T M Krishna, Akkarai Subhalakshmi, Ranjani Venkatesh, Atreya - Odakathur UNNATI

[Sachi_R]

Overflowing crowd, great atmos in Odakathur MATH for T. M. Krishna.

For me 4 highlights:
1. Todi Gajavadana
2. Mridangam accompaniment and Tani of Ms RANJANI Venkatesh who got a huge applause.
3. Krishna nee begane sung very soulfully, Krishna asked the percussion to keep quiet, there was a noticeable echo/reverb (added perhaps by the mic man?)
4. Tagore song Mama Chitte sung in Kafi as the finale. Very moving indeed.

I give below the Kafi song and its translation, enjoy!

Musical composition by Tagore:

Mamo chitte niti nritye ke je nache
Tata thoi thoi, tata thoi thoi, tata thoi thoi,
Tari sange ki mridange sada baje
Tata thoi thoi, tata thoi thoi, tata thoi thoi
Hasi kanna hira panna dole bhale
Kape chande bhalo mando tale tale
Nache janmo nache mrityu pache pache
Tata thoi thoi, tata thoi thoi, tata thoi thoi
Ki anando, ki anando, ki anando
Diba ratri nache mukti nache bandho
Se taronge chuti range pache pache
Tata thoi thoi, tata thoi thoi, tata thoi thoi

TRANSLATION:
I wonder, who is that dances in my mind
The eternal dance, rhythmically.
I wonder, how well my soul and body respond
To the meter of the 'MRIDANGA',
The eternal dance, rhythmically.
Swings smile and tears upon the temple jewel-like
Good and the evil pulsate with the rhythm
Keenly follow life and death, dancing along
The eternal dance, rhythmically.
O, what a delight, what a delight,
Confinement and liberation dance alongside day and night,
I follow the wave closely, enjoy running behind it
The eternal dance, rhythmically.

Background history of the song:
Parjaay: Bichitro (6)
Taal: Dadra
Raag: Kafi
Written on: 1910
Collection: Arupratan
Swarabitan: 42 (Arupratan)
Notation by: Surendranath Bandopadhyay




I will let more competent people post a full review.

[arasi]

Sachi,
Sounds like a special concert, and Tagore too, with all those lines!
New to me, the mridangam artiste. Her playing must have been terrific, getting all the applause. Of course, Aniruddh would have excelled too. I don't see the violin. Did Akkarai play the violin or sing with him? After all, it was Krishna's concert, and one can expect surprises of many kinds.

[Sachi_R]

Akkarai played the violin, with rich tone and faithful manodharma. She got a few solo sections too. Especially the first song in Kanada Sukhi Evaro ended and he again took up Kanada tana and gave her the turn after moving to Mohana Kalyani via Hamir Kalyani. She moved from MK to Bilahari, Begada, Purvi Kalyani and back and forth. In Purvi Kalyani he then sang Ninnu Vina Mari..

[Sachi_R]

Here is a Bengali rendition of this Bengali song. Of course TMK slowed it down and sang it in his own way, but a similar tune:
https://youtu.be/uF-W3aJsgI8

[arasi]

That was good, Sachi avarE!

[shreyas]

Any likelihood of a YouTube, especially of Sukhi Evvaro in Kanada? I've been waiting years to hear him sing it, but he never has

Of course, the entire concert would be awesome. What else did he sing?

[shreyas]

Any likelihood of a YouTube, especially of Sukhi Evvaro in Kanada? I've been waiting years to hear him sing it, but he never has

Of course, the entire concert would be awesome. What else did he sing?

[Sachi_R]

Song list AFAIR:
Kanada raga
Sukhi evaro
Swaras
Tana-
Kanada
Hamir Kalyani
Yamuna Kalyani
Bilahari
Purvi Kalyani-
Ninnu Vina mari

Hamsadhvani alapana
Tande Neenu Taayi Neenu - Basavanna Vachana

Bhairavi alapana - led by Akkarai
Song on manual scavenging - Perumal Murugan

Todi alapana
Gajavadana (TMK did some superb swara in the lower octave building on the chiite swara pegged on Ga)
Tani
Applause

Vote of Thanks

Krishna nee begane

Mamo Chitte

There were some 200 youngsters sitting all round. Many would have recorded I think.

25 Aug TMK is performing in Kolkata. I am sure FEA will record and share it.

[shreyas]

Nice to see that there were a lot of young people like myself. As I said, a recording would be brilliant for me, but of course that would have issues of its own. How long was the concert?

[Sachi_R]

6:15 - 9:00 PM
Kindly note that the first post appeared within 60 minutes of the end of the concert.. And getting transport at that time in Ulsoor is not easy

[shreyas]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAs-MkThuHg

I think this is from yesterday's concert? If so, I have some hope

[thanjavooran]

Many thanks Shri Sachi Avl ,
with wishes,
Thanjavooran
12 09 2019

[ark07]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAs-MkThuHg

I think this is from yesterday's concert? If so, I have some hope

Yup. That is definitely from Saturday's concert.

The last two compositions can be found here -> https://www.facebook.com/UtsavSGBS/vide ... 509980181/

He sang the bhairavi composition on manual scavenging in the Bengaluru poetry festival concert last month as well. You can watch here from 50th min -> https://www.facebook.com/BengaluruPoetr ... 870360981/

[Sachi_R]

Thanks, Ark07!

[shreyas]

Thanks! The same person who posted the Hamsadhwani appears to have posted Kanada as well. He started with the anupallavi?

[Sachi_R]

Yes

[arasi]

Sachi avarE,
The mridangam player is someone new to me. Whose student is she? Sukanya Ramgopal's?

[Sachi_R]

Ok guys more uploads from this concert on YT... Check it out. For me Todi was the stand-out item, yet to be uploaded.

Arasi,
She is a student of Vid N. G. Ravi.
See her story here

[shreyas]

I assume the Thodi was at least an hour long? I just want to listen to it for a long time considering how good you say it was.

[Sachi_R]

Don't remember how long... But he sang it well

[ark07]

I assume the Thodi was at least an hour long? I just want to listen to it for a long time considering how good you say it was.

I don't think it was an hour-long because he didn't sing an extensive alapana - just a 2 minute sketch. The swaras were amazing in Thodi, especially the first round of chittai swaras where he sang without the mridangam, ganjira.

[hnbhagavan]

T M Krishna is very much above many SangeethaKalanidhis in his Knowledge,Music rendition and his concerts are way above an average Carnatic Music Concert.What a treat to the audience with great challenges to accompanists.Akkarai Subhalakshmi is the most able accompanist to TMK.

[Sachi_R]

Yes, speaking specifically of this concert, TMK first could not muster his voice or manodharma. Same was the case with Akkarai's playing. Early on it was clear Ms. Venkatesh was playing well and making a big difference.

The ragamalika tanas and Purvi Kalyani raised the bar a bit (the song has a very unique Viloma Chapu gait). Hamsadhwani was very good but brief.

Bhairavi didn't stir me. Todi was when everybody had warmed up and gave the fare that did justice to their reputation.

I have already mentioned the other positives.

All this shows Krishna's calibre. How an artiste rises to the occasion and gives those memorable moments to the eager rasikas makes all the difference. This very thread is proof of that!

Anyway as and when Todi is also uploaded, I hope all of us enjoy it as much as I did that day

[shreyas]

aaaaaand.... it’s up!

[Sachi_R]

Ok, I made a playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... K2t76GIjE3

The last two items are on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/UtsavSGBS/vide ... 509980181/

[shreyas]

Are any of you going for his concert tomorrow at Shankar Mutt? I would love to know what all sings. I can predict a few, judging by his kind of irritating habit of singing the same songs again and again.

Krishna Nee Begane Baro
O Rangasayi
Some secular songs
Some Perumal Murugan song

are bound to be there.

I mean, I am probably the closest you could get to being an unflinching follower of TMK but this is the one aspect of his music that is quite off-putting. Look at some of his older songlists (I think I put up a giant list somewhere viewtopic.php?t=32973): there's so much variety. Now it's just picking from a pool of like 40 songs out of which 20 are repeated everywhere.

Back to topic: Would love to see a review up here...

[ark07]

Are any of you going for his concert tomorrow at Shankar Mutt?

Tomorrow's concert is not at Shankar Mutt but at Rangashankara, a theatre in Bangalore. The concert starts from 9:30 PM and is part of a theatre and arts festival on Equality, if I am not wrong, so don't expect a full-fledged Carnatic concert. Also in the program schedule poster or his tweets there was no mention of any accompanists so he might be giving a short solo performance. I'll try to make it but it's quite a bit of travel from my part of the city so I can't promise you but if I do attend, I'll definitely send you the song list.

BTW he's performing next month also in Bangalore at Shankar mutt in Malleshwaram. I don't know if the dates are confirmed but I'll definitely attend that one as it is closer to where I live.

[Sachi_R]

I was tipped off about Ranga Shankara. Sold out. It is called a kattaikoottu program.

[ark07]

It's not ticketed, sir. Entry is free.

It is definitely not a koothu program. On their website it clearly says that it is 'Carnatic Music by T M Krishna' - http://www.rangashankara.org/festival2019/

[Sachi_R]

[Sachi_R]

Stop Press
Yes there is TMK today at Ranga Shankara.
Free concert.
Time 9:30 PM

Called Mehfil.

Sorry for the confusion.