RTP Concert - Singapore - 06 Sep 2009

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 08 Sep 2009, 12:37

V Shankaranarayanan - Vocal
VV Ravi - Violin
Mannarkoil J Balaji - "mridhangam"

Feature: Ragam Thanam Pallavi
Venue: Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society (SIFAS) Auditorium
Duration: 2 h

Approximate Songlist:

01. nera nammiti (varNam) - kAnaDa - aTa
02. mA jAnaki (N @ vAni mATalaku) - kAmbOji - dESAdi
03. Ragam Thanam Pallavi - SaNmugapriya - khanDa tripuTa [4 kaLai] [eDuppu samam + 7]
Pallavi: unadu pAdam tuNaiyE OrAru mukhanE dEvAdi dEvanE kadirvaDivEla (arudi at "Adi" in "dEvAdi"?)
04. hamidaTarala kubalaya naya ? (jayadEva aSTapadi ?) - shuddh sArang
05. abhang - brindAvana sAranga ?

No, I will NOT be complaining that this concert didn't have an RTP, or had a tukkada-like RTP...

My grandfather and I entered the auditorium in the middle of mA jAnaki, and were surprised to find it completely full. However, as is the custom of SIFAS concerts, the hall emptied at 7PM when all the kids needed to attend their music lessons elsewhere in the building, leaving the hall slightly more than half full. The concert itself was good and it was nice to join the concert just as VS was embarking on a crisp neraval in the kAmbOji krithi. Immediately after the kAmbOji, VS launched into shaNmugapriya ragam, which was done elaborately in three stages for about 20-25 minutes. ShaNmugapriya is such an expansive ragam, and I was hoping the alapanai would continue a while longer, but it was certainly explored thoroughly in madhya and tara sthayis. I do wish, however, that the mandra sthayi had been given more than a cursory sweep. Next, thanam was sung for about 10 minutes and was mostly in faster madhyama kalam. The thanam was sung very well and had good use of S-P-S phrases. The pallavi rendition was good overall, and I enjoyed the thorough neraval and mathematical exercises including anulOmam (the organiser called it trikalam, but I thought it was anulOmam--Balaji sir, please correct me if I'm wrong) and tisram. The pallavi rendition lasted a good 25 minutes. Thereafter, the RTP continued with kalpanaswaras in shaNmugapriya, which were quite brief and not very satisfactory (about 5 min), but I wasn't really displeased because the pallavi itself, which is usually given short shrift, had been dealt with beautifully. Of course, ragamaliga swaras made an entrance (hindOLam [? didn't note this down], ranjani, bEhAg, and sivaranjani) and were pretty standard. After the thani and a really brief appreciation of the artistes by the SIFAS principal (?), the concert concluded with a couple of tukkadas that didn't really grab my attention.

Sri VV Ravi was great on the violin, with his limpid bowing, smooth fingering, and extremely crisp responses. Personally, I thought he outshone the vocalist in the shaNmugapriya alapanai, playing really beautiful and short sketches during his turn, and he was well up to the challenge in playing for the pallavi as well. He had immaculate shruti alignment that evening. A thoroughly professional performance.

Our Sri J Balaji was splendid on the mrudangam too, playing with good anticipation during the pallavi, and I enjoyed his play for mA jAnaki as well. He played a really nice thani avarthanam for about 12 minutes, and some of the passages in the middle of the thani were just filled with sowkhyam.

It was a good concert overall, and I was very pleased to be able to listen to a thorough RTP, the likes of which I haven't heard since Sanjay's chArukEsi RTP last season. Of course, it helped that shaNmugapriya is a favourite of mine, because I'm quite sure I wouldn't have been quite as enthusiastic about sitting through a 1.5 hour tODi pallavi, for instance. Sri VS sang well despite his throat infection, and though he struggled to sustain a note at times and definitely had his share of shruti slips, this did not significantly detract from his music. Unfortunately, my appreciation of the music was significantly marred by the poor listening environment afforded by the outdoor SIFAS hall: there was a constant influx and efflux of people to/from the hall, the members of the audience were noisily chatting amongst themselves constantly (most of them were probably bored parents of kids having music lessons in the building that evening), kids running around right beside the auditorium, playing, and screaming bloody murder occasionally (and especially during the thani), the poor acoustics in the hall, etc. As such, it's almost impossible for a rasika to get really involved in the music, and it was probably doubly difficult for the artistes to concentrate on the music and deliver their best, given such a kalyANa-kutcheri atmosphere.

Now it's back to San Diego for the next school year...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 08 Sep 2009, 20:27

Have a good back-to-school trip, Bilahari, and a good year!
An excellent review as expected.
While kalyAna cucERi atmosphere bothers rasikAs no end in a concert, Balaji would affirm that with all the quirks and whims musicians are supposed to possess, on their virtues list is stoicism which they develop as they learn to put up with the trials of travel, bad organizers and a noisy audience.

mridhangam · Post by **mridhangam** » 09 Sep 2009, 08:22

On Stage only music matters for us ...

J.Balaji

jananee · Post by **jananee** » 09 Sep 2009, 08:38

Thanks Bilahari for the wonderful review as always. I was waiting for your review ! It was an enjoyable concert especially considering that VS had a bad throat. VVR was at his best..and if course our own mridhangam ! It was heartening to see the hall almost full but yes I did notice the activity at the back of the hall which was disturbing. Will pass on the feedback.

I felt that the Abhang could have been avoided at the end. Somehow it did not gel with that impressive first bit..my views totally...i normally enjoy the tukkadas a lot but somehow after the heavy RTP in shanmukhapriya i felt the choice of tukkadas were not apt...maybe a padam would have been nicer!

An enjoyable evening on the whole!

bala747 · Post by **bala747** » 14 Sep 2009, 08:52

I wasn't at this concert (and it seems that often, when I don't turn up, the concert is surprisingly good) as I pretty much have dropped out of the SIFAS music scene over these few months due to other commitments (which include trying to please notoriously fickle-minded future in-laws.. word of advice to the young'ins.. follow my example and marry someone from a different caste, religion and nationality. You will pick up valuable skills in people management and anger management).

Anyway, I would love to hear this concert or this artiste, as I have never heard him before. Anyone who can sing an RTP for an hour and a half is worth listening to. Sanmukhapriya is a raga that appears done to death by thousands of musicians but is still worth listening to if sung well. My late grandad's favourite was this raga and he would always pooh pooh anyone who said "XYZ sang Sanmukhapriya well" because in his opinion Sanmukhapriya is a raga that too often people simply "go through the motions" with. Of course he idolised GNB's and Rajarathnam's RTPs in that raga and in his view no one came close to matching up to those renditions. I myself am more partial to Rajarathnam's and Madurai Somu's renditions myself (one concert with LGJ and VR still stands out in my mind, and I would direct that concert to anyone who says VR cannot handle complex kanakku patterns or only plays "boring" sarvalaghu).

As for the 1.5 hour Thodi pallavi, OST gave one such rendition here a few years back and it was pretty spectacular (Pallavi: Nigamasudha Vinodini Neerajadalalochani pahi). It was in the crappy SIFAS auditorium as well.

I never liked Abhangs in concerts. Abhangs are for Bhajan halls. Yes a Padam would have fit the bill perfectly, but then again I don't know what proportion of that raucous audience would have appeciated a padam in the first place so maybe the artiste did not think it worthwhile to attempt the delicate nuances of a padam surrounded by noisy kids.

One last note, does anyone who writes the "reviews" for the SIFAS magazine these days? I would like a few choice words with that person.

ramarama · Post by **ramarama** » 14 Sep 2009, 14:19

Yes, I know who writes the reviews for the SIFAS Post as I put together the Post each month

The reviews almost always have bylines, so you would/should know that a variety of people review concerts for the Post (including the Principal, various Gurus, and volunteer rasikas). Note that reviews (and reports, which is how i term reviews of arangetrams, or concerts by SIFAS gurus or students) in a monthly sabha newsletter serve a very different purpose than those in a free-for-all forum such as rasikas.org. In any case, I would be delighted to hear your "choice words." Indeed, in every Post, the last page has email addresses to which readers can address feedback about the Post or about any other aspect of SIFAS. Your views, and those of any other SIFAS Post readers on this forum, are very welcome.

jananee · Post by **jananee** » 14 Sep 2009, 21:00

Bala 747: We were hoping you wud turn up for the rasikas get together on 30th!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 14 Sep 2009, 21:37

Bala,
CML and I had asked as to how you were faring in your picking up skills in facing in-laws. From your counsel to the uninitiated, I gather that you are doing well, getting trained as you go along, pretty smart as you are. All the best to both of you

bala747 · Post by **bala747** » 15 Sep 2009, 08:12

rama: Oh that's awesome because I need to question the quality of the articles on the thing. I'll send you a PM on it as this is not the place to discuss them, but there are many things about the articles that I really don't like.

Heh Arasi, it is a strange situation for us because of our different backgrounds and instead of the normal route of finding a nice brahmin girl to marry I chose the alternative path, which has resulted in quite interesting sets of problems to face.

Jananee if you can tell me the time and place I'll try my best to be there.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 15 Sep 2009, 08:31

Got you! However, as smart as you are, you can cope. Moreover, there are advantages too which no doubt you are well aware of. Keep us posted so that we will be ready to throw akshatai or rice or confetti

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 15 Sep 2009, 13:40

Bala 747, I think your flight is delayed by 15 days!

jananee · Post by **jananee** » 15 Sep 2009, 14:16

Bala - This was last 30th and I had left quite a few messages for you in the forum! If u can send me ur mob no it would be easier next time! Btw when is the big day?

bala747 · Post by **bala747** » 16 Sep 2009, 06:31

Heh jananee your message was 'we were hoping you WOULD turn up" so I interpreted it as future tense.