R.Suryaprakash-Ananthakrishnan-Mannarkoil J.Balaji-H.Sivaramakrishnan Navaratri Concert at Mavelikkara on 8-10-2008
The setting was scenic. The atmosphere was idyllic. The environment was sylvan. The weather was cool and rainy and the people were warm and courteous. Actually the concert was held at a temple near Mavelikkara in Kerala called Chettikulangara Bhagavathi Amman Temple. The place was about 8 kms from Mavelikkara Railway Station and about 5 Kms from Kayankulam. Ananthakrishnan, myself and Siva went to the temple around 10.30 in the morning and as Sury was traveling here and there during the Navaratri times he informed us that he will arrive only by 3.30 or 4.00 in the evening. After the routine we settled down and had a good nap and lunch. As Sury had a bout of viral fever the previous days he went to Coimbatore where after a concert he took some tablet and took a lot of rest so that he started the next day morning to reach Mavelikkara by evening, but not after a great ordeal of a journey. He went from Coimbatore to Shoranur and then took another train from there to Mavelikkara traveling in all types of classes possible, so to say. He arrived at the venue at 5.00 pm only totally worn out and on seeing him I was a bit worried as to how he was going to pull the evening concert, since I know him for several years that he never takes the concerts lightly and also doesn’t compromise on the number of hours nor the effort that goes behind it. Anyway after refreshments and just barely enough time for getting ready we all came to the concert inside the temple premises itself by around 6.25 and the concert started around 6.35 after the customary introduction.
The song list of the concert is as follows : -
MAHAGANAPATHIM - NATTAI - Dikshitar- S
MAMAVA SADA JANANI - KANADA - SWATI Tirunal-S
BROCHEVA - KAMAS - R, S - MYSORE VASUDEVACHAR
VAGEESWARI - SARASWATHI - R, N, S - HARIKESANALLUR
MARUGELARA - JAYANTHASRI
JANANI NINNUVINA - REETHIGOWLA - R
KAMALAMBAM BHAJARE - KALYANI - R, S T
ENNA THAVAM
NINAIKKADA NERAMILLAI - RAGESHRI
BHUJAGASAYINO - MANGALAM - YADUKULAKAMBODI - SWATHI
MANGALAM KOSALENDRAYA - SLOKAM - MADHYAMAVATHI
Sury never compromised on the quality of rendition and on no occasion I felt he had just arrived an hour and half before the start of the concert. Actually I was discussing this issue with another friend of mine just jocularly. Most of the artistes have to endure a lot of ordeals in reaching the venues and also have to painfully bear the poor accommodation and other facilities. I was also jocularly telling after each and every song the artiste should be allowed to explain to others "Ha it is because of this reason that we haven’t done well or because of that reason that we havnt done well etc etc". Because it is very difficult to make the audience understand any poor performance from an artiste side and there is a danger of being branded as a poor performer based on one or two incidents. But anyway this is just as a joke that I told my friend not to be taken very seriously by the rasikas and make a digressive thread out of it. I was just telling him that since there is no method to express our pre-concert ordeals during/before/or after the concert it is better to keep quiet and concentrate only on those valuable Three-hour duration which decides the name and fame of the artiste concerned and hence it is very important to be alert on the stage than otherwise off the stage. I got these ideas only after seeing Sury come to the concert at 5.00 (you may well ask why should he arrive at the concert venue so late- why has he not planned his journey etc etc-even after good planning sometimes things can go wrong and there was a delay of train arrival also complicating things for him) and gave a concert for well over 2 1/2 hours without showing any signs of tiresomeness and weariness.
Now about his concert. He showed himself to be a thoroughbred musician with high caliber joined with a pliant voice which is deep-rooted in tradition having an happy alliance with creative modern fervour. I don’t have the depth of Rajeshnat in description, don’t have the abode of Ram for explanations, don’t have the knowledge of Lakshman or msakella sir, don’t have the gnana of vidyarthi, don’t have the gift of the gab of Arasi, don’t have the technical know-how to write in tamil of Erode but I have still have the guts to write about the artiste as many of you call the "Ring-side view".
As I have observed Sury's concert, for many years now, is filled with power-packed presentations and there is never a moment of dull in his concert and the concert in question is no exception to the above statement. He was always concentrating on sruthi alignment, renditional aspects alongwith platform Dharma. He never compromised on Mani Iyer Baani as is very evident from his swara prasthaaras in various kritis. He has a combination of rare and popular kritis in his concerts as is evident from the Saraswathi Raga Kriti which I have not heard so far.
His kamalambam Bhajare in Kalyani was piece de resistance for the day in which he threw a vibgyor of shades fitting for the occasion and the audience present. He sang plain notes as well as gamaka phrases in a judicious mixture so that there no loss of classicism in the raga rendition.
He sang a beautiful swara variety for Kamalambam eduppu. The swara prasthara goes as follows : -
Thadikitathom tha . ki . ta (5 + 6 = 11)
Thadikitathom Tha .. Ki .. Ta .. (5 + 9 = 14)
Thadikitathom (5) for a total of 30 counts starting from 2 counts after Arudi.
As per actual logic 6, 9 should have 12 in the end as Tha "¦ Ki "¦ Ta"¦ Actually Sury coincided the 12 with the Starting of Kamalambam words making it a PORUTHAM.
Likewise he sang 6, 7 varieties also making the swaraprasthara exercise very interesting and enjoyable.
His thukkadas had a few well known items and on the whole the concert was very enjoyable.
Ananthakrishnan on violin proved himself to be a worthy accompanist and followed Sury very nicely for songs and whenever given an opportunity to perform he excelled in his department. He is a very promising youngster.
Me and Sivaramakrishnan played a Thani in Kalyani kriti for about 12 minutes. Sivaramakrishnan's following for the kritis and complimenting the mridangist's style of playing needs a special mention.
After the concert Ananthakrishnan, myself and Siva had a dramatic return to Chennai by taking a train from Mavelikkara to Trichur which arrived at 3.15 am and then from Trichur to Palghat by Bus which came at 4.55 am barely enough time to catch the West Coast Express at 5.05 am to Chennai which arrived at Palghat Railway station just as we were descending the stairs to Platform No.3. As all three of us had concert the next day we had to hurry. Anyway Alls well that ends well. We all reached Chennai well before our concert times.
Mannarkoil J.Balaji
R.Suryaprakash at Chettikulangara-Mavelikkara-8-10-2008
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sramaswamy
- Posts: 366
- Joined: 24 May 2006, 22:29
Balaji
That was wonderfully written in a story-book style. Very interesting to read.
When you talked about the journeys, I was just thinking how easy it is for Suryaprakash to carry his instrument compared to for you. That must have been quite a journey carrying the mridhangam around in the different modes of transport.
That was wonderfully written in a story-book style. Very interesting to read.
When you talked about the journeys, I was just thinking how easy it is for Suryaprakash to carry his instrument compared to for you. That must have been quite a journey carrying the mridhangam around in the different modes of transport.
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arasi
- Posts: 16873
- Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30
Balaji,
What a treat of a story about the travails of Surya and friends! sogasuga mrudanga tALamuto--your story-telling capacity comes to the fore!
nAgarAjanum girinivAsanum! Yes, these ring side (on stage) anecdotal reviews add a lot of substance and variety to the forum. Gabbing comes easily to me--gift or not--but you practitioners of the arts bring a special flavor to the forum.
Hope Surya is carrying on bravely, recovering from his illness and coping with all the travel woes.
Your post may come as an eye opener for some rasikAs. We tend to take things for granted and have to be reminded of the sort of life artistes lead. While some rasikAs brave long distances and foul weather to attend
a concert, they are not fully aware of the kind of a day the performers have had. And you all hold jobs too which have their own pressures. Add to it family responsibilities! It cannot be for the love of money
--love for music and recognition is what motivates you, I think.
As for the concert, I would have loved to have heard that HMB's vAgISvari! Hope Surya would sing it during the Season.
Yes, must be quite a job, running to catch your train or bus with a heavy mrudangam to carry. As for the vocalists, they have to guard that fine instrument of a voice against the elements and pollution!
What a treat of a story about the travails of Surya and friends! sogasuga mrudanga tALamuto--your story-telling capacity comes to the fore!
nAgarAjanum girinivAsanum! Yes, these ring side (on stage) anecdotal reviews add a lot of substance and variety to the forum. Gabbing comes easily to me--gift or not--but you practitioners of the arts bring a special flavor to the forum.
Hope Surya is carrying on bravely, recovering from his illness and coping with all the travel woes.
Your post may come as an eye opener for some rasikAs. We tend to take things for granted and have to be reminded of the sort of life artistes lead. While some rasikAs brave long distances and foul weather to attend
a concert, they are not fully aware of the kind of a day the performers have had. And you all hold jobs too which have their own pressures. Add to it family responsibilities! It cannot be for the love of money
--love for music and recognition is what motivates you, I think.As for the concert, I would have loved to have heard that HMB's vAgISvari! Hope Surya would sing it during the Season.
Yes, must be quite a job, running to catch your train or bus with a heavy mrudangam to carry. As for the vocalists, they have to guard that fine instrument of a voice against the elements and pollution!
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rajeshnat
- Posts: 10121
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04
All
I had a chance to talk to Shri mannArkoil during last saturday , he had to travel continously for 1 full week hopping in melakartha trains that stop in big stations, than taking innumerable janya trains to alight in lot of kulangara stations. He was damn tired , and he played beautifully in GAyatri Venkat's MD concert on last saturday . What is beautiful with all these CM vidwans , the tiredness is very much there before and after the concert, but they don't show it up at all , certainly a combination of god's grace and their artistic ability that they have cultivated to show a face despite a not so unpleasant 
arasi,
IIRC this vaageshwari vani in saraswati in one of Tanjore S.KalyAnarAman(TSK's ) special . Rendition of TSK is simply brilliant with fast and racy swaras.I have not heard this number from Suryaprakash. This saraswati adds to two more rare krithis in saraswathi one rendered by SuryaprakAsh (NS ramachandran's krithi) and other rendered by Sowmya (GNB krithi).
I had a chance to talk to Shri mannArkoil during last saturday , he had to travel continously for 1 full week hopping in melakartha trains that stop in big stations, than taking innumerable janya trains to alight in lot of kulangara stations. He was damn tired , and he played beautifully in GAyatri Venkat's MD concert on last saturday . What is beautiful with all these CM vidwans , the tiredness is very much there before and after the concert, but they don't show it up at all , certainly a combination of god's grace and their artistic ability that they have cultivated to show a
face despite a not so unpleasant arasi,
IIRC this vaageshwari vani in saraswati in one of Tanjore S.KalyAnarAman(TSK's ) special . Rendition of TSK is simply brilliant with fast and racy swaras.I have not heard this number from Suryaprakash. This saraswati adds to two more rare krithis in saraswathi one rendered by SuryaprakAsh (NS ramachandran's krithi) and other rendered by Sowmya (GNB krithi).
Last edited by rajeshnat on 15 Oct 2008, 22:22, edited 1 time in total.
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arasi
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- Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30
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Sam Swaminathan
- Posts: 846
- Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 08:45
Balaji....the review was great....interesting ...like reading a RKN's novel...you always understate your performance. You should be more forthcoming in this area....
A small suggestion, if I may. Your reviews will be even sweeter if you start writing shorter sentences....just like the great Sri Rajaji !!
A small suggestion, if I may. Your reviews will be even sweeter if you start writing shorter sentences....just like the great Sri Rajaji !!
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Sam Swaminathan
- Posts: 846
- Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 08:45
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mridhangam
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- Joined: 04 Dec 2006, 13:56