R Vedavalli, Nada Inbam

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 16 Apr 2008, 11:30

R Vedavalli - Vocal
R Malini - Vocal Support
Sumathi Krishnan - Vocal Support & Tampura
Padma Shankar - Fiddle
Patri Satish Kumar - Mridangam
S Karthick - Ghatam

SVK Birthday Series
Nada Inbam, Raga Sudha Hall.
15th April 2008. 6 pm

pagavAri - hamsadvani - Adi - PSI (varNam)
rAma rAma pAhi - dEvagAndhAri - tisra Ekam - ST
kOrinavara - rAmapriyA - tisra Ekam - PSI (NS)
nI madhi challaga - Ananda bhairavi - Adi - Kavi Matrubhoothayya (R)
nI dayacE - yadukula kAmbhOji - dEsAdi - T (RS)
enta ninnE - mukhAri - tisra Ekam - T (NS)
akshaya linga vibhO - shankarAbaraNam - misra cApu - MD (RTNS)
tani Avarththanam
na jAnAmi dhAnam - slOkam in sAvEri, shanmukhapriyA, kApi, nAdanAmakriyA, suruTTi
patiki hArati rE - suruTTi - Adi - T
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T
svasti prajApya - saurAshTram

It was a beautiful concert. Everything just fell in place. All the AlApanais were done in a very scholarly fashion. There a special touch in each of the rAgams, with some special prayOgams employed in each of the rAgams. The Anandabhairavi and yadukula kAmbhOji were moving and absolutely marvellows. The shankarAbaraNam was majestic. It was an affair of heavy music from scratch. I enjoyed the concert thoroughly. The accompanists did an amazing job in following the main artists and in their solo versions.

bharath

PS: it was nice to bump into a few others from our forum. I hope they will all add more to this short report.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 16 Apr 2008, 12:12

It was one of those just-wonderful concerts for me. It gripped my attention from the first note, and part of the reason that it held it until the last was the way she 'paced' the performance, each item seemingly building and leading seamlessly to the next.

She is my number-one female vocalist, but somehow, I just don't seem to have been to very many of her concerts, possibly partly because, unlike BMK, TVG, etc, she has not spent very much time in London, although that was where I first saw her sing. Yesterday I got to speak to her as well, and left the concert hall feeling doubly blessed.

Kartik's ghatam, of course, is always skilful and appropriate. He can play the showman, he can play the accompanist. His rapport with Satish Kumar was great.

Satish Kumar's accompaniment was both virtuoso and also gentle. It was sprinkled with wonderful touches such as beautiful gumaka, but never overdone, and always just perfect for their moments. It is very interesting to see a mridangist whose unusual fingering is close to my guruji's fingering, but does not come from the PSP school. I had the advantage of the company of a friend who is a student of Trichy Sankaran, who analysed some of the korvais after the concert --- but it is still too advanced for me.

It was something of a farewell concert for my friend, who leaves for his native Newfoundland tonight after several months in Chennai. It was his first RV concert, although he has even seen her Palavi book. It was an appropriate choice; he loved it.

I nearly forgot to mention Padma Shankar. Well... I am becoming her fan! Her accompaniment was so much 'in tune' with RV, that my friend wondered if she had studied with her. We asked, and PS told us it was the first time she had ever played for her!

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 16 Apr 2008, 12:46

Isn't the Pallavi book is by another Vedavalli...I think I have a copy of that one and IIRC, her initial is different

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 16 Apr 2008, 15:29

Really? I thought it was a speciality of this one, and that she had written the book.

But, hey! I'm always making this kind of mistake, so corrections always appreciated.

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 16 Apr 2008, 16:48

ya, there are two vedavallis.

R Vedavalli is the famous vocalist and is the sangeetha kalanidhi.

Dr M B Vedavalli is the other person. she is a musicologist and is found giving lec-dems during the morning sessions during the season.

I am told, MBV is the person who published the book on pallavis. RV has written a book on sangeetha sampradayam which is a collection of essays/lectures

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 16 Apr 2008, 18:57

Thank you for the clear up.

Smt R.Vedavalli is still my favourite female vocalist

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 17 Apr 2008, 01:03

Padma Shankar - Fiddle

Didn't realize people still referred to the violin this way.

venkatpv · Post by **venkatpv** » 17 Apr 2008, 01:12

Didn't realize people still referred to the violin this way

people past the age of 61 normally do refer to the violin that way

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 17 Apr 2008, 01:20

I am 74 & I don't refer to the violin that way! What is magical about 61? May be it has more to do with habits & fashion? or lack of it? vkv BTW, fiddle as a word has more potential to explore & exploit esp. if that accompanist is not to the liking & standard of the particular listener!

venkatpv · Post by **venkatpv** » 17 Apr 2008, 01:34

61 is the "opposite" of 16... old age is the opposite of youth... hence 61

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 17 Apr 2008, 01:38

Bharath has explained why he uses the word 'fiddle' elsewhere - and just to clarify, he is nowehere near 61 as I understand it.

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 17 Apr 2008, 02:00

venkatpv,
are you 16 yourself? just wondering. vkv BTW what is old age? or youth for that matter. are u sure u r in the right forum? this is not Web M.D. vkv

venkatpv · Post by **venkatpv** » 17 Apr 2008, 02:05

bharath is a good friend... he doesnt mind my jabs

vkv,
thanks... i think i am on the right forum.

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 17 Apr 2008, 05:56

According to me, old age is x+5, where x is your present age!

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 17 Apr 2008, 07:08

Punarvasu,
Great definition. Thanks from one of the old foggies! vkv

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 17 Apr 2008, 07:39

Bharath is closer to 16 and has a lo...ng way to go before he reaches 61!

Suji Ram · Post by **Suji Ram** » 17 Apr 2008, 09:17

for a moment I thought 16/61 discussion here was another kaTapayAdi puzzle

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 17 Apr 2008, 10:00

vkv43034 wrote:Punarvasu,
Great definition. Thanks from one of the old foggies! vkv

YOU ARE NOT OLD,SIR! It's another 5 years away!
somewhat akin to the small board the 'pottikkadais' in the South keep-
-'INDRU ROKKAM NAALAI KADAN'!
'ONE IS ALWAYS YOUNG TODAY AND WILL BE OLD TOMORROW'!
'INDRU ILAMAI, NAALAI MUDUMAI'

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 17 Apr 2008, 12:47

I think that R Vedavalli is more than five years older than I am --- but I could never see her as being old!

Fiddle... my mridangam teacher was astonished that I knew the word; he thought it was a Tamil word!

Fiddle... the Irish soldiers, who brought the instrument to India, would have called their folk violin a fiddle.

61... No irish soldiers in India after 1947

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 17 Apr 2008, 14:55

MY TAARAKA MANTRA FOR HEALTH, HAPPINESS, VIGOUR AND YOUTH
Run, Run, Run or Walk- Run or walk in the park
Before or after dark- Its all the same
But, never RUN after a perk- Itâ€™s a losing game
You may walk miles or run
Or even fly to hear a Thodi
But never RUN after a kodi(kotiâ€”crore)
A well sung Thodi is more satisfying than an
Ill-gottten kodi(koti)
Run, or Walk for (after) a kriti
But never run after kIrti
The former is a beautiful rainbow
The latter is a mirage which you can never reach
Go for music-CM or HM Go for music ever
You will hear yourself exclaiming â€œME,SICK? NEVER!â€

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 17 Apr 2008, 18:28

nick H wrote:Fiddle... my mridangam teacher was astonished that I knew the word; he thought it was a Tamil word!

Fiddle... the Irish soldiers, who brought the instrument to India, would have called their folk violin a fiddle.

Didn't Nero fiddle while Rome burnt?

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 17 Apr 2008, 18:28

Punarvasu,

That was VERY NICE!!!!

cienu · Post by **cienu** » 17 Apr 2008, 18:43

Commenting on the Fiddle it may be of interest to Rasikas to know that the great violin maestro of Mysore was also called "Piteelu" Chowdiah.

Link Below

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._Chowdiah

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 17 Apr 2008, 19:30

In olden days, music programs in tamizh were advertised this way :
...... vAippATTu
.......piDil
''AriyakkuDikku yAr fiddle ( mostly pronounced with an f ) vAsikkappORA?" who is going to play the fiddle for AriakkuDi? and so on. Fiddle sounds better than violin to me. Even our 'closer to 16' uses the word. Would be nice if we revive it! Fiddle sounds better to me--may be a childhood hang up. Hey diddle diddle a cat and a fiddle...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 17 Apr 2008, 19:31

Punarvasu,
Appreciate your verses and their content too...

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 17 Apr 2008, 19:47

'One always plays a second fiddle to somebody' never a 'second violin'.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 17 Apr 2008, 19:54

Yes, but the comment about Nero was made in English. And it doesn't say what he 'fiddled' with!

I suspect that he loved a long time before the violin was invented?

The problem that I have with the word is that it denotes a folk instrument, not a classical one.

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 17 Apr 2008, 20:01

nick H wrote:Yes, but the comment about Nero was made in English. And it doesn't say what he 'fiddled' with!

I suspect that he loved a long time before the violin was invented?

The problem that I have with the word is that it denotes a folk instrument, not a classical one.

He loved or lived?

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 18 Apr 2008, 05:03

Arasi/r.shankar,
Thanks;my inspiration for this is my father who is 88 and my music teacher who is 80; I have seen how their passion/love formusic keeps them young. My father calls himself 88 year young.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 18 Apr 2008, 11:54

Punarvasu wrote:He loved or lived?

One hopes, both!

Another typo to my name!

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 20 Apr 2008, 02:42

Perhaps fiddle is the more appropriate usage for Carnatic music?
http://chennaionline.com/columns/ethnomusic/durga16.asp

Muthuswami Dikshitarâ€™s brother Baluswami Dikshitar was very much fascinated by the instrument, Fiddle, played by Irish men in the British Band. When he expressed his desire to learn the Fiddle, the music patron arranged an Irish Fiddle player to teach him the instrument. Baluswami Dikshitar mastered the technicalities of playing the Fiddle and adapted it perfectly to play Carnatic Music on the European instrument and he was the first to play Carnatic Music on Violin that has now become an indispensable accompaniment for a Carnatic music concert.