N.Vijay Siva @ STSVS, Chennai (22 Apr 2007)

ram · Post by **ram** » 22 Apr 2007, 22:01

Venue: Sri Thiagaraja Sangeetha Vidwath Samajam, 5, Thiagarajapuram, Chennai

Date: 22 Apr 2007

Organizer: Sri Thiagaraja Sangeetha Vidwath Samajam (Sri Thiagaraja Jayanthi Concerts Series)

Vocal: Sri N. Vijay Siva

Violin: Sri R.K. Shriramkumar

Mridangam: Sri Manoj Siva

Khanjira: Sri B. Sreesundarkumar

List of songs:

1) sadA bAla rUpApi (slOkam) - hamsadhwani - Adi shankarAcArya

2) nAda tanumanisham - cittaranjani - Adi - thyAgarAja

3) ninnE nera - pantuvarALi - rUpakam - thyAgarAja (NS)

4) evarikai - dEvamanOhari - misra chApu - thyAgarAja (A)

5) srIpatE nIpada - nAgaswarAvaLi - Adi - thyAgarAja (AN)

6) graha balam Emi - rEvagupti - Adi - thyAgarAja

7) raksha beTTarE - bhairavi - Adi - thyAgarAja (AST)

8 ) nI dayacE - yadukulakAmbOji - Adi - thyAgarAja

9) Emani vEgintunE - husEni - Adi - thyAgarAja

10) nI nAma rUpa mulaku (mangaLam) - saurAshTram - Adi - thyAgarAja

11) swasti prajAbhyah paripAlayantAm (slOkam) - saurAshTram

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

Attending a concert at the samajam sitting in front of the sannadhi of Saint Thyagaraja is a different experience. Listening to an exclusive Sri Thyagaraja compositions concert there is blissful. When such a concert is presented by a great singer like Sri Vijay Siva, the experience becomes almost divine. The only crib was the poor audio system which started singing on its own from time to time.

The concert was very enjoyable and left me craving for more when it ended rather soon after 2 hours. I especially loved the nAgaswarALi piece. Sri R.K. Shriramkumar was his usual self accompanying very well for all the songs.

Tainavartanam played by Sri Manoj Siva and Sri B. Sreesundarkumar comprised the chatusra and kanDa naDais followed by misra kuraippu and mOrA and kOrvai in tisra gati.

Met rajeshnat at the concert. Over to him for the detailed review in his inimitable style.

Source: http://ramsabode.wordpress.com/2007/04/ ... i22042007/

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 22 Apr 2007, 22:42

Damn...Rakshabettare is one of my favourites in Bhairavi (among many I must admit!)...terrible that I had to miss it - that too out of sheer inertia....

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 23 Apr 2007, 01:54

Ram,
Thank you for the review. Yes, Sriramkumar accompanying Vijay Siva in a concert is something I wouldn't miss if I could help it (Vijay, you obviously had a punishing work week). I have not heard Manoj Siva play for his bro. I would have liked the ambience too (sound systems are something we can do nothing much about--accept our destiny, hoping that the sound man and performers don't meddle with it further).
Though not a bhairaviphile like you Vijay, I like DKP and DKJ sing raksha beTTarE. So, a miss. I see that one of my favorite rAgAs, yadukula kAmbhoji, is appearing in many concerts now. Haven't heard one of my special kritis in ages--tyAgarAjam bhajarE of MD. Hope someone would render it during the season, and what's more, I would love to know about it in advance, so that I don't miss it

rnswamy · Post by **rnswamy** » 23 Apr 2007, 07:48

It is a pity that the people at the Samajam committed the same error as organizers at other Sabhas. The volume at the concert was unbearable and what should have been a lovely concert by a great musician like Vijaya Siva with great accompaniments became just loud noise. A representation to the one in chrge there was of no avail.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 23 Apr 2007, 09:58

Destiny...

ksrimech · Post by **ksrimech** » 23 Apr 2007, 11:18

Nice selection - evarikai, SrIpatE, nI dayacE

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 23 Apr 2007, 13:43

Every carnatic musician generally puts you in some kind of meditative trance, but vijayashiva puts you early,particularly his slOkham and nAda tanumanisham. Open throated pantuvarAli was nice , particularly the neraval in the line "vEda shAstra purANa vidyalacE" and swaram was again very impressive. devamanOhari was good.

Clearly the day's best was his srIpatE nIpada, the alApanai in nAgaswarAvaLi was very good though I mistook it as bahudAri (my ignorance of nagaswaravali was exposed), the neraval was outstanding in the lines " rAjAdhi rAja ravikOTi tEja pUjinci ", clearly shrutti and layam just becoming one.DKJ's popular raksha beTTarE in bhairavi was sung very good . All the tukkadas were good , but certainly just an 1 hour and 45 minutes concert (7:00 to 8:45pm) was too short.

RKSK played excellently , both returns and alApanais did have the right poruTTam to vijayashiva's style. Manojshiva played good , but I liked this kanjira artist Shree sundarakumar a lot ,very very effortless ,particularly in the last kOrvai of the tani ,there was an absolute synchrornism with manojshiva.

Few cribs:

1.The concert started at 7:00 pm instead of 6:30pm , particularly the appetite for speech by B.rAjam Iyer certainly was excess, Shri MA Krishnaswamy (violinist), did a very good job subtlely pulling out the mike.NGS's Krishnaswamy spoke quite good, he said today was not just thyagarAja jayanthi but sankara jayanthi and ramanuja jayanthi . I did not hear SRJ speaking (perhaps a bad miss).

2.Vidwan MA Krishnaswamy (violinist) was over exuberant . In my opinion mike adjustments was set ok at the end of cittaranjani,inclusive of violinist. All of a sudden when vijayashiva was going all out in the pantuvarAli neraval ,when RKSK was replying , MAK instructing the mikeman and the mikeman promptly removing the mike and replacing with a newer mike was indeed excess.Could he not find a better time to replace mikes than during the neraval of pantuvarAli when vijayshiva was opening up full throttle?

3. Also MA krishnaswamy coming again at 8:32pm at the end of tani , recalling his vivekananda college days of vijayashiva,neyveli and RKSK for 8 full minutes and instructing vijayashiva to sing just 2 more tukkadas

,with the vidwans following what was told, created a premature end to a very good concert.Sometimes I dont know where the problem is , IS it with the organizers who tell when to close or with the vidwans following the instructions, certainly we all lose great music.

The only solace was to watch the immaculate bronze idol of seeing thyagarAja swami, reminds me of a tamil proverb "swami varam kudduthalUm , poosari varam kodukkamAttar(even if God bestows , the archakas of temples block it)"

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 23 Apr 2007, 14:07

now, this is not the first time MAK has hindered a concert in full flow, to bring it to an abrupt stop. I am not surprised at all. Not so long ago, he did the same at another concert at Samajam and the artist did not play the main piece.

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 23 Apr 2007, 14:08

dEvamanOhari and nAgasvarAvaLi for sub main with bhairavi main, its a concert i wish i had attended.

Jigyaasa · Post by **Jigyaasa** » 23 Apr 2007, 15:36

I just LOVED the rendition of the kriti GrahabalamEmi... Somehow reminded me of GuNijanAdinuta in GurjarI composed by Dikshitar which I have heard being sung only by Shri Vijay Siva and Shri DKJ.

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 24 Apr 2007, 21:04

arasi wrote:Haven't heard one of my special kritis in ages--tyAgarAjam bhajarE of MD. Hope someone would render it during the season, and what's more, I would love to know about it in advance, so that I don't miss it

Arasi: I think that could be arranged quite easily. I shall remember this during season-time

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 24 Apr 2007, 21:18

Prashanth,
Thanks! Wish I had your clout! Will remind you well before the season, and you will let me know person, place and time?

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 24 Apr 2007, 21:44

Consider it done, Arasi!

PS: this is one of my favorites too!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 24 Apr 2007, 21:52

Prashanth,
Thanks again. Since I have an idea about your preferences in music, I am pretty sure it would be by one of my favored ones as well...