The varnum and the mangalam were well-known pieces. In between came songs probably seldom heard, including some that RV said even BMK had never sung in public.
I'm sorry: I've lost the violinist's name (someone else will provide) but he was a student of RV, so he did have some knowledge of some of this music.
Manargudi Eswaran did not, and I was fascinated to see how he silently observed each new line before playing with perfection for that line as it was repeated and developed. I'm sure that many other mridangists, even experienced ones, would have produced some sarva larghu and adjusted. It was like watching a mridangist play for pallavi --- but not once, but many times in the concert. I regret that I'm fairly new to this senior artist, but each time I see him I become more enthusiastic for his onstage presence, his total involvement with the music, and the touch of gentle joy that his smiles contribute to a program.
After the varnam, RV sang a couple of BMK's more 'revolutionary' compositions, with ragas of only three or four notes. He remarked that BMK is, of course, a performing composer, and his composition has in mind the result on stage. There is certainly an element of drama in some of his songs!
On request from an audience member (it turned out to be our own Jayaram) spent a few minutes talking about coincidence of swara names and sahitya syllables (I've forgotten the technical term) in BMK's music. (Am I right in thinking that this is a technique used more often in Hindustani than in Carnatic music?)
Speaking of Hindustani: one piece was a Padam --- which immediately struck me as Northern in nature. If the accompaniment had been tabla, and I had my eyes shut, I could have been at Hindustani concert during this piece.
Speaking of RV's delivery... to my ear he seems to be, since I last heard him a year or two ago, in a new phase of strength and identity. I talked with him over an excellent lunch in 2003, and mentioned that he had an individual style, despite his devoted following of his teacher. He agreed that this was something that he very much intended to preserve. At a later concert, I was a little disapointed that he seemed to be singing a little too much like BMK.
Yesterday's performance, however, was very much himself. Of course there were echoes of his teacher --- in a performance of one's own guru's compositions, particularly, how could it not be?
By coincidence, my wife had taken a CD of his from some years back and played it only the day before. It is unfair to compare a young artist with their performance when they were even younger, but, the increase in strength and depth of his voice is remarkable.
He has always, it seems, had a liking for the slower composition, or the unhurried rendering. This is something that I find most refreshing. I'm happy to be thrilled by high-energy music, but I'd also like to see more performers slow down more often.
A great concert: heaps of pleasure and heaps of interest.
Not least among the pleasures was meeting up with Jayaram. As usual, I was slow on the uptake to realise who he was (deafness and brain cell condition gets in the way), but we have interacted (The Hindu newspaper's favourite word
) so many times on line here about the London music scene that it was great to make physical contact. Also met up with Vageyakara who was with him. It was nice to have a small pavement (errr, 'platform' in Chennai-speak) meeting after the program, despite the dust caused by the dreadful condition of RK Mutt Road.I look forward to the listings and knowledgeable reviews....
