R.Suryaprakash at Madurai Satguru Samajam 2-10-2007

mridhangam · Post by **mridhangam** » 08 Oct 2007, 12:16

R.Suryaprakash -Vocal
MRGopinath - Violin
Mannarkoil J Balaji - Mridangam

Actually i wanted to review the concert first and go to the jocular part of the whole issue of concert planning. But i am going to do exactly the reverse and take you into the realms of Sury's good music.

We had an excellent accommodation at Samajam, Madurai. After lunch we were relaxing and around 4.45 organisers came to our room to greet us. As this concert was part of a series of concerts and also Sury being the last day artiste they gave a big list of songs that were sung and also gave the list of main ragas thereby exhasting all possibilites of a good raga delineation like Kalyani, Kambhoji etc.

As soon as the organisers went i was just jocularly telling Sury that next time if ever he sings in a festival he should accept the inaugural concert and sing all the major ragas in a wide and exhaustive list so that the last day artiste is not left with any choice at all except for Rasikapriya, NaasikaBhooshani etc.... and we had quite a laugh after the organisers left our room.

Leaving apart the above i sincerely felt even with the handicap of major ragas being taken away by other artistes, the calibre of sury stood out in such a level that he produced a marvellous concert with the following list mingling a rainbow of aesthetic ragas with artistry and beauty.

1 : Naada Thanumanisham - Chitaranjani-Adi-Tyagaraja
2: Iniyaginum Ninai - Poorvikalyani-Rupakam-Ambujam krishna
3: Yochana-Darbar-Adi-Tyagaraja
4: Annapoorne-Sama-Adi-Dikshar
5: Anupamagunambudi-Ataana-K.Chaapu-Tyagaraja
6 : Kapali-Mohanam-Adi-Papanasam Sivan
7: RTP Shanmukhapriya - Khanda Triputa - Words : Mahatma Mani Mozhi Vazhi Nadappom ;
Maaperum Thalaivan Gandhi
8: Miscellaneous and Mangalam

Sury has a flowing voice with a beauty of Raga essays and soothing swara prasthaaras which give ample scope for accompanists to explore the immense variety of Sarvalaghu. He has a good grip over laya as much as he holds his grip on swaraprasthara and Raga essays. He has a nice vision and his raga build-ups are of creative value.

As i already told if he had planned his concert his plans would hv gone helter-skelter at around 5.00 just 90 min before the concert as the organisers gave a big list of not-to-sing ragas. Sury always has a flair for selecting nice songs and also most of them on the spot. I dont know whether he planned in the remaining 90 odd minutes abt his concert or he proceeded to come blank to the stage to give the scintillating array of kritis of which both the audience and the artistes were happy.

His Mohanam and Shanmukhapriya needs special mention with pallavi taking about a little more than 45 min.

Pallavi start 1/2 akshara after samam of Khanda Jaati Triputa Tala

Ma hat ma ma ni mo zhi va zhi na da (pom) Arudi Kaarvai 3 beats
1/2 1 1 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 1/2 1 1 1/2 1
Maa Perum Thalaivan Gandhi
1 2 1 1/2 1 1

Pallavi was rendered in trikaalam with tisram from arudi. Swaras had raga maalika swars in the ragas Nalinakanti and Brindavanasaranga.

M.R.Gopinath followed the main artiste like a shadow and wherever required just gave the best of his accompaniment skills both in raga expressions as well as in swara combinations.

I played a Tani in Kapali Kriti.

The concert was a 2 1/2 hour delight. Poor aspect being the poor turn out of the audience which later we learnt that was the best crowd during the festival series. Anyway nothing to rue about the audience though. One notable dignitary was the Great Nadaswara Vidwan MPN Ponnuswamy who sat through major portion of the concert and blessed us.

Mannarkoil J Balaji

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 08 Oct 2007, 12:39

...he should accept the inaugural concert and sing all the major ragas in a wide and exhaustive list so that the last day artiste is not left with any choice at all ...

It looks like Suryaprakash did a fine job in the face of this last minute challenge. Congratulations!!

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 08 Oct 2007, 16:10

Thanks for that inputs Balaji sir...sad that crowd turnout is so poor in such a tradition-oriented city

mdrgnb · Post by **mdrgnb** » 08 Oct 2007, 17:33

Repetitions do make the listeners experience a bit jaded. Often, a rasika would want to reminisce the good parts of a concert for a few days - humming a raga phrase or a krithi.

During the Chennai Music season/hoopla, it becomes jaded for a rasika after sometime due to repetitions (same raga, same krithi, same venue) on successive concerts on the same day or the very next day.

The most often repeated krithis/ragas are : Enduku Peddala - Sankarabarnam, Koluva Maragadha - Thodi, Chakkani Raja - Karaharapriya, Marivere - Anandha Bhairavi, Appa Ramabakthi - Pantuvarali, Yochana - Dubrar, Sobillu - Jaganmohini, Meru Samana - Mayamalavagowla, ...

I have often wondered, even if the artist wants to sing Sankarabaranam; I presume it can be done as a sub-main - Bakhthi Biskha or Bagumeera or Rama Ninnuvina which are rarely heard, or the many,many other compositions in thodi - Munnu Ravana, Ninne Nammi Nanu, .... or Ninnuvina Gathigana - Kalyani, Vadera Dhaivamu - Pantuvarali, Vidulaku Mrokeda - Mayamalavagowla, Palukaveminadaivama - Poornachandrika many of these are rarely heard in concerts.

The convergence of raga choices, krithis and also the common approach to the raga would lessen the raskika experience.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 08 Oct 2007, 20:47

I think the last minute springing of the 'surprise' (ha!) of a long list of 'don't sing these' was uncalled for. Suryaprakash was sportive about it and reworked his concert at the very last moment. If the organizers were that particular, they could have at least asked the performers ahead of time to decide on their main rAgA.This does not apply to tukkadAs, of course. Otherwise, kATRinilE varum gItam and kuRai onRumillai (beautiful songs, no doubt) would not be the diet of every other performer!
We have to commend Suryaprakash on his dealing with a rather tricky, last minute thing in good humor and on making the most out of the thorny situation.
In a way, when vidvAns with a knowledge of very many kritis opt to sing the same old stuff, this situation could be a challenge for some, I suppose. Being a willing and knowledgeable performer made Suryaprakash give a lively performance, no matter.

Two things are obvious here. 1. The organizers need to be more sensitive in making demands at the last minute.
2. The performers should not keep singing the same old songs because they assume the rasikAs like to hear those songs for ever--especially when they can draw from their repertoire of hundreds of songs!
It is a nice auditorium. Pity, the hall wasn't filled. I see that Suryaprakash sang 'iniyAgilum ninai manamE' of Ambujam Krishna who was after all instrumental in getting a nice auditorium for Madurai, many years ago.