KUNNAKUDI BALAMURALIKRISHNA IN ARKAY- 8/5/19

Review the latest concerts you have listened to.
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CRama
Posts: 2939
Joined: 18 Nov 2009, 16:58

KUNNAKUDI BALAMURALIKRISHNA IN ARKAY- 8/5/19

Post by CRama »

Single Mike Concert.
Accompanists.
Anayampatti Venkatasubramanian- Violin
Hanumanthapuram Bhoovarahan- Mridangam.
List of songs.
• Varnam- Kalyani- Adi.
• Lekana- Asaveri- T
• Hariharaputhram- Vasantha- MD (R,S)
• Samodam Chinthayami- Sudhadhanyasi- ST (R,N)
• Kamalaptakula- Brindavanasaranga- T
• Meenakshi memudam- Poorvikalyani- MD (R,S)
• Thani
• Mariyada teliyakane- Suruti- T (R)


I left after this song.

The first two songs suffered from mike placement and balancing. The mike was changed and it was better after that. Still the violin was not completely picked up by the single mike.

The kriti Lekana, one of my favourite songs that belong to the SSI school, gave huge promise for a wonderful evening, but it was only partially complied. The raga alapanas of Vasantha, Sudhadhanyasi, Poorvikalyani and Suruti were elaborate with his manodharmam riding high. His voice was in good form and the hall was full with lot of his fans sitting in the front to encourage him. The alapana of Sudhadhanyasi was tooo much stretched. It could have been compressed for better enjoyment. The alapana of Poorvikalyani had a few sruti lapses. Being a mike less (or single mike concert), there was no aggression which you will see in his normal concerts. There was an admirable element of sowkhyam in the concert.

There was elaborate neraval for the lines Syanandoora nagari in the kriti Samodam Chintayami. But no swarams. The main kriti Meenakshi memudam did not have any neraval.

The violin vidwan- Anayampatti Venkatasubramaniam- I do not remember if I have ever heard him. His start of Sudhadhanyasi with the phrase Narayana earned him good applause. But after that, he could not come up to the expectations of the large audience. The Mridangam vidwan—Bhoovarahan- I have never heard him earlier. Don’t know who is his Guru. He was a solid support to the concert. He did not bang. With his sunadam, anticipation, right volume, and deft strokes he embellished the concert suitably. The tani was short and lovely.

HarishankarK
Posts: 2216
Joined: 27 Oct 2007, 11:55

Re: KUNNAKUDI BALAMURALIKRISHNA IN ARKAY- 8/5/19

Post by HarishankarK »

I felt both the alapanais were overstretched and too many pauses in between. I felt this was more like a hindustani concert which dragged on and on in the alapana

I prefer Ariyakudi style - crisp alapanai and plenty of time for thukkadas

It is my observation that in recent past the thukkada section is getting really short and sacrificed for the sake of more time in manodharma (which is mostly repeating many phrases again and again). Mostly nowadays after main piece artiste sings one quick vrittam and a song followed by thillanna and close.
I hope more artistes will include 4-5 thukkaddas in the last part of the concert

HarishankarK
Posts: 2216
Joined: 27 Oct 2007, 11:55

Re: KUNNAKUDI BALAMURALIKRISHNA IN ARKAY- 8/5/19

Post by HarishankarK »

Meenakshi memudam was sung well but some other krithi like Ekaamranaatham or Jnahgara sruthi would have been v welcome

CRama
Posts: 2939
Joined: 18 Nov 2009, 16:58

Re: KUNNAKUDI BALAMURALIKRISHNA IN ARKAY- 8/5/19

Post by CRama »

Harishankark, Please list out the songs after Mariyada teliyakane.

In hindsight, I concur with you that Poorviklaynai was also over stretched- it took about 18 minutes.

HarishankarK
Posts: 2216
Joined: 27 Oct 2007, 11:55

Re: KUNNAKUDI BALAMURALIKRISHNA IN ARKAY- 8/5/19

Post by HarishankarK »

Only one more song
Muruga Muruga ena nee sholl- Hamsanandi- Tanjore Sankara Iyer??
Presented very well -he sang a lot of new sangatis in this one
Pavamana

HarishankarK
Posts: 2216
Joined: 27 Oct 2007, 11:55

Re: KUNNAKUDI BALAMURALIKRISHNA IN ARKAY- 8/5/19

Post by HarishankarK »

Thinking about it now -the alapanai for S.Dhanyasi was slow and dragged which would have suited more a song like Azhaga Azhaga rather than the medium to fast tempo Samodam.
I was expecting Azhaga Azhaga- definitely he sang some phrases invoking this song during alapanai.
Neraval at Syanndoora was superb with lot of manodharmam but should have sung swaras as well to give a full round effect.

CRama
Posts: 2939
Joined: 18 Nov 2009, 16:58

Re: KUNNAKUDI BALAMURALIKRISHNA IN ARKAY- 8/5/19

Post by CRama »

The kriti in Sudhadhanyasi was chosen to take up a detailed neraval. Nowadays it is the fashion to do very elaborate neraval for the sub main and skip neraval for the main song.
Azhaga azhaga will not suit a elaborate neraval. Subramanyena or Narayana will suit.

Any musician singing Samodam Chinthayami will bring memoirs of TRS singing this kriti with his inimitable alapana and swarams, even though he is not a known propagator of Swati Tirunal ktritis. He has put his ineffable stamp on this kriti.

Sivaramakrishnan
Posts: 1582
Joined: 02 Jan 2010, 08:29

Re: KUNNAKUDI BALAMURALIKRISHNA IN ARKAY- 8/5/19

Post by Sivaramakrishnan »

Purvikalyani being a Janya of Gamanasrama, phrases like D S N D P in raga alapanas need to be rendered with adequate coverage of S (shadja) or else it would sound like D N D P which may not be loyal to Purvikalyani.

Youngsters of today who sing in gay abandon often overlook such nuances. There shan't be any 'loose ends' in raga-sancharas.

It is desirable that 'experimentations' on the stage shall be avoided. Only sure sangatis / phrases / bhrigas must be attempted.
Let this be a resolution for the DKP centenary year- artists of the era rich in manodharma seldom 'experimented' during concerts.

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