Kalpakam Swaminathan, Sri Krishna Gana Sabha

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 23 Jun 2008, 11:10

Kalpakam Swaminathan - Veenai
Hemalatha - Veenai support
Padma Shankar - Violin
Kallidaikurichi Sivakumar - Mrudangam
D V Venkatasubramanian - Ghatam

Veteran's Day. Krishna Gana Sabha
21st June 2008. 6:15 pm

neranammiti - kAnaDA - aTa tALam
vandEnisamaham - hamsadvani - Adi (RS)
entarO mahAnubhAvulu - srI rAgam - Adi - T
inta parAkA - mAyAmALavagauLa - rUpakam - Anai Ayya
brOva bAramA - bahudAri - Adi - T (RNS)
dEvi mInAkshi - kalyANi - rUpakam - Tacchur Singarachar (RTNS)
bruhannAyaki - AndALi - Adi - MD
nIvE gAni - bilahari - misra cApu - T (R)
parimaLa ranganAtam - hamIr kalyANi - rUpakam - MD (R)
jEsinadella maracitivO - tODi - Adi - T (RST)
caraNu caraNu - senjuruTTi - rUpakam - Anai Ayya (R)
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T

It was an amazing concert. The kritis were all beautiful. Each piece was better than the others. The manOdarmam part was awesome. I particularly loved the kalyANi tAnam and the tODi AlApanai. The rare bilahari number and the hamIrkalyANi pieces were tooo good as well. The accompanists were very supportive and made it a very delightful concert.

bharath

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 23 Jun 2008, 12:43

Some of the items are rather rare. Did she announce the items?

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 23 Jun 2008, 15:49

no. mami dint announce.

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 23 Jun 2008, 17:15

She did sing a few lines here and there...that was helpful.

sbala · Post by **sbala** » 25 Jun 2008, 08:50

Kalyani was superb. I liked Padma Shankar's bilahari as well.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 25 Jun 2008, 16:36

I really enjoy Padma Shankar's violin --- but I'm not so keen on veena with violin accompaniment: I'd rather hear it by itself.

sbala · Post by **sbala** » 26 Jun 2008, 08:07

Padma Shankar is surely carving a niche for herself as being the choice violinist for veterans. I didn't find anything odd with the violin accompanying the veena.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 26 Jun 2008, 15:47

Padma Shankar is surely carving a niche for herself as being the choice violinist for veterans

I am pleased to hear that, as in my very humble opinion, and lesser experience (I've seen her two or three times), I think it is well-deserved. A friend (a foreigner, but one with far greater carnatic music knowledge than mine) and I saw her accompany R Vedavali, and we were both astonished to find out afterwards that it was her first time playing for that great singer.

Good for her! More power to her [el]Bow

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 26 Jun 2008, 19:52

Nick,
I see that you can't resist a pun either. Yes, elle's bow

jagan · Post by **jagan** » 27 Jun 2008, 08:57

shall we say " elite bow" ?

jagan · Post by **jagan** » 30 Jun 2008, 06:11

I would like to share with members the information that Kalpakam Mami had specifically asked for the violin accomapaniment by Padma Shankar. She had played for her earlier.

Perhaps, many may not know that Padma is familiar with the padanthara of Kalpakam Mami. Her mother Lakshmi and Kalpakam Mami had learnt Veena from the same Guru Ananthakrishna Bhagavathar, who incidentally is also a relative.

About her playing for veterans, it just had to happen and is perhaps overdue.Thanjavur Sankara Iyer.whom she accompanied two or thrree times, compared her to the late Rajamanickkam Pillai in that she never overstepped the boundaries set by the main musician. Vedavalli had also complimented her on the natural restraint she displayed in her role as an accompanist.

Kalpakam Mami was in great form and spirits that day. Her Thodi was something exquisite. Actually Mr. Bharath who was sitting next to me was ecstatic and kept saying "Why do we not hear such a Thodi from the present day vocalists?

One other thing was the "Inkitham" and self effacement displayed by the accompanists. As the time was running out, Padma was very brief with her Thodi and the Thani led by Sivakumar lasted only four minutes.

Altogether a great and memorable experience.

kamalesh · Post by **kamalesh** » 30 Jun 2008, 22:34

Oh. Never knew that Padma Shankar had such an illustrious Veena connection. Were they in Calcutta ? I was thinking all along that she was a first generation musician.

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 01 Jul 2008, 07:05

Smt. Padma Shankar is originally from Mumbai - her family lived just up he street from mine. Her whole family is very musically inclined and her parents were extremely learned rasikas.

knandago2001 · Post by **knandago2001** » 11 Jul 2008, 22:33

discovered this treasure - didn't know in which thread it would be appropriate to post
Tyagaraja vibhakti kritis
http://www.archive.org/details/TyagarajaVibhaktiKrtis
http://www.archive.org/details/TyagarajaVibhaktiKrtis2