ease.

Remember the famous dialogue from the Bollywood blockbuster Sholay "pachas kos door gaon mein jab koi bacha rota hai toh maa kehti hai: so jaa bete warna Gabbar aa jaayega". In TMK concerts, whenever a mama or mami gets up during the mangalam, his/her neighbours tell him/her: "Baith jaao warna TMK ko gussa aa jaayega (sit down, else TMK will get angry)"

Source: http://ramsabode.wordpress.com/2007/01/ ... a-chennai/

Suji Ram · Post by **Suji Ram** » 27 Jan 2007, 01:10

It is "mundu venuka".
meaning-
mundu- front
venuka-back

ram · Post by **ram** » 27 Jan 2007, 10:12

Thanks suji ram for the correction.

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 06 Feb 2007, 23:38

darbAr sub-main and hamsadvani main? gosh. should have been nice

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 07 Feb 2007, 11:21

TMK seems to have emerged as the "Darbar Vidwan" among the young generation - his alaapanas are simply superb -I've heard him sing it twice at Anna Nagar and KGS...

shripathi_g · Post by **shripathi_g** » 07 Feb 2007, 13:11

His Mundu Venuka is awesome. The best Mundu Venuka I've heard on the concert platform. Of course, MDR's rendition remains my favorite.

sbala · Post by **sbala** » 07 Feb 2007, 13:16

I'm not able to understand the fuss made my artists with regards to people leaving in the middle of a concert or a piece. Yes, I agree it is not a ideal scenario. But, I've seen many artists who leave in the middle of a concert after collecting their awards or after making their long-winded speeches. Is that acceptable? What about latecomers? It has to be the organisers who have to make such rules and monitor and not the artist.

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 07 Feb 2007, 13:36

sbala - none of that is acceptable either. Common courtesy requests that entrances or exits are limited to between items.

A pet hate of mine is when members of the audience start humming, provide vocal support, even to alapanas!

sbala · Post by **sbala** » 07 Feb 2007, 14:13

Yes Mohan. I used to be curious about the humming too but that is a postive distraction, isn't it? Atleast, whoever is doing it is reacting to the concert in their own ways. I could say that putting thalam also falls in the same category.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 07 Feb 2007, 15:13

Those of us who live abroad and don't get the opportunity to attend many live concerts, as a rule, stay for the whole concert. In Chennai where several concerts take place on a given day, the following factors are to be taken into account: latecomers are often those who come directly from work--sometimes, they get delayed by the traffic. Of course, there are a few fashionably late people too.
As for the ones who leave early--autos and buses are not easily available at that hour when concerts end. There are a few other rasikas who are avid listeners but want to attend two concerts which take place within a short distance. They want savor them both.
I like to stay fo the whole concert, but I break the rule occasionally during the season. Otherwise, I can't listen to the youngsters and veterans. The sabha schedules have different timings which makes it difficult. Add to it traffic snarls...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 07 Feb 2007, 15:23

I bet TMK sings DurbAr very well. Haven't had the opportunity to hear him sing mundu venuka. I've heard Neyveli sing it. Quite a treat...

sbala · Post by **sbala** » 07 Feb 2007, 15:45

Actually, this is a question to all the oldtimers (Arasi, you should definitely know!). How was it during the 60s and 70s? Would people stay for the entire concert? Is this a more recent problem?

Or are those people who are complaining (artists and rasikas) doing it because they have seen a system in the West that appears to be better and hence, want to impose the same behaviour here?

To be very honest, I started noticing these problems of time and organisation in India only after my trips to the US. But, nowadays I feel our concert ambience is more natural compared to the discipline (and maybe rigidity) of the West.

rbsiyer · Post by **rbsiyer** » 07 Feb 2007, 16:20

sbala wrote:Or are those people who are complaining (artists and rasikas) doing it because they have seen a system in the West that appears to be better and hence, want to impose the same behaviour here?

To be very honest, I started noticing these problems of time and organisation in India only after my trips to the US. But, nowadays I feel our concert ambience is more natural compared to the discipline (and maybe rigidity) of the West.

there are pros and cons to both environments, and the comparison is really not apt. most western performances are intended to be passively listened to. there is often an element of drama and build-up, for instance in opera. one would hardly like to hear distracting sounds at some cathartic moment or when the tenor is hitting his high C etc. the flipside of this is that even minor transgressions by listeners such as by candy-unwrapping philistines is difficult to tolerate.

carnatic kutcheris are far more replete with such moments/high-points. indeed some times it is an overdose if the performer is not judicious in song/raga/tempi selection and ordering. a classic example is the indulgence in cliched and unduly long kalpana swara climaxes by pedestrian performers. there was one concert i attended this season where vilamba kala kritis in similar ragas followed one after the other. it is difficult for any aesthetically minded rasika to sit through certain kutcheris in their entirety!

also, i do not think most carnatic rasikas listen very closely to the voice production or tonal quality or even basic pitch-perfection. if this were the case many of the so-called top singers of today would be given the go-by! i for one prefer instrumental concerts and the younger vocalists (sri. thiagarajan is a notable exception).

in short i am happy with the relaxed ambience of our concerts; it is very much an intrinsic feature, warts and all.

mri_fan · Post by **mri_fan** » 07 Feb 2007, 23:17

I have noticed in the carnatic concerts I have been to in the US, that they have been just as delayed as the ones here in Chennai....its more of a cultural thing, in my opinion