Vid. Sriram Parasuram Jugalbandi: Vidwat and Fandom

[Sachi_R]

https://youtu.be/SjOPXHGbY2I



I am listening this superb concert featured just 2 days back.

Every time I listen to Vid. Sriram, either on the violin or vocal, I am filled with these thoughts:

1. Here is a complete musician every rasika should admire.
2. Solid in every sense.
3. Has worked very hard at his art.
4. Loves to reach and show insights.
5. Vidwat over all else.
6. Great knowledge of two systems learnt authentically, assimilated, and converted into brain and muscle.
7. Mentions the greats and gurus of both systems with reverence.
8. Willing to explore and share.
9. Always up for a challenge.
10. Mostly greatly enjoyable. I remember his demo at MA and his concert with Akkarai.


why does CM fandom chase the painted storks and peacocks who cultivate fans but miss the really great musicians? Why do real rasikas not follow Vid. Sriram and his ilk? Are we not going to lose class by becoming "mass" followers?

[Sachi_R]

This deafening silence among folks here makes me wonder, has anyone even tried to hear this excellent concert?

[KKishore]

I listened to this link mainly to learn some stuff about CM music as in past i have heard his lecdems on few ragas as well as Late Lalgudi style/baani of violin playing. He's a great teacher who can explain nicely in simple terms that even a beginner can appreciate like me.
Here he covered below pairs of CM-HM ragas that have similarities he explained as well as differences in presentation aspects esp in HM style.
1. Varnam in Pantuvarali/Kamavardhini vs Shree raga of HM whose equivalent or closely resembles to "Gowlipantu" in CM as he explained.
2. Saurashtram vs Ahir-Bhairav of HM (Usually people compare Chakravagham 16th mela of CM with Ahir Bhairav)
(The kriti he sang in Saurashtram was little fast tempo and first time i heard it and i was expecting a usual Meluko Dayanidhi ) .As i was thinking why i couldnt feel the raga he himself explained its due to the nature of kriti & its composition that it had to be grippy.
3. Ranjani vs ShivaBhogi (Ranjani is janya of 59th mela and the song that came to my mind was "Ranjani Niranjani" but he sang a less heard one of Ganapathy Sachidananda swamy -Dattatreya Trimurti) . ShivaBhogi the HM pair it was compared he explained got its name due to fact it sits between Shivaranjani & Abhogi in terms of Praty Madhyamam placement between M1 and P. It was his Guru's invention he mentioned together with his composition.
4. Saramati (which is like sampurnified Hindolam/Malkauns as he put it) vs KaunsiKanada (Again a HM raga that is a combination of Malkauns with an Anga of Kanada) .
He wanted to do comparison of Jaijaivanti vs Dwijavanthi and Shankarabharnam with some some comparison but he ran out of time. He effortlessly switched between the CM and HM styles of singing all the while doing these pairwise raga comparisons as well as educating the audience of how tala flows in HM style of rendering different from CM tala perception by audience. Dr Sriram Parasuram explains a raga with all technical details usually in his lec dems specifying the lakshanas like Graha,Hamsa.Nyasa swaras, phrases/gamakas used etc useful for someone beginner/learning some stuff to appreciate more of CM though it is techincal details.
Disclaimer : I am not a serious CM listener but almost a novice but eager to know few details.

[Sachi_R]

Well done for a self-proclaimed novice, Kishore!

What I liked in this concert was the quality of singing across two systems with great verve and impact. It seemed he tired a bit towards the end but the accompanists carried on very well.

[ram1999]

why does CM fandom chase the painted storks and peacocks who cultivate fans but miss the really great musicians? Why do real rasikas not follow Vid. Sriram and his ilk? Are we not going to lose class by becoming "mass" followers?

The answer is in your question. Music listeners (i will not use the word rasikas as rasikas are supposedly to pocess a superior knowlede of music in comparison) are looking for showbiz, glamour, gimmickry, speed of singing, excessive alaaps, swars, complicated pallavis, long raga alapana etc - all this lightening the classicism of CM, dressed as a punk or too casual or ordained in silk and jewelry . Some music infact makes my head spin (kunnakudi Balamurali singing swarams, Abhisek's raga alapana, Sid Sriram cinematic carnatic music etc etc - all extremely talented musicians, however, lacks the sweetness !!)

Sriram is a a great musician - techincally and musically both in vocal and violin and both in CM and HM, LECDEM and concerts. Solid patantharam, influnce of T Viswa and Smt T Brinda - well educated etc etc etc....
In short - Totally a rounded musician! I have not heard him live however, have heard almost all recordings in YT, His concert particulalrly the ramnad centenary series was fabulous, so was the lecdem on MDR. Scholarly !!

[Sachi_R]