A. Kanyakumari - Violin
B. Harikumar - Mridangam
Friday, October 9, 2009 - 7:30pm
Venue: CET (Center for Employment Training)
701 Vine Street, San Jose, CA 95110
Here's the song list to the best of my memory -
1. Evari Bodhana - Abhogi
2. Raga Bahudari - song name?
3. Amba Kamakshi - Bhairavi
4. Raga Kannadajoodi?? (amazing piece - I am sure I didn't the raga or keerthana, right)
5. Akhilandeshwari - Dwijavanthi
5. Raghuvamsha Sudha - Kathanakuthoohala
6. RTP - Revathi
7. Theeradha Vilayata
8. Kurai onrum illai
9. Sai Bhajan
10. Annammacharya song
11. Anjali Geethanjali - AR Rahman!
12. Thiruppu
13. Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma
Before I start, let me say that I am not a expert in theoretical aspects, but a avid listener of CM, HM and many other forms of music. This was one of the best concerts in recent memory. The concert started at 730 pm and went on till almost 11 pm. Most of the audience stayed till the end. Typical of his concerts, all the pieces were very energetic. The violin and mridanga artists offered great support, especially while playing at high speeds. He was able to balance the concert with softer pieces in between. The highlight was of course the RTP in Revathi - this was one RTP where I enjoyed all 3 components - R,T and P. I usually get bored by the thani, but not today. Harikumar had me spell bound.
While there can be no doubt that Dr. Kadri possesses amazing virtuosity in handling the saxophone and improvising at will, I can't help but wonder why he has resort to gimmickry at every given chance. He massacres some of the sahitya by completely violating the unwritten rule that instrumental music should sound like vocal. One example was Bhagyada Lakshmi - I was laughing to myself imagining someone doing pooja at that speed, with his version running in the background
He also introduces a lot of staccato phrases, like in Raghuvamsha Sudha, and indulges himself in slow phrases, as if preparing the audience for a mindblowing finish. As a result, some of the krithis sounded very disjointed from start to finish, even though I admit part of it were brilliant. For the softer pieces liek Akhilandeshwari, he overdid the "Bhava" part to the point of being cloying. Overall, an enjoyable concert that could have been more enjoyable sans the gimmicks.