Season 2010 Twitter...

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 23 Dec 2010, 12:31

kamavardhani wrote:
The musical side, hopefully! :p

On somedays that would be the canteen. Hope today turns out to be good. Like SP's RTPs usually.

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 23 Dec 2010, 12:34

I'm not familiar with MA. Would like to meet you, Suresh! Arasi will be there too. How about we all remain behind after his concert by the stage? I will be there.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 23 Dec 2010, 13:39

My doctor is in London! But I had a consultation with his father, who holds the fort, and have antibiotics and cough mixture. Despite waking up in pain, after a steam inhalation I'm ready, if not exactly raring, to go.

Tonight, Shashank is playing with his sitar collaborator and I do not mean to miss this concert. I saw the webcast of the performance for the ycma (yacm? ymca? ycma? you know what I mean) and wished that I was actually there. Few "jugalbandis" come anywhere near actual musical conversation, they are usually more like taking turns to dominate, but this, for me, really qualified.

So, I will be at Mrs YGP's place this evening. Other than that, I can only say, for sure, that I will be at Raga Sudha hall for Smt Vedavalli's concert tomorrow and at KGS for the Odissi performance on 26th.

After seeing the doc yesterday, we went to RS Hall and saw Iyer Brothers give a very good veena concert. I need some education on this, as I saw a format of playing that I have never seen before, which was that, after the main piece, they played a succession of short raga-tanum combinations. I guess this must be part of veena tradition, but I look forward to some information from better-informed fellow members.

Happy concert going to all --- and may everybody find "the musical side" of whatever venue they attend

By the way: interesting article in The Hindu today on the economics of the season. Probably somebody will start a thread about it. It is shocking to see how little artists actually earn.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 23 Dec 2010, 22:38

best thing this season: steam inhalation! Especially when combined with Karvol.

Anyway... thoroughly enjoyed the flute and sitar jugalbandi, and would say that it was indeed worthy of the name.

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 23 Dec 2010, 23:00

Missed you, Suresh! They ushered me out of the hall immediately after Suryaprakash's concert. I did run into arasi, however, and we had an interesting trek around the MA perimeter. We met again at NSG's concert in the evening, where I also ran into VRV, Aishu's father. The day started with decent music from Kunnakudy BMK, solid singing from Suryaprakash, decent stuff from Rajee Gopalakrishnan, and was rounded off by a truly special concert by NSG. I will give NSG's concert a review sometime in the near future and do brief reports for the rest. I'm really tired. I've never done 4 concerts in a day before.

I have four events tomorrow - SRJ's lecdem at Parthasarathy in the morning, and then I'm heading to the Carnatica series in Tiruvanmiyur to kill three birds with one stone and catch three artistes I love - Amrutha Venkatesh, TNK, and then Hyderabad Brothers.

Highlights of the day today: Meeting arasi FINALLY (who's even more charming in person than she is online - if that's conceivable), and NSG's concert. Two forumites made my day!

I think I may catch up on sleep today. I had a treacherous night yesterday. I went to bed at 1.30 after writing my MSG review, then a dog howled outside the whole night, and when I finally got to sleep early in the morning, a crow started pecking at my window at 6AM. I need sleep!

srikant1987 · Post by **srikant1987** » 23 Dec 2010, 23:30

as I saw a format of playing that I have never seen before, which was that, after the main piece, they played a succession of short raga-tanum combinations. I guess this must be part of veena tradition, but I look forward to some information from better-informed fellow members.

Oh, this is something their guru, Sri Trivandrum R Venkataraman used to do too! (I love all those tAnams! He'd almost always have an aThANa, which I find tailor-made for tAnams!)

In vocal concerts, the main is typically followed by a rAgamAlika viruttam (a vocal-music speciality -- lyrics sung without being set to a tAlam). Correspondingly it seems Sri Venkataraman felt a rAgamAlika tAnam (a music form best played on veena) could be played in veena concerts, after the main item.

I don't think this is common among other vainikas -- though they almost always play a tAnam just before the main item, in addition to the Alapanai.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 23 Dec 2010, 23:36

Bilahari,
Not only did NSG sing your namesake rAgam but that nIlAmbari RTP (for you to get a good night's sleep?). You forget that there were two other forumites that you met: Mannargudi Easwaran and Aishu's father Venkatraman! Add Suryaprakash's name, and it makes it five!
NSG's concert was as introspective and elevating as usual.Sundareswaran and ME made the concert dance! You and I continued listening to the Parur fiddlers, two days in a row!
Thanks for your kind words about me--though I may not deserve them. Better watch out. High praise and humor are not in fashion at the moment

Suresh,
I'm sorry I missed you too.
Anyone heading for forumite Suryaprakash's concert tomorrow morning at NGS?

Nick,
I hope you are feeling better now.

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 23 Dec 2010, 23:59

You are correct, queen. Praise and humour are out of fashion currently. In light of that, I hereby revise my opinion of arasi. She is actually a cruel woman who purposely stuck her foot out while I was descending from the Academy. I tripped and fell flat on the road as she watched, cackling.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 24 Dec 2010, 00:22

Ah! You saw my retractable nails and my broom too (not to be confused with the janitorial one). There was no room to park my broom in the Academy parking lot either

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 24 Dec 2010, 00:36

Really, Bilahari? She did that to me, too, as I was crossing Usman Road on the day of the meet. I survived, though, even though she is a crack shot with that broom!

I wonder if she and I will meet over Christmas?

Seriously... no, I am not better, but expect antibiotics to take three days to show real effect. The music did help tonight, and I would have to be a lot worse not to make it to Smt Vedavalli's concert tomorrow. I'm afraid that I am unlikely to make it to any morning activity this month. My friend from London, Balu Raghuraman, is playing in the afternoon concert there, so I have to get there early enough to tell him off for not having been in touch! Maybe I could borrow Arasi's broom.

srikant1987. Perfect history lesson in a nutshell. Many thanks. The wonder of rasikas.org is still alive and well

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 24 Dec 2010, 00:55

NickH, I was also at the Iyer brothers veena recital. Noticed you amongst the audience (easy to spot you!)... but didn't want to say hello, for fear of blowing my cover.
Am sure I will see you again at one of the events coming up. Hope you get well soon.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 24 Dec 2010, 01:17

Ahhh... I didn't realise that you are under cover!

Do please say hello one day --- and please make allowances for this bug reducing my social skills even further than usual!

smala · Post by **smala** » 24 Dec 2010, 01:40

Yes, r-t, why the need for a cover? Did you attend Priya Sisters at Marghazhi Utsavam? Their format was different from the traditional carnatic but their performance was soaked in Bhakthi, especially Sri Krishna Chaitanya.

Do give some accounts/ reviews from your POV and regale us with other stuff like Chennai eats and travel.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 24 Dec 2010, 01:56

It wasn't really me at that concert, r-t: it was another member disguised as me. They even borrowed my wife to complete the effect.

This was all so that I could slip, unnoticed, into another program elsewhere ]

I'll be returning the favour, tomorrow, and going disguised as them...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 24 Dec 2010, 08:55

r-t,
Not fair! Perhaps you have spotted me flying over but how I wish you would say hello to us all before long!

s_p,
Are you in Chennai too? If so, please try to meet some of your fellow rasikAs!

Ramasubramanian M.K · Post by **Ramasubramanian M.K** » 24 Dec 2010, 09:13

Arasi/Bilahari/Rajeshnat: Although this missive is tinged with sheer immutable envy of you guys/gal "lapping up" the Music Season, I have to grudgingly admit your accounts are all entertaining!! Keep them coming!!

smala · Post by **smala** » 24 Dec 2010, 12:09

Arasi, I'd love to hook up with rasikas when in Chennai, not there right now... ;(

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 24 Dec 2010, 12:23

ragam-talam wrote:NickH, I was also at the Iyer brothers veena recital. Noticed you amongst the audience (easy to spot you!)... but didn't want to say hello, for fear of blowing my cover.
Am sure I will see you again at one of the events coming up. Hope you get well soon.

rAgam talam
This is like the movie Seven , where you are like this kevin spacey and I am just feeling like Brad Pitt.You came to the global rasikas meet though you announced that only later in the forum.

You went to the veena concert and you are clever enough to post that you spotted Liam Neeson (our local Nick Haysen). I have a mental sketch of who you are kind of there just like few crossword rows of suji,Perhaps I will investigate thoroughly the video captions and photos something will come out there, but dont worry even if I detect you I will not be a brad pitt of seven , I will be like Morgan Freeman of Shawshank redemption, where you are Robbins, Tim (kind of rAgam tAlam there)

, will respect your anonymity .

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 24 Dec 2010, 13:20

Just returned from SRJ's lecdem. Of course, I HAD to forget my notebook for a LECDEM, so I'm afraid an elaborate account will not be forthcoming. In any event, I am a notoriously poor note-taker when it comes to lectures. Everybody who's ever asked for notes in college will attest to that. The lecdem was very good - SRJ spoke about ragas that share madhyamAvati's scale and sang many of them. I especially liked the point he made about ragas having appropriate kAlapramANams. He said that a madhyamAvathi sang slower can sound like brindAvana sAranga, for example. Several of the ragas discussed are not sung frequently today, so it was nice to get a sense of these (they all had quirky names and I have a bad memory; sorry). What struck me was that all these SRMPNS ragas seem to be well suited for tAnam singing. This was evident from the way SRJ sang them. There was also some stuff about the specific classification of some of the ragas; I didn't pay close attention. Oh, he mentioned the SSP coauthored by our vidya, too. SRJ's sense of humour made it especially enjoyable. Rohin (one of the Toronto Brothers) accompanied vocally, Aishu Venkataraman on the violin, and Vinod Venkataraman on the mrudangam. I was especially impressed by Aishu's accompaniment - great alacrity and impeccable shruti shuddam as always. I saw Aishu's mother videotaping the lecdem and hope it will make its way to Youtube as last year's did.

Now setting off to the Carnatica series at T'miyur.

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 24 Dec 2010, 13:26

Oh yeah. Some random man in the audience butted in twice in a rather confrontational manner about some points made by SRJ. Do people always get so hot and bothered at lecdems? I was rather amused.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 24 Dec 2010, 13:26

rajeshnat, r-t, etc.

Let us arrange a secret code.

Something subtle. I suggest the putting of sankeerna chapu talam. Nobody else will notice!

rajeshnat... even though I have known you for a few years now, I will pretend not to recognise you unless the code is properly exchanged.

Bilahari, it sounds like you having a wonderful time. I read the review of David Nelson's lecdem, and wished that I had been here. I have his thesis on the bookshelf, andused to correspond with him when I was learning. I wonder if he spoke in Tamil? He can!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 24 Dec 2010, 17:24

sankirNa chApu? Then I'm out! I can say it aloud though and turn a few heads and see sneers on them?

r-t,
Hum a rAgam (which one?) and put tAlam in the air if you find any of us and we will know you!

MaheshS · Post by **MaheshS** » 24 Dec 2010, 18:14

bilahari wrote:J SRJ spoke about ragas that share madhyamAvati's scale and sang many of them. I especially liked the point he made about ragas having appropriate kAlapramANams. He said that a madhyamAvathi sang slower can sound like brindAvana sAranga, for example.

Fascinating stuff when Prf SRJ explains things like this. In the below links he explains Madyamavathi and sings a bit of Brindavani to highlight the association with Madyamavathi.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9hAKMNqdHY -> Part I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiPt47vw ... re=related -> Part II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTrwOmox ... re=related -> Part III

I *think* it's Mrs SRJ who has a mid-afternoon[?] shut eye at the background

semmu86 · Post by **semmu86** » 24 Dec 2010, 21:13

Tomorrow (25.12.10) morning 7-8 i will be in Narada Gana Sabha mini hall and planning to catch TNK's concert at the academy starting at 9.15 ....... Anyone planning to be there that time?? ...........

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 24 Dec 2010, 22:16

Sorry, I'm definitely out of it for morning events for a while yet. Enjoy! I'm sure you will!

Smt Vedavalli's concert was (of course) superb. I am delighted to see that she has recovered her health and stamina. In fact, she has recovered both to the extent that Sumithra barely got a look in until the end. I don't know what words to use to describe her main, because words like steam train and bulldozer, of course, give no clue to the delicacy and artistry. It was not long after 7.00 that I wondered, could I have got disoriented, was this the main, or only the submain. It was after 7.45 that she finished her extended session of neraval and swaras. RKSK maintained the softness of the program splendidly, as did Neyveli Narayanan and Trichy Murali. The tani concluded with the prettiest korvai I have ever heard!

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 24 Dec 2010, 22:20

Nick says:
>>I suggest the putting of sankeerna chapu talam. Nobody else will notice!
Problem is, I have no clue how to put this thalam! Btw, I thought you are the one who doesn't like people putting thalam?

Arasi - I may have already run into you this season! My undercover seems to be working well, after all!

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 24 Dec 2010, 22:21

I had a delightful afternoon and evening at the Hare Krishna centre in T'miyur. Amrutha Venkatesh had an abysmal audience in single digits. She sang decently. TNK trio was excellent - great sowkhyam, and Kamalakara Rao played so beautifully to complement the music. The ambience at the centre must be mentioned - it is an outdoor tentage by the seaside and TNK commented about how nice it is to look at the sea while playing. There was a cool sea breeze by dusk and the atmosphere was perfect for music. Kudos to the Carnatica team! Hyderabad Brothers were great and maybe Seshachari was tired or something but I felt the brothers shared the concert equally! Srimushnam was very good on the mrudangam, and Nagai Sriram was at his melodious best. If I had to go home tomorrow, I'd leave content with all the music I've heard these last two days. But I still have 7 days of music left!

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 24 Dec 2010, 22:25

I think Suguna V is giving a lecdem on neravals at MA tomorrow? I hope to make that and then attend TNK's concert as well. I will be standing next to the stage at 9AM unless the Academy goondas bounce me out as they did after Suryaprakash's concert. Let's meet, people! After TNK, I'm heading to KGS to catch at least a good chunk of Aishu Venkataraman's solo. Gayathri Venkataraghavan at Raga Sudha in the evening.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 24 Dec 2010, 22:34

ragam-talam wrote:Problem is, I have no clue how to put this thalam! Btw, I thought you are the one who doesn't like people putting thalam?

I am the one who doesn't like people putting talam noisily!

It goes

ta ka di mi ta ka ta ki ta

where the bold indicates a clap, and the italics the "wave clap" as in misra chapu. That makes it wonderfully complex, and will be great to sign across halls to each other in the middle of an adi talam song!

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 24 Dec 2010, 22:44

Nice way to confuse and irritate the artistes as well!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 24 Dec 2010, 23:02

r-t,
You disappoint me

Was my broom a threat that you disappeared without saying hello?
Or, did you?

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 24 Dec 2010, 23:50

bilahari wrote:Nice way to confuse and irritate the artistes as well!

Oh, indeed... especially as two or more people will be doing it simultaneously, but without attempting to keep beat with each other or the ongoing song! ]

smala · Post by **smala** » 25 Dec 2010, 01:16

The plot thickens. Undercover spots Nick but not vice versa. Undercover has a run-in with Madame Ariadne but Her Grace doesn't recognize him. She waits for him to speak!

-What say, Watson?
-I'd say his cover is very good.
-Aha, Watson. There lies the key. Since he must have a cover he is someone known, not someone new. His disguise is a sleight of hand - a different haircut, a trimmer figure, some glasses perhaps, a set of clothes that melds in, a mood and reserve that quiets the man. Enough to alter the persona till the person speaks. Which he does not.
-Well then, the man must be made to speak!
-Not even famous spotters, experts with videos and captions and photographs can make the undercover speak.
-You mean there is no way?
-Well, there might be a way...

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 25 Dec 2010, 01:50

That wasn't me sitting by Arasi at the meet. I stayed at home.

Good disguise, eh?

smala · Post by **smala** » 25 Dec 2010, 13:00

Was there a reception desk at the Rasikas meet where every rasika was greeted and handed an ID card ?

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 25 Dec 2010, 15:25

Had a great morning. Suguna Varadachari delivered a nice lecdem on neraval singing that clarified some of my doubts - I will write more later. TNK's concert was wonderful. I then rushed over to KGS to attend Aishu's concert (her family rushed over, too). Aishu played remarkably well - 1.5 hours was a bit short for her to really develop the concert, but she played very impressively. More on that later (I have a backlog of 6 concerts to write about; each review takes about 1-2h...). Heading to Raga Sudha for Gayathri Venkatraghavan's concert in the evening. Oh, I met Aravind (semmu86) at TNK and VKV (cacm) at Aishu's.

harimau · Post by **harimau** » 25 Dec 2010, 15:30

bilahari wrote:
Oh yeah. Some random man in the audience butted in twice in a rather confrontational manner about some points made by SRJ. Do people always get so hot and bothered at lecdems? I was rather amused.

That was Sri Chitraveena Narasimhan, father of Ravikiran, Sasikiran and Kiranavali.

As a teacher who groomed the three of them to become concert-grade musicians and as one who nurtured the genius of Ravikiran in such a way that at 4 years of age Ravikiran could identify 200+ ragas, he is no ordinary random person. He had valid points about the presence of varieties of dhaivatha in a s-r-m-p-n-s scale when one crosses from pa to ni.

Sri Narasimhan is highly respected as a musicologist and a music teacher par excellence. His points would have been appreciated better by musicologists than by lay persons.

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 25 Dec 2010, 15:35

Sure, but he could've been polite when raising his valid points. Did he really need to intrude in the lecdem when a question and answer session was to follow?

appu · Post by **appu** » 25 Dec 2010, 20:43

harimau wrote:
Sri Narasimhan is highly respected as a musicologist and a music teacher par excellence. His points would have been appreciated better by musicologists than by lay persons.

More the reason for this highly respected musicologist to show some restraint and not be a heckler.

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 25 Dec 2010, 21:43

Arasi
can you call me, I have sent a mail with mobile no.

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 25 Dec 2010, 22:39

Gayathri V sang a really good concert to a full house at Nada Inbam. Semmu86 attended with me. Tomorrow, my first live concert of R. Vedavalli at MA in the morning. Evening: Sanjay at Kalarasana. Bought my ticket this evening - the auditorium already seemed more than half full, so if you want to attend this concert and haven't bought tickets, do so immediately! I won't be doing the three concert a day routine anymore. I'm worn out. So I'm downsizing to two a day.

VRV · Post by **VRV** » 26 Dec 2010, 04:19

Bilahari,

When is the VVS concert you mentioned at Nada Inbam. I would like to attend. Let me know if you are planning to go. Attended the Vittal Ramamurthy/Padma Shankar/MAE/KVG concert yesterday at KGS mini hall. Vittal/Padma played a main in Vachaspati ragam. Excellent tonal quality to both violinist.

Vinod Venkataraman

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 26 Dec 2010, 06:09

Sorry not to have seen you and Aishu. You may have noticed my grumblings about my health

VVS concert at RS Hall is 27th, tomorrow, 6.15. TVG Mridangam!

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 26 Dec 2010, 07:30

VRV, sent you an e-mail last night with the details of VVS's solo. 27th evening at Raga Sudha hall. I urge all rasikas to attend - it is very rare to hear the veteran perform!

Nick, hope you are making progress with your health? Are the antibiotics setting in yet?

Off to Vedavalli at MA this morning.

VRV · Post by **VRV** » 26 Dec 2010, 08:22

Nick H wrote:Sorry not to have seen you and Aishu.

Nick,

I have the CD that got lost in the mail. Please let me know if you are attending VVS at Nada Inbam. I will bring it with me.

Vinod Venkataraman

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 26 Dec 2010, 11:58

Bilahari, I really wanted to be with you all this morning, but, despite an early night, I could not make it. I hope you have enjoyed a wonderful concert. Health improved, but not enough.

VRV... thanks... another good reason for me to come to that concert.

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 26 Dec 2010, 13:17

Smt Vedavalli's concert was top notch! I can't believe I haven't listened to her live so far. Dripping with sowkhyam from the bhairavi at the start to the suruTTi at the end. RKSK accompanied as he always does - with utmost sensitivity. Sat with Arvind and Bharath and met Prashant, too.

Prashant sings at Nada Inbam on Tue (28) at 4 PM. This should be on all rasikas' calendar - he sings very well.

Nick and others, do come to listen to VVS tomorrow. Anyone who enjoys sowkhyam-laden music will enjoy his music for sure. Nick, this is a very inopportune time to be sick! Then again, there are few opportune moments to be sick.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 26 Dec 2010, 16:34

Bilahari, some of us are so lucky that we can go to these concerts in January to November, so I am disappointed, but I can still look forward to seeing Smt Vedavalli next year. One gentleman I spoke to at Raga Sudha on 24th said that her concert that day had been his high point of the season so far

semmu86 · Post by **semmu86** » 26 Dec 2010, 22:18

Just coming back from MudhrA... Lovely kEdhAragowLa and a wonderful chArukEsi RTP by Malladi Bros.... Spell binding accompaniment and a roaring thani by Sankaran Sir... A great way to finish a lovely sunday that started off with Vedavalli mami at the academy.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 26 Dec 2010, 22:37

Despite coughing and sneezing, still managed to meet my American friend at KGS for Odissi by Bijayini Satpathi and Surupa Sen. My friend is into dance internationally, and believes that these two are the best dancers she has ever seen --- and she has seen them quite a few times now.

This is choreography of studied and exact precision, with poses that deny physical possibility when not produced in stone or brass. The precision makes me think that every vertebra must be taken into account when they plan their dances, never mind the obvious things such as limbs! Do not think that this makes for stiffness, or artificiality: there is a liquidity and flow that is also beyond belief. Individually, they are amazing: when dancing together they really do dance as one. Stunning.

Did anybody see TVG at Raga Sudha?