sikkil gurucharan@vanimahal on April 27th,2007

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 30 Apr 2007, 23:34

Accompanied by KumbakOnam MR GOpinAth - violin , neyveli skanda subramaniam - mridangam and Ernakulam rAmakrishnan - ghatam
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3.nannu viDici(R,S) - reetigowLai - T
4.panchanadeesha pAhimAm bhavAneesha sarvEsha - poornachandrika? - ?

5A. soodayiN mani kaNmani oppathu? "viruttam" - malayamArutham? -?
5B. anumAne sAmikku intha adayAlam sollumaiyA - malayamArutham?- AK

6A. kamalAmbAam bhaja re(R N S T) - kalyAni - MD
alApanai for 12 minutes , 6 minutes of violin return,9 minutes of krithi rendition, 5 minutes of neraval and 10 minutes of swaram.
6B.tani - 13 minutes
7. sA pashyat kausalyA - jONpuri - tiruppayanam pancApakEsha shAstri

8A. kunitha puruvamum "viruttam"- kamAs - kambar
8B. idathu padam thooki Adum - kamAs - pApanAsam sivan
9. nenjukkU needhiyum .... Om shakthi Om - rAgamaligA- ??
10. tillana dheem nadhiru dheem tanana "shri kara suguna gambheera" - kApi- thanjavur ponniah pillai?
11. kAdi MOdhi vAdhAdum - candrakowns - thiruppugazh
12. pavamAna

I went at 7:10 pm ,the concert was scheduled to start at 06:30pm, assuming I would have missed first two(someone can fill up before reetigowlai).As I entered GOpinAth was just beginning his alApanai of reetigowlai.Gurucharan sang this krithi in a slow pace and was quite good, perhaps what was missing is more gamakam which reetigowlai intrinsically posesses.

The next krithi panchanadeesha was very good ,I did hear the venketesa phrase and it was a sanskrit krithi and the rAgam resembled poornachandrika , though not sure with either. A splendid viruththam followed in malayamArutham , nice lyrics and a fantastic arunachala kavi krithi followed .He rendered with a right dose of emotive syrup.

kalyAni followed as a main , certainly he sang it elaborately for full 12 minutes.The navaaVarna krithi diction for 9 minutes was nice. Gurucharan gave a nice start to neraval in the lines "sadguruguhajananim nirAnjanIm", but did not do too well in the mEl kAlam of neraval. The swarams were quite good , but still felt the notes of swaras he could hold it little longer with a more voice strength(noticed the same in reetigowla).

I always think my 2 favourites (mmi and ssi) singing jOnpuri with their respective outstanding numbers eppa varuvArO and sA pashyat kausalyA , the key in jOnpuri is you have to go in 100% full throttle . I felt gurucharan needs more time to get there , but the rendition was very good. He pronounced the first phrase as chA pashyat instead of sA pashyat.

The days best was his kamAs viruththam ,and the followup of idathu padam, very very aesthetically delivered and was outstanding. The next rAgamaliga , I was hearing for the first time, it was semi classical number and was just ok. The tillana in kApi was very good and his last thirupugazh was excellent (though my head swayed from candrakowns to kalyanavasantham, simply because of my ignorance)

gOpinath played good to very good , there were few occasions which produced a bit squeaky sound. skanda subramaniam played with lot of energy, he had to compensate for rAmakrishnan who was just ok. Tani was quite good.

meena · Post by **meena** » 30 Apr 2007, 23:48

Pancha nadisha pahimam is patnam's
Nenjukku nitiyum is SB's

meena · Post by **meena** » 30 Apr 2007, 23:52

Lji

can u pl. post the thillana, thanks

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 01 May 2007, 00:04

dhIm nadhru. rAgA: kApi. Adi tALA. Composer: Chinniah (TQ)

P: dhIm nadhru dhIm dhIm tanana tatara tAni udana dhIm dhIm tanana
A: nAdhru dhir dhIm tom dhri dhIm dhImta
nadhiranA udana tOm tatananam tOm tanana
(sholkaTTu svara)
tAhata jhom tarikiTa taka takaNaka takajhoNu taka dhimi takum tarikiTa
taka dhittiLAngu takatOm taLAngu takatOm tadingiNatOm
C: shrIkara suguNa gambhIra karuNAkarA shrtajana mandArA
shrI cAmarAjEndra kavijana samAja bhOjarUpa vidhita manasija

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 01 May 2007, 00:22

8A. kunitha puruvamum "viruttam"- kamAs - kambar

kunitta puruvamum kovvaic cevvAyiR kumiN sirippum is by appar (aka tirunAvukkarasar)

tirumuRai: 4:81.4 (or 4.783)

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 01 May 2007, 00:51

Rajesh,
nenjukku nIdiyum is one of Bharatiyar's songs set to tune by K Venkatraman, and sung by Smt. MSS in an album created to benefit Shankar Netralaya in Madras. SG sings many of Smt MSS's signature pieces (probably because she was his cousin (Mala Chandrasekhar's) grand mother-in-law)....and I read somewhere that he did learn some songs from Mala's MIL - Smt. Radha Viswanathan.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 01 May 2007, 07:28

Ravi,
Mala Chandrashekhar would be his aunt, wouldn't she?

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 01 May 2007, 07:35

arasi wrote:Mala Chandrashekhar would be his aunt, wouldn't she?

Yes, his chitti.

See http://www.sikkilgurucharan.com/myguru.php and http://www.sikkilgurucharan.com/family.php

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 01 May 2007, 14:01

meena wrote:panchanadeesha pAhimAm bhavAneesha sarvEsha is patnam's

meena,
I am always assuming that patnam only wrote in telugu . Since it is a sanskrit composition could that be one of dikshitar's (may be ambi or ramaswamy dikshitar...).

Lji,
Can u please crosscheck?

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 01 May 2007, 15:53

rajesh: paTnam did compose songs in sanskrit also e.g. shri panCanadISam in sahAnA which Sri Sanjay sings often.

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 01 May 2007, 17:48

Yes. He composed several songs in samskrt.

bhajarE mAnasa shrI - suguNabhUSaNi
hara hara smara - mangaLakaishiki
caraNa of sindhubhairavi tillAnA
naravara raghunandana - maNirangu
nijadAsa varada - kalyANi
pAlaya shrI pancanadIshvara - shankarAbharaNa
pancanadIsha pAhimAm - pUrNacandrikA
pancApakEshvarENa - rAmapriyA
raghuvamsha subhAmbudhi - kadanakutUhala
sarasIruhAsana - brndAvanasAranga
shrI pancanadIsham - shahAnA
shrIkara raghuvIra - sarasvati

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 01 May 2007, 18:38

Lji,
Just looking at the above list, I have only heard nijadAsa and raghuvamsa(not heard the rest of sanskrit krithis) . Possibly the sanskrit of Patnam is so different from Dikshitar and musically Patnam is so close to thyagarAjar that I was always conditioned that patnam wrote in telugu. Thank You

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 03 May 2007, 11:12

rajesh, if one hears the sahAnA piece 'srI panCanadISam', without knowing the author, one would expect the mudra 'guruguha' than the 'vEnkaTEsa'. Atleast, i did expect it the first time i heard the kriti.

ram · Post by **ram** » 03 May 2007, 12:56

Rajesh,

I could not attend this concert but got the info that there were three songs before rItigauLa:

1) nIvE gatiyani (varnam) - naLinakAnti - Adi - lAlguDi g. jayarAman
2) sidhi vinAyakam - shanmukhapriyA - rUpakam - muthuswAmi dIkshitar (OS)
3) varasikhi vAhana - supradIpam - Adi - thyAgarAja (OS)

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 08 May 2007, 17:19

The Hindu's review
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/05/04/stor ... 880500.htm

coolkapali · Post by **coolkapali** » 08 May 2007, 17:59

I get irritated when i see reviews like this ( the link above )....its very easy to comment.....one knows how diffiult it is to execute on the stage only if he/ she is a performer..........comments like" to diplay his scholarship" are uncalled for.
Ppl must ponder over the efforts that has gone in before performing on the stage.....before they unveil their comments...

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 08 May 2007, 19:09

Yes, it is difficult to perform on the stage. But so is cooking a mouth-watering aviyal, or synthesizing a difficult compound in the chemistry lab, or reviving a failing company. But nobody fogives failures--definitely not the critics. It is their job to point out failures, not to perform perfectly. It is also like the report of journalists--report it as they see it and analyze it. No sympathy (which can be latent but not expressive). Besides, should we praise all singers all the time? Don't they fall short--just like everybody else in other professions?

sbala · Post by **sbala** » 08 May 2007, 19:32

I think reviving a failing company is easier than taking a successful company to the next level. But thats a discussion for a management forum. SVK's reviews are ideal material for a GRE/CAT reading comprehension. Why can't they atleast list the songs with the raga, thalam and composer (like how our reviewers do it)? It's not very different from the scoreboard in the sports section.

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 08 May 2007, 19:48

SVK's and other critics' view regarding the listing is "why bother with the obvious"? The critics are not basic educators. They are reviewers who evaluate the performance of a singer on a given day at a given venue. What they write about the performance of the same singer may change from day to day and place to place depending on the mood, preparation, and delivery of the singer. Of course, they (the critics) are also human and not without bias. But that is another story. Excoriation of the critics can and do take place but their criticism is not without merit; otherwise they would be out of their jobs.

Just to cite an incident in an episode of "nUpur" the tele-serial:
Hemamalini's performance was criticized by the reviewer (Harihara Sarma?). Hemamalini was fuming and wanted to give a piece of her mind to the ciritic. She goes to his house and starts asking the critic some basic questions about nirtya and abhinaya. He calms her down and tells her where exactly she failed. To prove the point he calls his wife who was a dancer (but quit dancing due to arthritis), asks her to dance while sitting while he sings "parulanna mATa .." in kApi. When the demo was over, we see Hemamalini eating a humble pie!

sbala · Post by **sbala** » 08 May 2007, 19:56

So, who is SVK writing the review for? For himself, or for the artiste or for the readers. What do I get from reading his review except that Gurucharan didn't sing well. He could have said the same thing in one line rather than showing his "English scholarship". Fine, dont list the songs as it's so obvious (it isn't so obvious to me and we see even experts make mistakes in this forum). But if there was something unique about the raga elaboration or thani, make a mention. A review should have some technical content as well and should not just be a vehicle to show-off your writing skills.

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 08 May 2007, 20:07

Yes, it is part show, part content.

We are all very familiar with flowery language in describing the performance of musicians in certain write-ups (especially the printed handouts) during concerts and also the introductory speeches by the sponsors. That is their selling job. Also, haven't you seen realtors describing a rundown property as "prime real estate for a brand new beginning"?. Yes, it is all marketing. Recently I read in a website (mentioned in this forum) of a young (10-yr old) bharathanatyam dancer that she "flew independently to Singapore". I wondered whether she actually flew the plane or just rode it.

Reviewers too have their ego. They feel good about using language with a good sprinkling of resplendent words--just like icing the cake.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 08 May 2007, 23:32

This is not about any critic in particular.
A list of songs has not been a newspaper critic's habit. Yet, our own reviewers do it, taking pains (and they are not paid for it)--and it is a plus. Important newspapers' critics do not work elsewhere, I presume. I am glad the sports writers' example has been brought in. Do you expect a sportswriter to walk in at will and leave the game when he pleases? The forum critics, if they are late, it is because they have to be at their work place until whatever time they are expected to be.
Constructive criticism: a critic's job is to educate those who were there at the concert as well as those who weren't. Expressive language helps, but it can't make a sound critic. Yes, he has to be candid about the performance which may also help the performer realize what he did not deliver. However, criticism is about a few pats on the back for the good points of the concert. This is the strength of a good critic. He would encourage the musicians and encourage the public too--to go to concerts. After all, isn't that what we all hope for--to keep CM hale and healthy?
Another thing--artistes, specially when they are young, do need to hear caring words from critics (who are also music lovers, we presume)--even if their words happen to be critical in nature. Considering that many of today's performers are well educated and are professionally trained in some cases, isn't there a risk of losing them in the CM arena if they are battered with one nasty review after the other?
A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down and then we might listen to them sing in a most delightful way...

By the way, years ago, one of my neighborhood kids said his dream was to be like Donald Trump. I hope would-be critics won't say they want to be the next Subbudu (forgetting his merits and holding on to the invective alone)!

shishya · Post by **shishya** » 08 May 2007, 23:54

Something not pertaining to music but we could benefit from it:

http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/pope01.html

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 09 May 2007, 02:28

All said and done, it is not the reviewer's job to promote CM. His/her job is to just review the good/bad aspects of the performance. Some may concentrate more on the shortcomings. It is just their personality. The caustic comments of Subbudu are remembered forever but who knows the service rendered by him--especially those musicians who improved their performances by rectifying their shortcomings? Did anybody ever come out in the open and declare that they benefited by Subbudu's comments? They too remember the harsh words but not the effect of those words on their future performances.

Just to extend the cuisine analogy: if the aviyal is sub-par and the person who eats it profusely compliments the cook on his/her culinary skills , the aviyal's quality will keep deteriorating further (to the detriment of future victims who happen to eat that).

I understand that we get offended if our favorite performer is criticized. But if somebody is our favorite, we should ignore such criticism and plod ahead. If a performer is really good and the criticism is unjust, the majority of the audience who happen to like it will continue to throng to listen to him/her. So no harm is done. The cream will rise to the top!

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 09 May 2007, 02:51

No one is questioning the role of the critic. It is the method that is adopted by the HINDU crtics that reeks.
I guess it all boils down to constructive criticism versus caustic/destructive criticism. As Indians, we have eons of culture behind us that tells us that we should be gaurded in our praise because who knows when an evil eye will be cast (kahIn khud ki nazar nA lagE!)...and at the same time, we are experts at criticising and finding fault.
I think, as we embrace globalization, we need to be ready to change - offer something positive at the start and the end of the crtique, and sandwich the negative in between. If SVK (the reviewer in this case) found nothing positive, he could have kept quiet and said nothing at all. I did not appreciate a tone of 'here are some areas you can improve on' anywhere in the review. It was all written from the vantage point of someone sitting high up on his hobby horse, and lecturing the unfortunate artist. If critics genuinely cared for the art and artists, they'd stop being critics and learn to review instead, and learn to convey their opinions to the artist in a way that would make sense and would be welcomed, and at the same time, they'd be able to let the reader who was not able to go to the concert undertand the concert pattern.
All SVK has done in this review is to stir the ire of the artist and leave me with a feeling of not knowing what was presented and in what format.

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 09 May 2007, 02:52

Not sure if I read the same review as the others here. I found SVK's review quite balanced, and he did mention the items sung - he may have left the thukkadas, perhaps. It's more interesting to read what a reviewer has to say about a concert rather than go thru just a listing of the songs. The review format here need not form the only basis for other reviewers.

rasam · Post by **rasam** » 09 May 2007, 04:34

I dont know why we even bother reading SVK's reviews. All he has is an acid tongue and zero musical knowledge. The only benefit of reading his crap is that you might be intrigued by a particular methaphor or some esoteric word he copied off Rogets.

Edit: I just re-read my post. 'Methaphor'? Of course, I meant 'metaphor', the idiot that I am.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 09 May 2007, 08:01

Shishya,
Thanks for your Pope post. Many interesting lines about criticism, but I would just cite this: So vast is Art, so narrow human wit.

rajumds · Post by **rajumds** » 09 May 2007, 10:49

mahakavi wrote:All said and done, it is not the reviewer's job to promote CM.

A reviewer has defintely a role in promoting CM (alteast to keep his column going

). He is very much a part of the system which includes the rasikas & the artists and the reviewer has an advantage of a wider reach.

A reviwer has to be sensitive and has to bring out the highlights of the concert and also point out the short comings of the concert.

coolkapali · Post by **coolkapali** » 09 May 2007, 13:43

Ppl, this is not the first time I am coming across a review like this by SVK.....i remember him critisizing Unnikrishnan. "This highly over rated singer ,with his popularity, thinks he can get away , however he sings." . This was not the exact t sentence he used, but more or less the same. It was for a review that appeared during the Music season some years ago. The same report also critisized the Carnatica Brothers," Their gestures speak more than their music". Now isnt this just to provoke some controversy and to gain popularity in an unscrupulous manner. I agree with Arasi, it is important for reviewers to indulge in constructive critisicm than coming up with Hot and Selling write ups.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 09 May 2007, 14:07

Ah ! That same old subject.
Rajesh ..we should check up if it is Oscar Wilde's birthday today .

â€¦..each of the arts has a critic ,as it were ,assigned to it.

The actor is the critic of the drama.

The one characteristic of a beautiful form is that one can put into it whatever one wishes ,and see in it whatever one chooses to see ;
and the Beauty that gives to creation, its universal and aesthetic element ,makes the critic a creator in his turn .
And whispers of a thousand different things which were not present in the mind of him who carved the statue or painted the panel ,or graved the gem.

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 09 May 2007, 15:49

SVK's reviews are mild compared to what Subbudu dished out. And Subbudu is praised as a critic's critic. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that SVK is still busy today at his keyboard...?

And the comment about SVK's flowery language...well, I wonder if the current SMS culture has reduced people's ability to comprehend words that are longer than 6 letters?

Sathej · Post by **Sathej** » 09 May 2007, 16:20

I don't quite understand the necessity od coments like '...seemed more to display scholarship because both the raga and the kirtana were unfamiliar to most of the rasikas and 'The role of ghatam player Ernakulam Ramakrishnan was minimal.' These do not serve any purpose at all.
Sathej