Bharat Sangeet Utsav 2008
-
kamavardhani
- Posts: 92
- Joined: 13 Dec 2006, 22:57
The event got off to a wonderful start yesterday at NGS... very well organized by Carnatica. I want to specifically commend them for a punctual start. There was still last minute setup chaos on the stage at the announced inauguration time of 4.30 pm making one wonder how long the first conecr by Sanjay would be delayed. The actual lighting of the lamp and speech by chief guest Nalli happened only around 4.45. Yet, the organizers managed to keep it short and sweet, cleared the stage promptly and Sanjay started humming Viriboni on the dot of 5.00 pm! Well done, guys and wish you a successful festival.
-
deepsands02
- Posts: 104
- Joined: 30 Jan 2007, 01:28
Actually the first 'tempo' he sang yesterday was a mix of slow chathusram (1 note per beat), regular speed chathusram (2 notes per beat), fast speed chathusram (4 notes per beat), then tisram (3 notes per beat) in each avarthanam. There is a certain place in each avarthanam where the nadai changes every time to make one line of words fit perfectly. (Hope this makes sense to others, and not just in my head).
This was followed by the usual 2nd speed chathusram.
This was followed by the usual 2nd speed chathusram.
-
madhavan
- Posts: 22
- Joined: 08 May 2008, 14:48
Yes I agree Kamavardhani, it’s a mammoth task to manage such an event but they do bungle on an important issue every year! Please let me recount a sordid story.kamavardhani wrote:The event got off to a wonderful start yesterday at NGS... very well organized by Carnatica. ...... Well done, guys and wish you a successful festival.
Their press advertisement says "free seats available on first-come first-served, donor passes for reserved seats available for Rs.2000, Rs.1000 and daily tickets are at the cost of Rs.300/- Rs.200/- Rs.100/- etc."
-
knshashikiran
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 17 May 2006, 00:22
Dear Rasikas,
I would first like to place my sincere thanks to each and every single performer, rasika and the volunteers for their extraordinary support in making Bharat Sangeet Utsav a great experience for us.
I would like to clear certain misconceptions and assumptions on this festival as mentioned by our friend Mr. Madhavan.
Dear Madhavan,
I thank you for your honest feedback. Now the clarifications to some of the points raised by you.
Having organised this event for 4 yrs now, we are aware of how marketable our music is. We spoke about this even in our launch at Residency towers which was for only spl invitees. So if the intension was to make money as you have suggested, it is ruled out completely. In fact, we do a December festival called Samarpanam every year, spending entirely out of our pockets - and it is free for all. Our music, unfortunately, does not draw people in thousands or lakhs, even if opened free to public irrespective of the time of the year. So let us simply understand and know that we have a niche market available. Any sponsorship support is welcome for our December festival, if you have contacts who sponsor music festivals in December. We have great artistes like Parasala Ponnammal, Sangita Kalanidhi R.K.Srikantan, Sangita Kalanidhi Dr. N. Ramani, Chitravina Ravikiran, O.S. Tyagarajan, Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan and Viji, and several other leading and young talents.
Now to clear the ticketing (or should I say donor passes) issues - firstly, to assume that ardent fans are occupying only the free seats is totally wrong. And even if they do, isn't it sad that ardent fans don't want to spend even one rupee on something they love so much while they can spend on most other things - including the coffees and dosas at the canteen.
Next, there are several issues in organising a festival - beyond monetary issues - which are best known to an organiser. Simple math would suggest that a festival like this costs about 20-25 lakhs roughly. If we were depending on the sale of donor passes, we wouldn't be able to conduct this festival. And let us be honest - we don't have rasikas in thousands who would spend to listen to their favourite artistes to cover this cost. Our seating principles have been simple and will remain so.
Now we have season donor passes and daily donor passes which are given first to our sponsors and their friends and then to artistes and to media friends. We also have Carnatica members who are given two passes. If a rasika is keen on having a confirmed seat then he can purchase a donor pass for the day, with which he can attend all the concerts scheduled for that day. We also have donor season passes for those who want to attend all days or most concerts in the festival without having to labour to get a seat for concerts which attract a capacity crowd.
Now if the idea was to make money we would have added tickets with lesser denomination too and not cared to have anything free for general public. We let the rasikas who come in very early to occupy seats in the last few rows and the balcony to make sure we have no problems with those who have been given passes - be it our sponsors, artistes or members. If those occupying the free seats want to occupy the first row meant for sponsors and others, they may have to be told to move back, as we have not been given much choice - unless the artiste performing feels he or she is an inspiration for them to perform. We wait till the concert is almost ready to commence, reassess the situation and then allow those occupying the free seats to get closer if possible to let more free rasikas walk in. The volunteers are paid and commissioned by us and act in consultation with us before this decision is taken. We try not to disappoint most lovers. But to suggest that since a seat is not occupied for a particular concert, we are doing badly is not true. There are rasikas who like to choose a particular concert based on artiste and also the genre. There are Hindustani rasikas who may not prefer Carnatic concerts and vice-versa. Several permutations are possible. But the broad idea here is to ensure the comfort of those who want a confirmed seat and then the rasikas who prefer free seats. The ultimate aim is to make sure everyone enjoys top-class music. And we undertake this mammoth effort year after year because we are passionate about what we do.
Our volunteers may be a bit tough on those who demand a particular row or seat without wanting to pay for it as any reasonable person here would understand. In most cases that come to our notice, we still ask them to be reasonable and in many cases the senior citizens who find it hard to walk have been given free donor passes by us and are made to seat in the front rows. Hope they vouch for it too. But in simple terms we can't satisfy all but we hope to make sure most of them - including the performing artistes, our sponsors, patrons, and the rasikas are happy.
I once again thank the music fraternity in making this festival happen yet again and hope we would be able to continue.
*** Pls note that my posting is intended to only clear some points mentioned and not to offend any sentiments.
K.N.Shashikiran
On behalf of Carnatica's team
I would first like to place my sincere thanks to each and every single performer, rasika and the volunteers for their extraordinary support in making Bharat Sangeet Utsav a great experience for us.
I would like to clear certain misconceptions and assumptions on this festival as mentioned by our friend Mr. Madhavan.
Dear Madhavan,
I thank you for your honest feedback. Now the clarifications to some of the points raised by you.
Having organised this event for 4 yrs now, we are aware of how marketable our music is. We spoke about this even in our launch at Residency towers which was for only spl invitees. So if the intension was to make money as you have suggested, it is ruled out completely. In fact, we do a December festival called Samarpanam every year, spending entirely out of our pockets - and it is free for all. Our music, unfortunately, does not draw people in thousands or lakhs, even if opened free to public irrespective of the time of the year. So let us simply understand and know that we have a niche market available. Any sponsorship support is welcome for our December festival, if you have contacts who sponsor music festivals in December. We have great artistes like Parasala Ponnammal, Sangita Kalanidhi R.K.Srikantan, Sangita Kalanidhi Dr. N. Ramani, Chitravina Ravikiran, O.S. Tyagarajan, Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan and Viji, and several other leading and young talents.
Now to clear the ticketing (or should I say donor passes) issues - firstly, to assume that ardent fans are occupying only the free seats is totally wrong. And even if they do, isn't it sad that ardent fans don't want to spend even one rupee on something they love so much while they can spend on most other things - including the coffees and dosas at the canteen.
Next, there are several issues in organising a festival - beyond monetary issues - which are best known to an organiser. Simple math would suggest that a festival like this costs about 20-25 lakhs roughly. If we were depending on the sale of donor passes, we wouldn't be able to conduct this festival. And let us be honest - we don't have rasikas in thousands who would spend to listen to their favourite artistes to cover this cost. Our seating principles have been simple and will remain so.
Now we have season donor passes and daily donor passes which are given first to our sponsors and their friends and then to artistes and to media friends. We also have Carnatica members who are given two passes. If a rasika is keen on having a confirmed seat then he can purchase a donor pass for the day, with which he can attend all the concerts scheduled for that day. We also have donor season passes for those who want to attend all days or most concerts in the festival without having to labour to get a seat for concerts which attract a capacity crowd.
Now if the idea was to make money we would have added tickets with lesser denomination too and not cared to have anything free for general public. We let the rasikas who come in very early to occupy seats in the last few rows and the balcony to make sure we have no problems with those who have been given passes - be it our sponsors, artistes or members. If those occupying the free seats want to occupy the first row meant for sponsors and others, they may have to be told to move back, as we have not been given much choice - unless the artiste performing feels he or she is an inspiration for them to perform. We wait till the concert is almost ready to commence, reassess the situation and then allow those occupying the free seats to get closer if possible to let more free rasikas walk in. The volunteers are paid and commissioned by us and act in consultation with us before this decision is taken. We try not to disappoint most lovers. But to suggest that since a seat is not occupied for a particular concert, we are doing badly is not true. There are rasikas who like to choose a particular concert based on artiste and also the genre. There are Hindustani rasikas who may not prefer Carnatic concerts and vice-versa. Several permutations are possible. But the broad idea here is to ensure the comfort of those who want a confirmed seat and then the rasikas who prefer free seats. The ultimate aim is to make sure everyone enjoys top-class music. And we undertake this mammoth effort year after year because we are passionate about what we do.
Our volunteers may be a bit tough on those who demand a particular row or seat without wanting to pay for it as any reasonable person here would understand. In most cases that come to our notice, we still ask them to be reasonable and in many cases the senior citizens who find it hard to walk have been given free donor passes by us and are made to seat in the front rows. Hope they vouch for it too. But in simple terms we can't satisfy all but we hope to make sure most of them - including the performing artistes, our sponsors, patrons, and the rasikas are happy.
I once again thank the music fraternity in making this festival happen yet again and hope we would be able to continue.
*** Pls note that my posting is intended to only clear some points mentioned and not to offend any sentiments.
K.N.Shashikiran
On behalf of Carnatica's team
Last edited by knshashikiran on 02 Nov 2008, 09:11, edited 1 time in total.
-
sureshvv
- Posts: 5542
- Joined: 05 Jul 2007, 18:17
Hi Shashi... Thanks for the detailed response. I would like to congratulate you and your team for conceiving and organizing this great festival with a beautiful blend of the best of the fine arts. This gives us a chance to listen to many artistes that we may not get to listen otherwise and brings out great performances from the artistes we are fond of. Organizing such an event would be a formidable undertaking and you guys have been terrific for the most part; However I do think the seating policy needs to be fine-tuned - as it created considerable chaos making large groups of people, including many seniors, rush all at one once down the stairs towards the "free" seats as they became available.
Let me set be the scenario for you in a little more detail! People started trickling in much before the scheduled start and the rasikas who were looking for the "free" advertised seats were directed upstairs and the balcony got filled to capacity even by 4:30 pm or so. Daily tickets were sold at a single rate of Rs. 100 and a few people bought those to be able to sit in the ground floor. By the time the concert started at 5 pm, the balcony was full and a few people were standing/sitting on the steps etc. Right before the concert the word got around that the ground floor was made available for all and a mad dash ensued. I am somewhat surprised that no one got hurt in the melee' or if they did they are keeping it to themselves.
To an otherwise wonderfully organized event, this does seem like an avoidable miscue. Thank you for listening
Let me set be the scenario for you in a little more detail! People started trickling in much before the scheduled start and the rasikas who were looking for the "free" advertised seats were directed upstairs and the balcony got filled to capacity even by 4:30 pm or so. Daily tickets were sold at a single rate of Rs. 100 and a few people bought those to be able to sit in the ground floor. By the time the concert started at 5 pm, the balcony was full and a few people were standing/sitting on the steps etc. Right before the concert the word got around that the ground floor was made available for all and a mad dash ensued. I am somewhat surprised that no one got hurt in the melee' or if they did they are keeping it to themselves.
To an otherwise wonderfully organized event, this does seem like an avoidable miscue. Thank you for listening
Last edited by sureshvv on 05 Nov 2008, 22:06, edited 1 time in total.
-
srikant1987
- Posts: 2246
- Joined: 10 Jun 2007, 12:23
But I think tickets of lesser denomination would help fill the front rows. Some of the balcony crowds might buy them and sit closer to the stage instead of leaving those chairs empty.knshashikiran wrote:Now if the idea was to make money we would have added tickets with lesser denomination too and not cared to have anything free for general public.
-
coolkarni
- Posts: 1729
- Joined: 22 Nov 2007, 06:42
For Gods Sake , Ban those free seats.
Nothing will improve in Chennai until this is done.
Organisers like Shashikiran and Co are simply above reproach.
The bottom line is that if one has paid for a concert , he has nothing to grumble about.
As far as the " free " Chaps are concerned , They are simply not worth any effort.
Either by the organisers .
Or by posters here.
Nothing will improve in Chennai until this is done.
Organisers like Shashikiran and Co are simply above reproach.
The bottom line is that if one has paid for a concert , he has nothing to grumble about.
As far as the " free " Chaps are concerned , They are simply not worth any effort.
Either by the organisers .
Or by posters here.
-
vasanthakokilam
- Posts: 10958
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01
I am nodding my head in agreement here. It looked like Carnatica organized the event with the best of intentions and executed it very well. We should not blame issues caused by the audience behavior in getting to a (free) better seat on the organizers. Well, as Kji suggests, Carnatica can simply do away with this problem by being not so generous.Organisers like Shashikiran and Co are simply above reproach.
Also, number of words describing the good stuff is dwarfed by the words to write about minor annoyances ( like volunteers possibly yelled at the people which seems to be Madhavan's main complaint ).
BTW, in a mike amplified concert inside an auditorum, why is there this perception that seats closer to the stage are better than the balcony seats? It is probably just psychological unless there is a definite difference in audio in the main part of the auditorium closer to the stage than the balcony.
-
arasi
- Posts: 16873
- Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30
Those who receive but do not give--cannot be choosers.
Yes, a nominal fee can be charged instead of the freebie.
Without much ado, just minutes before the concert, if the middle of the hall is still empty, listeners can be asked (by way of an announcement) to come forward to occupy the empty seats--avoids exchanges between the audience and the volunteers...
Yes, a nominal fee can be charged instead of the freebie.
Without much ado, just minutes before the concert, if the middle of the hall is still empty, listeners can be asked (by way of an announcement) to come forward to occupy the empty seats--avoids exchanges between the audience and the volunteers...
-
coolkarni
- Posts: 1729
- Joined: 22 Nov 2007, 06:42
Arasi .You remind me of a joke I read long long ago , about receivers and givers.
A Scotsman once applied for a Policemans job in NewYork.At the interview he was asked the question :
You are alone facing a huge unruly mob.Which is the simplest way you will employ to disperse them.
After some thought he replies:
"I dont know how you guys do it around here.But back home in Aberdeen, I would start passing the hat around for raising some money , and in a few minutes one could expect the crowd to melt away."
On a serious note , my wife once complained about my buying an album from the carnatica store.Her grouse was that I had provided the recordings for that album and the CD Inlay card even sported my name on it.I had to quiten her with my Dads lovely words : No One ever paid the Price of a Book.Only the Price of Printing it.
In this case , No one ever pays the price of the trouble to host an event.only the price of...
A Scotsman once applied for a Policemans job in NewYork.At the interview he was asked the question :
You are alone facing a huge unruly mob.Which is the simplest way you will employ to disperse them.
After some thought he replies:
"I dont know how you guys do it around here.But back home in Aberdeen, I would start passing the hat around for raising some money , and in a few minutes one could expect the crowd to melt away."
On a serious note , my wife once complained about my buying an album from the carnatica store.Her grouse was that I had provided the recordings for that album and the CD Inlay card even sported my name on it.I had to quiten her with my Dads lovely words : No One ever paid the Price of a Book.Only the Price of Printing it.
In this case , No one ever pays the price of the trouble to host an event.only the price of...
Last edited by coolkarni on 03 Nov 2008, 06:27, edited 1 time in total.
-
vasanthakokilam
- Posts: 10958
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01
-
coolkarni
- Posts: 1729
- Joined: 22 Nov 2007, 06:42
Arasi
I did not declare my identity at the store .
Anyway , I have a different working arrangement with Ramanathan... It takes years and years of Give and Take to develop such a bonding.The price tag on the album is nothing compared to that.
Rasikas who "downed" cupfuls of Pal khova during the Bangalore Sankar Concert will vouch for that.
I did not declare my identity at the store .
Anyway , I have a different working arrangement with Ramanathan... It takes years and years of Give and Take to develop such a bonding.The price tag on the album is nothing compared to that.
Rasikas who "downed" cupfuls of Pal khova during the Bangalore Sankar Concert will vouch for that.
-
grsastrigal
- Posts: 884
- Joined: 27 Dec 2006, 10:52
I attended Vijay Siva's concert and plan to attend couple of more concerts. Well organised. Beautiful backdrop. Saturday evening 5 PM, there was a decent crowd and I did not notice any unusual scene/chaos. Full credit to the organisers. In fact, they were distributing sweets sponsored by Krishna Sweets {who else) for all those rasikas who attended.
Coming back to Sanjay's concert- I could get a review by Papanasam Ashok Ramani (Remember Naradar converses with Vishnu) the his Sahana rendition of MD's seventh NavarNa Maliga was superb and his handling of Vivadi Raga "Kangeyabhooshani" was outstanding. His Todi was also a masterpiece. I could not attend this.
About TNS- His Sriragam alapana was outstanding and also his Hamsanandhi.
Coming back to Sanjay's concert- I could get a review by Papanasam Ashok Ramani (Remember Naradar converses with Vishnu) the his Sahana rendition of MD's seventh NavarNa Maliga was superb and his handling of Vivadi Raga "Kangeyabhooshani" was outstanding. His Todi was also a masterpiece. I could not attend this.
About TNS- His Sriragam alapana was outstanding and also his Hamsanandhi.
-
vijay
- Posts: 2522
- Joined: 27 Feb 2006, 16:06
I had a great time too - had dropped in over the weekend after Diwali in Bangalore and the detour was worth every penny.
Sanjay's inugural concert lived up to its "grand" tag. Surprised not to see the review up yet. Anyway, the concert got off to a great start with Viribhoni - the pallavi smartly blending tisram and chatusram. Gangeyabhushani was easily the highlight with a splendid alaapana that alloyed Nattai and Mayamalavagowla in an engaging manner. The rendition of Sari Evvare left one thirsting for a neraval and swaras. The Thodi alaapana was characterized by straight note pidis - the krithi was Enduku Dayaradura...Sanjay's rendition of Thyagaraja's krithis is probably his strongest point and this was no exception. Harikumar played energetically supported by Guruprasad and Varadarajan was, as always, Sanjay's very shadow...as a curtain raiser, one could not have asked for more...
TNS' concert got off to a good start with Sree and became even better with a brilliant Hamsanandhi. I felt the concert tempo would have been better served by a brisk krithi at this point than a Brovavamma but the rendition was pretty good. The alaapana in Kambhoji took time to make an imrpession but the krithi and neraval (Devi Nee Padasa, a delightful composition of Syama Sastri) bounced back to reclaim the rasika's attention.
I briefly caught Sikkil Gurucharan's concert (basically the post alaapana part of Ekambresa Nayike in Shanmukhapriya) and was happy to note that the youngster is making good progress. His swaras were much more sophisticated than the primarily sarvalaghu dominated fare one was used to hearing and the voice had acquired more weight.
The highlight of the series, however, was Vijay Siva. Some of my most memorable concert experiences lead to this artiste - I remember a mindboggling Sankarabharanam in 2004/5 at Bharat Kalachar and an exquisite Kambhoji for the Deekshitar day concert at KGS in 2005. Kambhoji was the theme of the evening again - Kanakkankodivendum being the krithi this time around. Yeah, we all know that Kambhoji is an ocean - but Vijay Siva set up a lighthouse or two on Saturday. Concert of the year. Kambhoji of the year.... Carnatica MUST MUST MUST make this commercially available....
Sangeetha Sivakumar gave a thematic concert with Gowri Ramnarayan as the compere - the theme was "Sudhandhira Daaham". I am not sure why a Sanksrit word needs to be spelt this way but the list was fortunately not limited to Bharatiar, as I had feared. With Nidhi Sala Sukhama with a fine neraval and a top class rendition of Vazhi Maraitthurukkude (in Thodi, not Nattaikurinji) complete with alaapana, neraval and swaras, it was almost like a regular concert. A meera bhajan in Megh Malhar (does this raga feature antara gandharam - it certainly did, on this occasion, unless I am gettin the raga wrong) was pretty decent too...
Overall, I had a great time. There were some glitches on the first day - the issue of tickets led to a few sour faces, the out of sync video display was chinese torture for the laya-challenged and the audio volume did not help Harikumar's assertive style. By day 2, however, most of these issues were sorted out. I am sure the series will see many more glorious moments in the days to come....
Apart from the music, it was also great to meet up with rasikas in Chennai...had a great session with Ram and Ramki (vainika) discussing things musical and unmusical, well into the night at Koffee World. I look forward to more alaapanas and arattais during the season!
Sanjay's inugural concert lived up to its "grand" tag. Surprised not to see the review up yet. Anyway, the concert got off to a great start with Viribhoni - the pallavi smartly blending tisram and chatusram. Gangeyabhushani was easily the highlight with a splendid alaapana that alloyed Nattai and Mayamalavagowla in an engaging manner. The rendition of Sari Evvare left one thirsting for a neraval and swaras. The Thodi alaapana was characterized by straight note pidis - the krithi was Enduku Dayaradura...Sanjay's rendition of Thyagaraja's krithis is probably his strongest point and this was no exception. Harikumar played energetically supported by Guruprasad and Varadarajan was, as always, Sanjay's very shadow...as a curtain raiser, one could not have asked for more...
TNS' concert got off to a good start with Sree and became even better with a brilliant Hamsanandhi. I felt the concert tempo would have been better served by a brisk krithi at this point than a Brovavamma but the rendition was pretty good. The alaapana in Kambhoji took time to make an imrpession but the krithi and neraval (Devi Nee Padasa, a delightful composition of Syama Sastri) bounced back to reclaim the rasika's attention.
I briefly caught Sikkil Gurucharan's concert (basically the post alaapana part of Ekambresa Nayike in Shanmukhapriya) and was happy to note that the youngster is making good progress. His swaras were much more sophisticated than the primarily sarvalaghu dominated fare one was used to hearing and the voice had acquired more weight.
The highlight of the series, however, was Vijay Siva. Some of my most memorable concert experiences lead to this artiste - I remember a mindboggling Sankarabharanam in 2004/5 at Bharat Kalachar and an exquisite Kambhoji for the Deekshitar day concert at KGS in 2005. Kambhoji was the theme of the evening again - Kanakkankodivendum being the krithi this time around. Yeah, we all know that Kambhoji is an ocean - but Vijay Siva set up a lighthouse or two on Saturday. Concert of the year. Kambhoji of the year.... Carnatica MUST MUST MUST make this commercially available....
Sangeetha Sivakumar gave a thematic concert with Gowri Ramnarayan as the compere - the theme was "Sudhandhira Daaham". I am not sure why a Sanksrit word needs to be spelt this way but the list was fortunately not limited to Bharatiar, as I had feared. With Nidhi Sala Sukhama with a fine neraval and a top class rendition of Vazhi Maraitthurukkude (in Thodi, not Nattaikurinji) complete with alaapana, neraval and swaras, it was almost like a regular concert. A meera bhajan in Megh Malhar (does this raga feature antara gandharam - it certainly did, on this occasion, unless I am gettin the raga wrong) was pretty decent too...
Overall, I had a great time. There were some glitches on the first day - the issue of tickets led to a few sour faces, the out of sync video display was chinese torture for the laya-challenged and the audio volume did not help Harikumar's assertive style. By day 2, however, most of these issues were sorted out. I am sure the series will see many more glorious moments in the days to come....
Apart from the music, it was also great to meet up with rasikas in Chennai...had a great session with Ram and Ramki (vainika) discussing things musical and unmusical, well into the night at Koffee World. I look forward to more alaapanas and arattais during the season!
-
suma
- Posts: 516
- Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 23:56
Nivedita, the color combination on the home page makes it hard to read notes attached to the photos. When the webdesigner has some time, could you have them fix this please?nivedita wrote:Photos from the inauguration and curtain raiser concert have been put up here: http://carnatica.net/bsu/
Last edited by suma on 04 Nov 2008, 01:59, edited 1 time in total.
-
kadambam
- Posts: 104
- Joined: 12 Jan 2007, 04:10
Shashikiran brings out an interesting point, especially coming from a performing musician/organizer
"Our music, unfortunately, does not draw people in thousands or lakhs, even if opened free to public irrespective of the time of the year. So let us simply understand and know that we have a niche market available."
If this seems the reality, why not consolidate the Sabhas & organize it more effectively. Instead of an near-empty auditorium, wouldn't it be better if we have fewer Sabhas and ensure there is a right balance between rasikas and artists. December Music Season has truly become a global event, and if organizers are not making money out of it from sponsors/rasikas then there is a problem. They can't be expected to do it out of passion every year. It is as much our responsibility to preserve as much as promote carnatic music, as the golden voices of the current musicians shouldn't be worn out of excessive usage.
So, looking at the issue from all the dimensions, Consolidation seems to be the solution, as that will ensure there is a balanced expansion of our music over time.
"Our music, unfortunately, does not draw people in thousands or lakhs, even if opened free to public irrespective of the time of the year. So let us simply understand and know that we have a niche market available."
If this seems the reality, why not consolidate the Sabhas & organize it more effectively. Instead of an near-empty auditorium, wouldn't it be better if we have fewer Sabhas and ensure there is a right balance between rasikas and artists. December Music Season has truly become a global event, and if organizers are not making money out of it from sponsors/rasikas then there is a problem. They can't be expected to do it out of passion every year. It is as much our responsibility to preserve as much as promote carnatic music, as the golden voices of the current musicians shouldn't be worn out of excessive usage.
So, looking at the issue from all the dimensions, Consolidation seems to be the solution, as that will ensure there is a balanced expansion of our music over time.
-
vasanthakokilam
- Posts: 10958
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01
-
rbsiyer
- Posts: 56
- Joined: 02 Feb 2007, 19:21
as you say, a limited number of cheap tickets is preferable to free entry (limited or otherwise). i however think it is not a good idea to upgrade them to better seats just because there are empty seats available. this is unfair to the rest of the paying public. those who paid good money will think twice next time!arasi wrote: Yes, a nominal fee can be charged instead of the freebie.
Without much ado, just minutes before the concert, if the middle of the hall is still empty, listeners can be asked (by way of an announcement) to come forward to occupy the empty seats--avoids exchanges between the audience and the volunteers...
opera houses usually sell a limited number of standing-room tickets for a nominal cost - 10/20 $ against 100-250 for good seats. this is useful for those who dont mind standing for 3-4 hours, epsecially students. in the current context the balcony freeloaders got a good deal as it is and the balcony was probably a good place to quarantine them from the rest of paying audience.
as one of the organiser pointed out ticket pricing or lack of may not be commercially relevant, but this is the case for most classical forms all over the world dependence being on donations, bequests, foundations, government etc. but you can never get people to respect the art or the performers who perform for free. as i mentioned somewhere else, music academy noon free concerts have many people sleeping in back rows as the seats are comfortable and AC, and music quality is anyway indifferent in many cases and justifiably you need nap after gorging at the canteen.
all this makse me think how absurd when our music season is compared (in media) to salzburg and bayreuth and whatnot! no one will ever pay even a small fraction of those ticket prices even if the hall acoustics are completely renovated or even if our gdp miraculously surges.
Last edited by rbsiyer on 05 Nov 2008, 10:13, edited 1 time in total.
-
srikant1987
- Posts: 2246
- Joined: 10 Jun 2007, 12:23
Why does this remind me of the recent upgradation scheme in Indian Railways?rbsiyer wrote:i however think it is not a good idea to upgrade them to better seats just because there are empty seats available. this is unfair to the rest of the paying public. those who paid good money will think twice next time!
See, if cheaper tickets come with this kind of upgradation, the cheap seats will get filled soon, and then the costlier ones will have to be taken.
Also, pushing them forward seems more like demand-supply free market economics without any ceiling price or floor price set. If people are totally reluctant to buy the costlier tickets, the costlier tickets aren't supposed to sell.
Last edited by srikant1987 on 06 Nov 2008, 09:50, edited 1 time in total.
-
coolkarni
- Posts: 1729
- Joined: 22 Nov 2007, 06:42
100 rs ticket - nothing free
200 rs ticket - one cd free
300 rs ticket - two cds free
500 rs ticket - three cds + 1 vcd free
NOTE - cds can be collected AFTER THE CONCERT---
1000 RS TICKET - YOU CAN GET PHOTOGRAPHED IN A GROUP WITH THE ARTIST BACKSTAGE
5000 RS TICKET - LIMITED NUMBERS - YOU CAN HAVE DINNER WITH THE ARTISTS AND A FINE MUSICAL CONVERSATION IF YOU WISH.
Maybe something like this should make a difference.
200 rs ticket - one cd free
300 rs ticket - two cds free
500 rs ticket - three cds + 1 vcd free
NOTE - cds can be collected AFTER THE CONCERT---
1000 RS TICKET - YOU CAN GET PHOTOGRAPHED IN A GROUP WITH THE ARTIST BACKSTAGE
5000 RS TICKET - LIMITED NUMBERS - YOU CAN HAVE DINNER WITH THE ARTISTS AND A FINE MUSICAL CONVERSATION IF YOU WISH.
Maybe something like this should make a difference.
Last edited by coolkarni on 06 Nov 2008, 11:06, edited 1 time in total.
-
arasi
- Posts: 16873
- Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30
Cool,
Caution to the ones who would venture to buy the Rs.5000 ticket: even if you are blessed with a 'speech'less concert, you have no guarantee that the artistes have the time to sit down with you to have dinner, with perhaps a train or plane to catch. The best bet is to buy multiple lesser priced tickets and get a handful of CDs
Caution to the ones who would venture to buy the Rs.5000 ticket: even if you are blessed with a 'speech'less concert, you have no guarantee that the artistes have the time to sit down with you to have dinner, with perhaps a train or plane to catch. The best bet is to buy multiple lesser priced tickets and get a handful of CDs
-
fuddyduddy
- Posts: 206
- Joined: 19 May 2006, 19:45
im particularly interested in kunnakudi master bmk's concert list/review... i recently heard his Dec 2007 charsur CD and it was just amazing. he sings a wonderful varali and vagadeeshwari in it. thats how far i got. am sure the rest of the cd is good too. (I guess i should post this in 'album' review).
-
rbharath
- Posts: 2333
- Joined: 05 Feb 2010, 10:50
that should be shuddh kalyan then. i found it to be equivalent to mohanakalyani. dint know the name of the ragam. the gentleman next to me said bhoopkalyan and i believed him.vijay wrote:Bhoop Kalyan - that sounds like Mohanakalyani but there is already a Shuddh - Kalyan which is the equivalent of Mohanakalyani...which, BTW, is a speciality of SAnjeev Abhayankar.
I'd love to hear Malkauns live but in more than 50 HM concerts, it has always remained elusive even though it is supposedly an evening/right raga...
malkauns was just too good.
-
grsastrigal
- Posts: 884
- Joined: 27 Dec 2006, 10:52
Closing ceremony of BSU- There is an article in Indian Express today with a glittering photo of Sri. LGJ, Cleveland Sundaram, Nagai Muralidharan, Ghatam Karthik, TVS, Sudha and Bombay Sisters and Tiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam and of course Nalli.
Some of the awards presented were.
Lifetime Achievement award- Sri LGJ
Icon of the Year- Sudha Ragunathan
Consistent performer of the Year- T V Sanakranarayanan
People’s Choice- Aruna Sairam
Best Duo Performers- Bombay Sisters
Best Violinist- Nagai Muralidhran
Percussionist of the Year- Tiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam
Personality of the Year- Srimushnam Raja Rao
Supporting artist of the Year- Ghatam Kartick.
Young Star of the Year- M. Balamuralikrishnan
It is surprising to see some of the awards given to some. Especially Bombay Sisters given the award where they lost their ‘Best days"
Some of the awards presented were.
Lifetime Achievement award- Sri LGJ
Icon of the Year- Sudha Ragunathan
Consistent performer of the Year- T V Sanakranarayanan
People’s Choice- Aruna Sairam
Best Duo Performers- Bombay Sisters
Best Violinist- Nagai Muralidhran
Percussionist of the Year- Tiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam
Personality of the Year- Srimushnam Raja Rao
Supporting artist of the Year- Ghatam Kartick.
Young Star of the Year- M. Balamuralikrishnan
It is surprising to see some of the awards given to some. Especially Bombay Sisters given the award where they lost their ‘Best days"
Last edited by grsastrigal on 11 Nov 2008, 14:48, edited 1 time in total.
-
srikant1987
- Posts: 2246
- Joined: 10 Jun 2007, 12:23
-
coolkarni
- Posts: 1729
- Joined: 22 Nov 2007, 06:42
Not just Ramkali.It was a major major Ramkali.Very expansive.
The concert ran close to 3 Hours - great for a Morning session.
Sindhubhairavi thukkadas incorporated some lilting ragas in the ragamalikas (hindolita , khambavathi and a tune which resembled Raj Kalyan of Vasnathrao Despande, and some lines in Hamsadhwani).
With this innovation, he has taken his Masters style of abhang/bhajan singing , one step further.
Lalith was sung as a listeners choice-and featured a wonderful new composition that I have not heard before , and Jaunpuri heralded the afternoon.
He paid some apt tributes to Shashikiran and Co , and vowed to keep coming back to take appreciation of HM in chennai, one notch higher,if needed.
Raveendra Yavagal's tabla was loud-Strangley volume levels tend to increase with the increase in stature of these artists over the years.Very unmusical in fact.But my ears are more comfortable with the likes of Balakrishna Iyer and Nizamuddin Khan,and not of the sawal jawabs of Ravisankar-Alla Rakha,perhaps.
Bala .. I missed you,though you were there.
Vijay,Rajesh,Sathej,Bharath,Ignoramus,Ram .. I missed you too.
The concert ran close to 3 Hours - great for a Morning session.
Sindhubhairavi thukkadas incorporated some lilting ragas in the ragamalikas (hindolita , khambavathi and a tune which resembled Raj Kalyan of Vasnathrao Despande, and some lines in Hamsadhwani).
With this innovation, he has taken his Masters style of abhang/bhajan singing , one step further.
Lalith was sung as a listeners choice-and featured a wonderful new composition that I have not heard before , and Jaunpuri heralded the afternoon.
He paid some apt tributes to Shashikiran and Co , and vowed to keep coming back to take appreciation of HM in chennai, one notch higher,if needed.
Raveendra Yavagal's tabla was loud-Strangley volume levels tend to increase with the increase in stature of these artists over the years.Very unmusical in fact.But my ears are more comfortable with the likes of Balakrishna Iyer and Nizamuddin Khan,and not of the sawal jawabs of Ravisankar-Alla Rakha,perhaps.
Bala .. I missed you,though you were there.
Vijay,Rajesh,Sathej,Bharath,Ignoramus,Ram .. I missed you too.
Last edited by coolkarni on 12 Nov 2008, 06:29, edited 1 time in total.
. Hope Carnatica releases the audio/video of these concerts.-
Sathej
- Posts: 586
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:23
Cool ji,
Was really tied up on the weekend mornings. Managed to attend Sowmya's concert on Saturday evening. Missed the Hindusthani ones though. Hope to get to listen to some nice ones sometime, though my knowledge is quite limited in that domain! And too bad that I missed a rendezvous.
Sathej
Was really tied up on the weekend mornings. Managed to attend Sowmya's concert on Saturday evening. Missed the Hindusthani ones though. Hope to get to listen to some nice ones sometime, though my knowledge is quite limited in that domain! And too bad that I missed a rendezvous.
Sathej
Last edited by Sathej on 12 Nov 2008, 08:56, edited 1 time in total.
-
coolkarni
- Posts: 1729
- Joined: 22 Nov 2007, 06:42
-
nivedita
- Posts: 302
- Joined: 14 May 2006, 23:07
Photos from the award ceremony have been put up at http://carnatica.net/bsu/
-
sadananthan
- Posts: 23
- Joined: 21 Apr 2008, 09:17
The list of awardees and the dignitaries are as expected. The only omissions are Ravikiran and Sowmya. Cleveland Sundaram and Raja Rao (personality of the year, what a joke!) will ensure that Sasikiran gets a call to Cleveland. I wouldn't be suprised if next year a couple of NRI musicians from USA are selected, especially those who can "arrange" concerts for Sasikiran and co.
I was also curious as to why the well known mridangam vidwan Guruvayur Dorai did not feature in any concerts.
Admin note: Please ensure that no motives are attributed to anyone, it amounts to personal attacks. I cannot emphasize enough that personal attacks are not allowed on this forum, and there are a few people who seem to not realize this.
I was also curious as to why the well known mridangam vidwan Guruvayur Dorai did not feature in any concerts.
Admin note: Please ensure that no motives are attributed to anyone, it amounts to personal attacks. I cannot emphasize enough that personal attacks are not allowed on this forum, and there are a few people who seem to not realize this.