Sikkil Gurucharan

Ramamahadevan · Post by **Ramamahadevan** » 07 Jan 2008, 16:45

Surprisingly there have been no reviews of any concert by Sikkil Gurucharan for the season .. He is one of the youngsters who has a very bright future ahead.. Since I stay at Mumbai and attend most of his concerts here, I wanted to know about his concerts this season. Could anyone post a review ....

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 07 Jan 2008, 18:24

I was wondering too. I did not get a chance to hear him this season.

Svaapana · Post by **Svaapana** » 07 Jan 2008, 19:38

I heard a lovely a concert by Sikkil Gurucharan at the Music Academy on the 30th December. The following were the major tiems:
Gananayakam - Purnashadjamam -Adi -MD
Intakan - Bilahari - Rupakam - T
Sri Dakshinamurthi - Phenaduthi - Adi - MD
Janani Mamava â€“ Bhairavi â€“ Misra Chapu - ST
RTP _ Purvikalyani
Purvikalyani alapana was beautifully sung in three octaves. The pallavi line was something like this: madumadamohita hridaye sadaye mahadeva sundareswara priye gamakakriye. SG has a very presentable voice and utilizes it fully. His tara sthyai sancharas are clear and brings out the raga swaroopa nicely. Very classical indeed. I fully enjoyed the concert. Hope he gets into the senior slot next year. I had to come out at the end of RTP, to stand in the queue for the next concert. AGA Gnasundaram (violin) was not impressive. There were many slips. I missed the Thani by Trivandrum Balaji.

vageyakara · Post by **vageyakara** » 07 Jan 2008, 19:54

Sikkil is a up-and coming artist. He should not have any SIKKAL with regard s to accompanying artists.I think the organisers will look into this aspect sooner than later.

jananee · Post by **jananee** » 07 Jan 2008, 20:07

I too heard a very nice concert of Sikkil Gurucharan in KGS on 25th Dec morning..very poor crowd though..Will try to find the list of items n post later...i do remember he sang Sumasayaka in Karnatak Kapi.

vageyakara · Post by **vageyakara** » 07 Jan 2008, 20:40

I think sumasayaka is kriti of S.thirunAL

dhanyasi · Post by **dhanyasi** » 07 Jan 2008, 21:13

Sumasayaka is very (very very very ) similar to a telegu padam sarasalanu by the tanjore quartet... there were some serious plagiarism by one of the two...

gobilalitha · Post by **gobilalitha** » 08 Jan 2008, 06:34

why should we use a strong word like plagiarism, can't we say similarity ? similarity can convey any meaning, you want . gobilalitha

kmrasika · Post by **kmrasika** » 08 Jan 2008, 11:59

dhanyasi wrote:Sumasayaka is very (very very very ) similar to a telegu padam sarasalanu by the tanjore quartet... there were some serious plagiarism by one of the two...

Ok.. well, lets just say the tune was borrowed. There's been a lot of this going on:

1. A few months ago I heard a tillAnA in hindOLam the words of which were ditto the one of daNDAyudhapANi piLLai's save for the caraNam and ending collukaTTu svarams.

2. tirukEndIShvara mahAlinga (kAnaDA - santAnam) is based on bAlamuraLikr.shNA's br.hadIShvara mahAlinga.

3. The tAna varNam, ShrI rAjarAjEShvari (mAyAmALava gauLa) has the exact tune of Om praNava vimala (by kUrainATTu naTESha piLLai).

And they're probably many others.

apasruthi · Post by **apasruthi** » 08 Jan 2008, 14:45

I also heard the MA concert of Sikkil Gurucharan on the 30th Dec as reviewed by Svaapana. Again a packed house (Sunday afternoon, Sikkil effect! + Sanjay concert later in the day). The front row illuminaries included Sri Govinda Rao, Sri Trichur Ramachandran and Smt. Mala Chandrashekhar (SG's cousin), atleast among those I noticed.

He had once again rendered a nice BhAva filled rendition, however for a post-prandial concert in an Academy environment, his selection of the first three songs were so tranquillising, and one had to fight the siesta. I wish if he could have taken a few stronger and faster numbers to keep us awake. Janani mAmava was a good selection, but at the time of swara singing there was something amiss to bring the full majesty of the song, perhaps the "eduppu" in the swaram on the tAla could have been a problem.

But the worst part of the concert was the violin playing by A G A, making so many glaring mistakes in BhAiravi niraval and swaram and finally fouling up on the tAlam also. It was a very miserable landing by him on the Janani mAmaVa final swaram which left a very bad taste to an otherwise majestic song of Navarathri mandapam.

Trivandrum Balaji's tani and in general his accompaniment was excellent, and gave a very good support. Special mention is required for his following of the Gamakakriya pallavi rendition.

The best part was to start after that with the Viruttam, but I had to leave to escape the stampede thereafter ( the long snake like queueing for Sanjay's concert)

Apasruthi

saravanan · Post by **saravanan** » 08 Jan 2008, 21:27

Mrs. Mala is SG's chitti not cousin.

I guess our Balaji sir played for Gurucharan to a packed audience in the season.May be he can give a review of the concert eventhough it is late.Please Balaji sir can we have the expert comments??

saravanan · Post by **saravanan** » 08 Jan 2008, 21:31

Clarification - I meant Mannarkoil Balaji sir.

jananee · Post by **jananee** » 08 Jan 2008, 22:02

Since we are on the topic of gurucharan any views on his recent albums..madirakshi n maaya along with Anil Srinivasan?

anandabhairavi · Post by **anandabhairavi** » 08 Jan 2008, 22:24

That would come in album reviews not here .

mridhangam · Post by **mridhangam** » 10 Jan 2008, 17:07

Thank you Mr.Saravanan. I shall give you the review shortly. i played the concert in Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan on 27th November 2007 to a packed hall. He sang with lot of bhava and his laya control is simply excellent. i shall post the review of the concert after looking at my recording. I dont remember the full list now.

J.Balaji

saravanan · Post by **saravanan** » 10 Jan 2008, 17:27

Oh thanks for your response Balaji sir .eagerly waiting for it .

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 13 Jan 2008, 00:29

OK here is one more SGC concert in detail - at Mudhra / Dec 31st, 2007

Sikkil Gurucharan - Vocal
RK Sriram Kumar - Violin
Umayalpuram K Sivaraman - Mridangam
BS Purushotham - KanjirA

it was an almost packed house - with more of the elderly types in attendance - and was a lively and pleasing performance... reproducing below the song list

1. valachi vachi - varnam - RM - patnam subramania iyer
2. vinAyakA ninuvinA - hamsadhwani - veena kuppier
3. rAmanAtham bhajEham - pantuvarALi - dIkshitar
4. paripAlayamAm - reetigowLa - swAti tirunAL - AS
5. gAnA muda pAnam - jyOtiswarUpini - kOTeeswara iyer
6. manavyAla kim - nalinakAnti - tyAgarAja
7. kArtikEya gAngEya - tODi - pApanAsam sivan, ANST NS@ mAl maruga shanmuga muruga guhA
8. nEnarunchinAnu - mALavi - tyAgarAja
9a. viruttam - nAyaki nAnmukhi nArAyani - ???
9b. ranjani - RM - tanjAvur sankara iyer
10. suTTum vizhi - RM? - subramanya bhArati
11. padam?
12. brUhi mukundEti - kurinji - sadAsiva brahmEndra
13. tillAnA - ? - (went like "santatamunai chintanai purindiDa varamaruLvAi brahadeesA")
14. mangaLam

the main in tODi was very elaborately done taking some 75-80 mins; ~15 min for swara prastaaram alone and a clinically executed tani by UKS and BSP...one would have liked to let it sink deeper and stay 'tODified' for some more time but SGC allowed no such luxury, bringing on an express fast nEnarunchi immediately after ....the concert had something for everyone: the majestic reetigowla / tODi that would have appealed to the connoisseurs and a delectable mix of tukkaDAs that kept the audience riveted to their seats till the end...

sri

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 13 Jan 2008, 00:36

Thanks for the songlist and review.
the Tillana is in Sankarabharanam. "Tat tadim tana tirana". The composer is Ponniah Pillai.

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 14 Jan 2008, 18:44

Heard that SGC's Mudhra concert is being broadcast by AIR FM Gold Chennai (102.3 MHz) at 7:25 AM tomorrow (15-Jan-08)

Sri

rbsiyer · Post by **rbsiyer** » 14 Jan 2008, 18:58

post withdrawn

asrini · Post by **asrini** » 15 Jan 2008, 00:40

rbsiyer wrote:
jananee wrote:Since we are on the topic of gurucharan any views on his recent albums..madirakshi n maaya along with Anil Srinivasan?
gurusharan has a great voice. it should not be wasted on silly gimmicks. piano is very unsuitable for carnatic. if people want novelty accompaniment there are more suitable instruments like the rarely-played russian theremin or glass harmonica and whatnot.

Could not help but respond to his very kind comment made about a lot of hard work done. With due respect, I should know that the "piano is not a suitable instrument" for carnatic music. I have been playing the classical form, with the instrument, for the last 27 years!!

If you would CARE to listen to the music, you will realize the sensitivity with which we treat the musical form. And "this silly gimmick" according to your better informed music sense ( clearly you are a top ranking pianist that I have not heard about yet, which gives you the authority to dismiss the instrument) seems to be something we enjoy doing and has found its own audience. We never forced you to listen to it. We are happy about those who like it, and more importantly, happy that we get a chance to bring two classical styles together and make something meaningful out of it.

So, do us a favour. Please do NOT show up next time we perform. We can do without such limiting, negative comments. We are both artists with enough sense to know exactly what we are doing and will not consent to silly gimmicks if that is what we thought it was.

Thanks
Anil Srinivasan.

smadhumitha · Post by **smadhumitha** » 15 Jan 2008, 01:40

rbsiyer wrote:
jananee wrote:Since we are on the topic of gurucharan any views on his recent albums..madirakshi n maaya along with Anil Srinivasan?
gurusharan has a great voice. it should not be wasted on silly gimmicks. piano is very unsuitable for carnatic. if people want novelty accompaniment there are more suitable instruments like the rarely-played russian theremin or glass harmonica and whatnot.

Silly Gimmicks ! Oh yes, Piano - One of the most beautiful musical instruments combined with such a wonderful voice as Gurucharan's get termed this way !! I wonder if there is any basis to the above comment by "rbsiyer"! If I may ask - What makes piano unsuitable for carnatic ? If you had actually taken the effort to LISTEN to Madhirakshi or Maaya and that too without such pre-concieved notions about what suits what, I guess your very narrow mind would have understood and appreciated the beauty in their music. Music transcends the aspect of form(carnatic, western....)and sound(piano, harmonica, theremin...)...Its much more than all of this. In fact, if only you go beyond these aspects can u really comprehend it. Maaya and Madhirakshi are sincere efforts by gifted musicians in creating a new kind of music ...A form thats loyal to tradition as well as open to novelty.

Also, Calling this innovative collaboration a waste of Gurucharan's great voice is simply too absurd ! Anil Srinivasan and Sikkil Gurucharan with their knowledge and experience do not need such thoughtless and irrational comments about their work and I feel the tone of the above comment is inexcusably negative......

Btw, "if people want novelty accompaniment there are more suitable instruments like the rarely-played russian theremin " ..... Now whats so irrelevant about this line...Oh yes, if people preferred one instrument over the other they would actually listen to them or learn to play them instead of posting such negative reviews about works of art that deserve much more than such childish remarks.

For all those who actually LISTEN, UNDERSTAND and then review, Madhirakshi and Maaya are wonderful albums with a new and fresh theme of "the mood and lyrics" being emphasised....So, go ahead listen to these albums and be reasonable nd mature in your comments !

Madumitha Selvaraj

rmuthana · Post by **rmuthana** » 15 Jan 2008, 02:02

rbsiyer wrote:
jananee wrote:Since we are on the topic of gurucharan any views on his recent albums..madirakshi n maaya along with Anil Srinivasan?
gurusharan has a great voice. it should not be wasted on silly gimmicks. piano is very unsuitable for carnatic. if people want novelty accompaniment there are more suitable instruments like the rarely-played russian theremin or glass harmonica and whatnot.

Wow, rbsiyer...you surely have had a bad day!

Anil Srinivasan and Sikkil Gurucharan have been transforming the way many of us who have never heard Carnatic music before, think of it now. Thanks to Madhirakshi, I attended 6 concerts this season of different artists that I never would have otherwise.

And you call this a silly gimmick? Do you know the levels and the venues they are both performing at? Do you think all the people who invite them just do it because they like gimmicks?

And if you want to be constructive about something, why not listen to an album and then review it rather than dismiss the instrument itself ( I agree totally with Anil Sir on this....this is such an insult to an artist of his caliber)..he having been an artist who has performed in Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center with the New York Philharmonic ( are you at that level of piano playing to dismiss him???)

Yes...I joined rasikas only to respond to this..when friends of mine told me about this comment, it stirred up a great many of us.....rasikas are growing due to such bold ventures....why don't you go broaden your mind a bit or at least, spare other rasikas of such painfully ill informed nonsense?

balachanderkrishnan · Post by **balachanderkrishnan** » 15 Jan 2008, 02:36

rbsiyer wrote:
jananee wrote:Since we are on the topic of gurucharan any views on his recent albums..madirakshi n maaya along with Anil Srinivasan?
gurusharan has a great voice. it should not be wasted on silly gimmicks. piano is very unsuitable for carnatic. if people want novelty accompaniment there are more suitable instruments like the rarely-played russian theremin or glass harmonica and whatnot.

Gurucharan's voice wasted ? That too perfoming with Anil Srinivasan playing the piano ! Forgive my ignorance - But what right do you have to dismiss piano as unsuitable for carnatic music ? I'm not an expert in carnatic music, but I can understand and acknowledge good music . Atleast I dont post such senseless remarks in a public forum. The previous post talks about the artists' acumen and experience in their form of music and even to a person like me who has never understood the beauty in traditional kutcheris their form has shown the beauty hidden in the lyrics and emotions that a song conveys.

RBSIYER - whoever you are and whatever your knowledge of music is, agreed, you are entitled to an opinion. But that does not imply you comment in such a manner that shows your lack of openness to the new avenues of music being opened up by such new collaborations (Considering the tone of your post). Anil and Charan are both extremely talented artists with new ideas that can make carnatic music more reachable and comprehensible to people without the knowledge of even the basics of the form. I, for one, was completely transformed when I listened to their "Aasai mugam" from Madhirakshi....And their new album Maaya is only more elegant, to say the least.

So, if you want to REVIEW, listen and if you think your narrow mind can actually make a genuine or relevant point, go ahead, public forums are for people like you. But if you cannot hold back all the negativity that seems to be overflowing in your post, do not think that people don't bother. True rasikas do and you would end up showcasing your own ignorance ! I see that the 3 posts prior to mine are proof enough !

And for those who think music needs to be felt and understood and not just analysed for SUITABILITY with instruments like a math problem, go ahead and listen to these albums .... They sure will amaze you !

Regards
Balachander Krishnan

rajaglan · Post by **rajaglan** » 15 Jan 2008, 08:53

I saw Anil srinivasan and Sikkil gurucharan in Sangeetha Sangamam in Vijay TV. It was very good and a new experiment.

And on some other day in Vijay TV , Prassanna's guitar playing "illam Katru Veesuthey" from pithamagan. It was a greatest of a instrumental rendition of a film song. There was great manodhrama too except for the pallavi and I think any music lovers can enjoy it. At the end , the song belongs to Illayaraja.

Piano is a great great instrument and may be we need a mandolin srinivas phenomenon to bring this further in to CM. I feel we just miss piano in CM.
I hope we retain Veena in CM , I am saying this as it gets less oppurtunites in sabha.

Listen to these piano pieces. There is a movie called 'piano', an oscar winning movie. There are some songs played in that movie using piano and those songs are mind blowing.
Piano is also traditionally used for western classical.

Anil, Any new experiment will have some resistance. We are with you and sikkil. Donot worry.

chalanata · Post by **chalanata** » 15 Jan 2008, 09:33

cm became entirely transformed with western instruments during papanasam sivan-mkt era but the music was purely carnatic and the western instruments compensated the other wise lacking part of orchestration in cm.
i heard this anil-sikkil combine in vijay tv and i do not think this would fit in the above category. in effect it was not to my liking and taste and i can not rule out the element of subjectivity in this.
i would rather prefer sikkil the usual way.

cienu · Post by **cienu** » 15 Jan 2008, 09:37

Since we are in this thread of Carnatic Music and Piano , it would be of interest to Rasikas to know that in the Kalki Gardens , there used to be a old Grand Piano of German make in the music room of MS ! There was a fine Music Composer Vaidyanathan (brother of cine star of yester years Ranjan) who always played the piano while composing music for songs.

There were quite a few songs sung by MS composed by Vaidyanathan over this grand classical instrument ! A few of them are as below:

Hari Tuma Haro - Meera - Darbari Kanada
Prabhuji Tuma Bin Kaun - Surdas - Tilak Kambod?
He Govinda - Surdas - Kapi
Bhajamana Rama Charan Sukha Dayi - Tulasidas - Khamas
Bhajore Bhaya - Kabirdas.

The song , "May the Lord forgive our sins" composed by Handel Manual was also on this Piano. But this ofcourse was a Hymn.

harimau · Post by **harimau** » 15 Jan 2008, 09:44

Anil Srinivasan and Sikkil Gurucharan have been transforming the way many of us who have never heard Carnatic music before, think of it now. Thanks to Madhirakshi, I attended 6 concerts this season of different artists that I never would have otherwise.

Let me hazard a guess here: K J Jesudoss, Nithyashriek Mahadevan, Aruna Sayeeram, the Duelling Abhangists, O S Arun..... and I just give up on the last.

.....rasikas are growing due to such bold ventures....

Like weeds in a garden.

mridhangam · Post by **mridhangam** » 15 Jan 2008, 10:19

concert of 27th november 2007 at bvb chennai

(sorry about the all small letters some keyboard problem-kindly bear with me)

1-sri raga varnam
2-charanam bhava-hamsavinodhini-rupakam-mlv ???
3-anadunau ganu-jingala-adi-tyagaraja
4-ennenna-kambojhi-misrachaapu-maambazha(or mambala) kavingar
5-tharunam eedamma-adi-gowlipanthu
6-bhajare-adi-abheri
7-karunai deivame-adi-sindhubhairavi
8-uyyala loogavayya-khandachaapu
9-thillna-adi-Rajarao Sir's composition

Gurucharan started off the concert with sri raga varnam and then sang excellent hamsavinodhini followed it up with beautiful swara patterns. anadunanu ganu of tyagaraja came as a fitting filler before taking up elaborate kambhoji raga. he sang a rare kriti in misra chaapu of maambazha kavingar (or mambala kavingar) he himself announced it but not clear in recording. kambhoji raga had all the essence of classicism and he sang with great flavour and involvement. gowlipanthu was again a filler before abheri as the main item of the day. abheri was sang with lot of emotional content for which his voice is also very suitable. gurucharan did an excellent work with ease over sanchaaras in different octaves. bhajare came as the main piece. miscellaneous items included karunai deivame, uyyala and a laya filled tillana of Srimushnam Rajarao sir.

mysore srikant played brilliantly in many places and his laya answers are worthy of mention. what i like in srikant is his composure on stage and also his style of accompaniment.

i played tani in abheri kriti following the pattern of korvai sang by sikkil gurucharan and i made on the spot developments over the korvai just to extend the effect of the kriti and then went on with my tani.

being the first concert for our season the bvb hall was full to the capacity and all of us were very happy to receive such a warm welcome for the season.

J.Balaji

ram · Post by **ram** » 15 Jan 2008, 10:27

mridhangam wrote:2-charanam bhava-hamsavinodhini-rupakam-mlv ???

Dear Sri Balaji,

I think the song is by Narayana Theerthar.

kmrasika · Post by **kmrasika** » 15 Jan 2008, 11:47

ram wrote:
mridhangam wrote:2-charanam bhava-hamsavinodhini-rupakam-mlv ???
Dear Sri Balaji,

I think the song is by Narayana Theerthar.

And the music set by the late TM tyAgarAjan. I always enjoy hearing MLV's svarakalpana at the juncture where she anchors the svarAs to the mA note.

Ramamahadevan · Post by **Ramamahadevan** » 15 Jan 2008, 12:11

I had started this topic asking rasikas to post concert reviews , but unfortunately there has been one silly and demotivating reply.

Kudos to Sikkil Gurucharan and Anil Srinivasan for such a bold venture which is unique in every sense . I am sure that lot of efforts has gone into the making of Madhirakshi and Maaya.

We as rasikas,must learn to appreciate good quality music (be it of any form) .

Hopefully such unfortunate and demotivating reviews do not get post in the near future.

Ramamahadevan · Post by **Ramamahadevan** » 15 Jan 2008, 12:18

Rsiyer :-- Have u gone barmy... U are asking Sikkil not to indulge in silly gimmicks ,, Why don't u refrain from such demotivating and silly views..

If u cannot appreciate , atleast refrain from hurting someone..

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 15 Jan 2008, 12:56

I can understand how it must feel to find years of effort being casually dimissed and perhaps RBS Iyer could have used milder language but let us not over-react to an opinion. Clearly, the Anil-Sikkil experiment has carved a niche for itself but that does not mean everyone has to like it. I also attended one of these concerts and found it quite enjoyable but missed the intensity of both classical formats. Surely, one does not have to be an expert in the field to make such an observation - it is merely the opinion of a rasika - to be accepted or rejected as the artiste thinks fit...

That said, Anil, it is great to have you on this forum and I hope you can educate us on aspects of western harmonics and the philosphy of weaving it into the fabric of CM. As a one-time dabbler in Western Classical, I would find your inputs very interesting and educative...all the best on your unique musical journey...

saravanan · Post by **saravanan** » 15 Jan 2008, 13:49

Thanks Balaji sir for the review.Missed a great concert I guess.

Vedanthb · Post by **Vedanthb** » 15 Jan 2008, 15:36

rbsiyer wrote:
jananee wrote:Since we are on the topic of gurucharan any views on his recent albums..madirakshi n maaya along with Anil Srinivasan?
gurusharan has a great voice. it should not be wasted on silly gimmicks. piano is very unsuitable for carnatic. if people want novelty accompaniment there are more suitable instruments like the rarely-played russian theremin or glass harmonica and whatnot.

Music, as such, is not ours. We only belong to music. The music that we're talking of here has probably come from God. And many great musicians who have later composed and created beautiful music for many centuries. This music that we have, still, and will continue listening to, has been created by people who have lost themselves in music itself. They didn't make music for a sudden "dream situation" in the Alps or to make money or become famous. They made music and and found their truth, Nirvana. So is the music of Anil Srinivasan and Sikkil Gurucharan. They've combined two of the oldest forms of music and creating a new and entirely different sound with it. So, I suggest, you listen to them live at a concert and really listen to their CDs before you comment on it.
But unfortunately, you're no longer invited to their concerts.

Vedanth

anandabhairavi · Post by **anandabhairavi** » 15 Jan 2008, 16:52

Even Sanjay Subramaniam has praised in the Times of India saying it is a good attempt to take carnatic music to masses.So we have to appreciate the efforts of Anil and Gurucharan for taking to masses.And their Chennai sangamam concert crowd yesterday will prove it.

abhiramia · Post by **abhiramia** » 15 Jan 2008, 20:29

rbsiyer wrote:
jananee wrote:Since we are on the topic of gurucharan any views on his recent albums..madirakshi n maaya along with Anil Srinivasan?
gurusharan has a great voice. it should not be wasted on silly gimmicks. piano is very unsuitable for carnatic. if people want novelty accompaniment there are more suitable instruments like the rarely-played russian theremin or glass harmonica and whatnot.

A disclaimer: I know very little about Carnatic music unlike the some of the experts and self-proclaimed guardians of Carnatic traditions in this forum.

But in my insignificant opinion, for any art form to grow and to evolve needs new ways of thinking. And I believe Anil & Sikkil Gurucharan have a introduced a fresh, brave sound. They've pushed the boundaries and taken risks. And that is a remarkable thing to do.

I hope the discordant notes sounded by puritanical tight-arses like rsbiyer will only provoke to duo into trying even harder.

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 15 Jan 2008, 21:15

Abhiramia, Are you the film maker by the same name?
Assuming you are, we have discussed your documentary on mridangam makers with much interest in another thread.

jananee · Post by **jananee** » 15 Jan 2008, 21:37

A simple question on the views on 'Madirakshi " n 'Maaya' has generated a lot of discussion I can see. I also tend to agree with the view that not everybody needs to appreciate what Gurucharan n Anil Srinivsasan did but i also feel that they have innovated..tried something new...it is ultimately music and these two have managed to create some wonderful music and i think it would be good if we could appreciate the effort and the idea.

Hope to see more of you ANil in this forum maybe giving us more insights into how this whole thing worked out and how u combined two beautiful forms of music so well.

rmuthana · Post by **rmuthana** » 16 Jan 2008, 09:08

harimau wrote:
Anil Srinivasan and Sikkil Gurucharan have been transforming the way many of us who have never heard Carnatic music before, think of it now. Thanks to Madhirakshi, I attended 6 concerts this season of different artists that I never would have otherwise.
Let me hazard a guess here: K J Jesudoss, Nithyashriek Mahadevan, Aruna Sayeeram, the Duelling Abhangists, O S Arun..... and I just give up on the last.

Thanks Harimau for your encouragement and total disregard for the tastes of others. and congratulations on being an authority and having the right to be so rude, tight-assed and absolutely idiotic. The concerts I went to include TMK, Sanjay, Gurucharan, Ranjani-Gayatri, Aruna Sayeeram and Roopa Mahadevan at NGS afternoon. I thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. I dare you to defy that.

.....rasikas are growing due to such bold ventures....
Like weeds in a garden.

This kind of arrant nonsense speaks for itself. Its people like you who keep the form from growing to the masses. Weeds in a garden? sir - you seem to be in a desert devoid of any plants, sadly.

rajumds · Post by **rajumds** » 16 Jan 2008, 09:31

The recent trend of people suddenly registering on the forum and start defending or promoting an artist is quite eveident in this thread. The rasikas have every right to comment on the music, good or bad. One can counter on technical issues but the kind of language used by some of the posters defending the artists leaves a bad taste

High time this thread is locked

rajaglan · Post by **rajaglan** » 16 Jan 2008, 10:30

Hi rmuthana,

I think there are two groups in CM artists.
1. One is pure CM delivery and the kutchery pattern in Ariyakudi format - Format 1
2. Second is also pure CM but the Ariyakudi kutchery pattern being modified with a longer tukkada section - Format 2. Here sometime you have to cut RTP or extend the concert to 3.30hours. Sometime you need to deliver some popular songs well ahead in the concert as otherwise people might live. The second emerged because of various factors like movies, devotional programs, taking to masses, popularising multilingual krithis etc.

Olden days only two artists were in second category. MSS and Kunnakudi. As we all know even Gandhiji used to request MSS to song only her tukkadas. And some songs became popular due to this. Lot of people think MSS is not format1 because of her image of singing devotional like sahasranamam and bajagovindum etc. But MSS CM concerts are strictly format 1. I havenot attended Jesudas kutchery but Aruna and Nithyasree follow the format 1 too but rarely format 2.

My own story as an audience is like this. Five years back I can say that I used to listen to format 2 artists only. I used to like MSS and not DKP or MLV. I used to like Kunnakudi and not Lalkudi. I used to like Jesudas and not Balamurali. I used to like Turakana song in Sankarabaranam Movie but never liked any other bilahari rendition. The reason being there is more mass appeal in them in some way. And only in the last 3 years I came ( got interested) to format 1 artists and the true CM. Things changed over a period of time. My interests slowly elevated to the manodharma world. From my story I can say these artists are required for bringing the audience (not the mass) from Tier2 to Tier1 level. Once I come here I like everyone, I like Aruna as well as TNS too.

Ok, now coming to the point, I initially thought harimau is joking on the format 2 people. Anyway it is only his personal opinion.

On a statistics point of view , If you ask the people who learnt the carnatic music , they would say what hari is conveying. I think they are afraid that the original format may get diluted. In the original format there is lot of scope for manodharma and that should continue. But if you have a concert only on Abhang like what Aruna Sairam did in a Hindu sponcered concert in chennai , It is not good if people call that as CM. But that is unlikely to happen and we are all sure Aruna sairam is not going to do that on a regular basis. The original format is "correct by construction" approach for keeping innovation. Basically do a 'rain water harvesting' rather than bringing water from Krishna river thus killing the waterbed. Many people in this forum are learnt CM guys. They like CM in pure form and some of them like other forms too but as long as it is discussed outside CM.

But those who understood CM through listeneing would like anything as they have liked all versions of CM at some point of time.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 16 Jan 2008, 10:34

I see that a lot has been said about the duo's music. I had missed the thread until now.
When the ancients created their own rAgAs (and the great ones from recent times too), did they face the same kind of criticism? Here, the rAgAs are kept intact, only the presentation is new.
If some are going to classify Gurucharan and Anil's music under what 'goes' by the name of popular fusion, I am afraid they are generalizing. With violins, mandolins and the rest being equal with the vINA, no, when they are relished more than the vINA by many listeners, what is the problem? Yes, the piano looms large on the stage. The player does not sit cross-legged along with the singer, holding the instrument close to him.
The problem is, it cannot be toted to the stage with ease.
Now, let's consider other factors: a musician born into CM culture, pursues his studies for years on an age-old instrument which figures prominently in a venerable system of classical music; trains at the best of schools; in the course of years while learning that different kind of music, he gets to appreciating the music from his land even more; joins a vocalist who is not only proficient in CM but comes from a lineage of noted musicians...an impressive collaboration, as opposed to youngsters (talented, I am sure), coming together after their experience with film music and CM too, in some cases, catering to listeners of popular music.To club Gurucharan and Anil with them is a bit ridiculous. Here, two systems of classical music come together, that's all.
Yes, experiment it is. An experiment worth watching. What heights would it reach? What other worthwhile new experiments it would lead to? Besides preserving the precious old music, for the growth of CM, we need to venture into new venues (not haphazardly, but with roots in the classical, creative and trained artistes experimenting).
I was surprised to see such strong opinions vented in a forum which goes for stretching the limits.You only have to look at our Technical Section--our veritable lab! If amateurs are after discoveries in music, why can't the musicians themselves go after them?
Coming back to Gurucharan and Anil, I have heard two recordings of the duo. Madiraakshi and This And The Other, a non-commercial one.I enjoyed them both. I have not heard Maaya, though.
Madiraakshi, without all the eardrum piercing excercises of a popular fusion concert , brought to me the immediacy of a chamber music concert. The theme was well-suited for such a concert. The chosen pieces were apt and the mood was nidAnam--very appealing.
The sangam song--how many traditional performers sing a sanga kAla (period) song! The beauty of the sparse but moving words was simply stunning.
The jAvaLi, payyAda brought out the languishing mood and struck the right note. I would have liked to have heard a bit more of the piano in some places, but then again, they are experimenting and learning as they play!
For someone who has had enough of the roaring drums in concerts (I have to admit that this season, the sound level was much better)--attending such a live concert would be a nice change, I thought, as I listened to the CDs.
Enough of my response to such music, a senior's point of view.
What strikes a chord is when a few among the young say that they are viewing CM with interest after listening to the duo!Something to think about

cienu · Post by **cienu** » 16 Jan 2008, 11:04

Good to have some wise words from Rajaglan and Arasi to cool the heat generated by this thread

rbsiyer · Post by **rbsiyer** » 16 Jan 2008, 17:17

i have withdrawn my illconceived post with humble apologies. the tone was uncessarly intolerant sounding like a vague svk review. artistic endeavours to my liking or not deserve respect.
however i did not comment on anyones abilities in the post so repsonses by freshly registered posters is confusing. wehther accompanist is srinivasan or wustmann is not issue. pieces like nadanamakriya padam and enneramum to me sound very pale versions of the tradional approach.

why try to fit square pegs in round holes. there are lots of unperformed songs or texts that can be used for the new idioms without comparison baggage.

i nevr said piano is inferior. i have listened to recitals with piano for leontyne price christa ludwig regin crespin etc. it is a greart instrument nodoubt. probably i would react same way to strauss or mahler lieder with sitar or nadhaswaram accompanient. intolerant ok, but this is question of taste. no need for diploma from milan conservatory two ears are enough.

yes, experimntation is good and should not be attacked with unparliamentary comments so apologies and godbless.

balu · Post by **balu** » 16 Jan 2008, 18:02

rbsier, kindly do not apologise.when some body can be raised to godlevel in this forum you have the right to say what you feel like saying.when somebody is appreciated to unlimited level nobody says that the the thread should be locked.if the forum is only for some bland adjectives for some selected musicians that too male artistes, it will lose its vibrancy.oflate i have snagging feeling that this entire forum is slowly turning out to be more supportive to male artistes than their counterparts.may be iam wrong .wish you all a happy pongal.

kssuresh · Post by **kssuresh** » 16 Jan 2008, 18:30

mahavishnu wrote:we have discussed your documentary on mridangam makers with much interest in another thread.

mahavishnu,

Which thread is that?

Suresh

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 16 Jan 2008, 18:37

KSSuresh, Here's the thread: http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?id=2113&p=2

kssuresh · Post by **kssuresh** » 16 Jan 2008, 18:45

Oh, thanks.