Prince Rama Varma's Swarala concert on May 15,2010 at Tampa,

[Sundara Rajan]

Right from the beginning of the concert at 5:20 p.m. "request slips" started flowing in and the artist mentioned that many of them were for SwAthi ThirunaL's compositions

Here is the songs list:
1. viribOni-Bhairavi varNam of Adiyappaiah ( 9 min)
2. dEva dEva kalayAmidE of Swathi (18 min) No Alapana, swaram at jAtha rUpa
3. annapUrNE, sAma-Dikshitar (7min)
4. short 3 min AlApana in kAnadA followed by mAmava sadA janani of Swati (14 min)
5. harium haranum onRe of MDR in atANa (5min)
6. sAvEri AlApana for 9 min followed by 7 min violin return, followed by a rarely sung Purandara Dasa composition: bhArayyA vEnkataramaNA . swaram at vAmana bArgava bArO (total 32 min).Varma mentioned that this was set to tune by T.K.Govinda Rao
6a. Mridangam Thani: 13 min
7. a telugu composition of Karnataka composer KaivAra amara nArAyaNA set to tune by BMK in a raga (?) that is said by Varma to closely resemble sankarAbaraNam: sri krishNAyana nAma manthra ruchi ( 5min)
8. varaleelagAnalola of ThayagarAja in sankarAbaraNam ( 7min)
9. karuNa cheyvAn endu of IrayamAn thambi in Yadulula kAmbodhi ( 4 min)
10.BMK's thillAnA in Garudadwani ( 5min)
11. MangaLam: bujaga sAyino Swathi's in Yadukula kAmbOdhi.

Whatever he sang, he did quite well and was well supported by the accompanists. However, I missed any major compositions of the Trinity other than the thukkadas annapUrNe and varaleela. It is difficult to please evryone, I do realise . On the other hand , I was glad that he did not torture us with BMK's raga /krithi creations as he did in Augusta,GA. but spared us with one of his good thillAnAs ! Overall it was well worth the 100 miles drive each way.

[mahakavi]

>>On the other hand , I was glad that he did not torture us with BMK's raga /krithi creations as he did in Augusta,GA. but spared us with one of his good thillAnAs ! <<

That was nice!
It is OK to do all that in a Festschrift for the guru but not in each and every concert he gives.

[musiclover29]

That must have been a wonderful concert, indeed! But I would have loved to hear more of Dr.BMK's compositions. I have noticed that most people from Tamil Nadu are unable to appreciate his brilliant work. This could be because they cannot understand the language he usually composes in-Telugu. In my opinion, after Thyagaraja, one composer who can match up to the latter is Dr.BMK. No wonder, in spite of all the Tamil resistance he has been facing all these years, he has carved out a name for himself in the heartland of the Tamils-TamilNadu. I have heard of the kind of stiff opposition he had faced when he first composed a Raaga with 4 notes! And yet, these are the raagas that seem like a breath of fresh air amongst stale, vulgar sounding ones that most musicians churn out these days. What PRV is doing is a laudable job and I really enjoy listening to him teach as well as sing Dr.BMK's compositions.

[behag]

That must have been a wonderful concert, indeed! But I would have loved to hear more of Dr.BMK's compositions. I have noticed that most people from Tamil Nadu are unable to appreciate his brilliant work. This could be because they cannot understand the language he usually composes in-Telugu. In my opinion, after Thyagaraja, one composer who can match up to the latter is Dr.BMK. No wonder, in spite of all the Tamil resistance he has been facing all these years, he has carved out a name for himself in the heartland of the Tamils-TamilNadu. I have heard of the kind of stiff opposition he had faced when he first composed a Raaga with 4 notes! And yet, these are the raagas that seem like a breath of fresh air amongst stale, vulgar sounding ones that most musicians churn out these days. What PRV is doing is a laudable job and I really enjoy listening to him teach as well as sing Dr.BMK's compositions.

people not appreciating BMK's compositions has nothing to do with language. after all, the same people appreciate the compositions of thyagaraja in telugu. it is the quality of BMK's compositions themselves.

in fact, on another related note, while it is very sad that "tamil resistance" has proven an obstacle to carnatic musicians from other parts of south india, i think an equally valid one is why it is that that tamil nadu has consistently produced so many wonderful musicians? i think a simple answer like "biased support" by sabhas etc does not explain this phenomenon, and indeed is a very simplistic answer. what is it about tamil culture that has nurtured this art? i would for instance, ask the same question of dharwar which has produced so many great hindustani musicians.

[krishnathreya]

dEva dEva kalayAmidE of Swathi (18 min) No Alapana, swaram at jAtha rUpa

It should be deva deva kalayAmi- thE charanAmbuja sevanam.
prv is one of the few people (the only one I've heard) who stop correctly at kalayAmi.

IMHO not appreciating Dr.BMK's compositions has more to do with resistance to change than language. However, those who don't understand Telugu and Sanskrit cannot possibly appreciate his genius as a poet and philosopher. Also, there are several BMK compositions, apart from the whacky 3 and 4 note ragam ones, that are filled with melody and exude serenity. Just listen to anni neeve in mohanam, tunai neeye, gana lola etc.

I think requests may have swayed PRV's list but normally he sings one composition per composer. I for one am glad that PRV from Kerala, Varadarajan from Tamil Nadu and Patri Satish from Andhra performed a Purandara Dasa main

The Carnatic music circle in itself is relatively small. Why don't we all enjoy the music and stay out of regional chauvinism?

[musiclover29]

Yes it is true that most people from Tamil Nadu LOVE Thyagaraja but apparently that is because he was Tamil Nadu himself! And 90 percent of the musicians I have heard don’t understand a word of what they are singing, be it Thayagaraja’s or anyone else’s. But then, what Dr.BMK composes is a little different from most we have heard and that is why most people from Tamil Nadu dislike him. I am saying this after talking to hundreds of people who are from Tamil Nadu, who also dislike him. And another point I would not agree completely with is that Tamil Nadu has churned a huge number of ‘Talented’ musicians. A huge number, yes, but certainly not all of them ‘talented’, so to speak. That is something that cannot be attributed to a place as such. Talent is something that depends on many things. The Dharwar belt has, in fact, churned out many good Hindustani musicians, but when you see the number, it is more or less equal to the number of good ones from Tamil Nadu! And all I am saying is that it would be nice if people could be more open-minded and at least make an attempt to understand the greatness of Dr.BMK instead of brushing aside his work. It is rather unfortunate.

[behag]

ok, let us not argue about BMK, what one thinks about his abilities as a singer and a composer is a subjective opinion. i respect that you, and many others think the world of him.

my point is actually different: why constantly bring up the issue of "tamil resistance" to outsiders when someone is not appreciated ( or perceived as not being appreciated) in tamilnadu? why is there the assumption that the resistance is not based on a subjective musical opinion?

and i do think the question of why tamil nadu has produced such a large number of great musicians who are the keepers of the carnatic traditions in a variety of languages, not merely tamil is a very interesting one -- i am not putting it down to talent ( or talent alone) -- i am interested in context. what is the particular history of the tamil region, the particularities of its culture ( as in the case of dharwar) -- that has allowed this talent to be nurtured? there is more to the answer than influential sabhas, and rich patrons.

[kalaash]

WOW!!! Barayya Venkataramana as the main?! That must have been one hell of a main! I simple love this composition and esp the way Rama Varma sings it. His Saveri is brilliant beyond words. I had attended a concert of his where he sang this as a sub-main and it was so fantastic that I took it upon myself to learn the lyrics the next day! I wish I could have attended this one really. As Krishnathreya remarked, it is so nice to see three musicians from three diffferent states, perform for a main from Karnataka. A true gesture of national integration, I must say.
@ musiclover29
It is so true that many people dislike Dr.BMK without knowing why. It would be so nice to make an effort to try understand his compositions before coming to conclusions. After I got to know of Rama Varma and his efforts to spread Dr.BMK's works, I have started loving Dr.BMK's compositions very much. Every word he uses is so pregnant with meaning. The philosophical, the lyrical, and the musical content of his work is unlike anything I have ever heard till date. And somehow, most people who hate him are from Tamil Nadu. Dr.BMK's lavangi is a three note Raga that is beautiful beyond description. I have heard Rama Varma sing Omkara Kaarini in Lavangi and everytime without fail, I have shed tears of bliss and joy. Only Dr.BMK could have written something like this!

[mahakavi]

>>Yes it is true that most people from Tamil Nadu LOVE Thyagaraja but apparently that is because he was Tamil Nadu himself! And 90 percent of the musicians I have heard don’t understand a word of what they are singing, be it Thayagaraja’s or anyone else’s. But then, what Dr.BMK composes is a little different from most we have heard and that is why most people from Tamil Nadu dislike him<<

By the same token can we say people from AP do not pay so much attention to Thyagaraja because he hailed from ThamizhnADu? What is it that BMK has which claims on par treatment with Thyagaraja. Also you make a sweeping statement that 90% of musicians from ThamizhnADu don't understand Telugu. Have you talked to musicians? I suggest you do. While it is generally true they pay attention to the music and the rAgam, many do understand the meaning (even word by word). Even I ( a lowly rasika) understand the meanings of certain words in Telugu kritis.The meaning in most kritis is along the lines of "please save me", "why are you neglecting me?", "please come quickly","you are my succor", "If not you who else?", and similar platitudes. It is true of almost all Carnatic music kritis except Dikshitar's kritis which dwell on attributes. The only limitation is the pronunciation. Even that varies from region to region in a state speaking the same language.

As for BMK's (un)popularity among some rasikas, it has nothing to do with where he comes from. Many rasikas from ThamizhnADu adore many Telugu musicians---Voletti, Nedunuri, TKG, Dwaram, Chitti Babu, and Emani Sankara Sastry, among others. I'd say the prime factor is BMK's narcissism amounting to arrogance. He may have toned down these days because of his age but it was so much obvious in the past. I agree he is a musician par excellence but to put him on a pedestal as a composer is asking for too much---at least in this generation or next. It is a general premise that pedestal placement of an individual who is living is wrought with grave consequences.

[kssr]

It is quite strange to think that Dr.BMK is disliked. He has definitely achieved all this glory because everyone (most of all Tamilians) love him. Realising this the great artist himself has moved to Chennai decades back. Just banking on Telugu support would not have taken him far in CM.

It is also too much to expect all of us to start learning Telugu however "Sundara" it may be, just to appreciate Dr.BMK's compositions!! After all Thyagaraja Swami himself, although he lived all his life in Thanjavur dist., and Dr.BMK in Chennai, did not venture too much into Tamil and stuck to their native tongue. Learning different languages is totally a different (and difficult) cup of tea, whether or not it helps us appreciate carnatic composers. Even in case of artists it is unfair to expect them to learn all the languages before singing them, now that we see an abundance of Abhangs and Bhajans and many other stuff. As long as they give good enjoyable music that is enough. That has always been the yardstick of evaluation and accordingly their popularity. Only condition is that they should not take it as a liberty to mess up the lyrics. They should try to learn the sahitya correctly and sing.

[Sundara Rajan]

WOW ! It appears that I have opened a hornet's nest with my comment about too many BMK compositions in one concert. I never said that I did not like, much less that I hated , BMK's music or his compositions. My only comment was " don't make it a BMK ArAdhanA" yet !
I would have made a similar comment if a concert is loaded with Thyagaraja's compositions, unless it was announced as a concert of so-and-so's compositions. In fact I have listened to BMK since the late fifities and was a fan until his ego, somewhat natural for a genius, got too heavy and he started torturing rasikas with exlusively his compositions.. In his last appearance in Orlando three years ago BMK sang only three songs, all his compositions . If it were announced as "BMK's concert of his own compositions" I would have stayed home !
I had stated that I was glad that Rama Varma sang a variety of compositions in his Tampa,FL concert, including ONE thillana of BMK, unlike his Agusta,GA program

[arasi]

Message understood!
Yes, if any concert is going to be thematic (we come across thematic concerts ever so often nowadays), as you say, let us know ahead of time about its being a thematic one.
As for musicians from a different region knowing or understanding the language in which a song is written, I agree that it is not easy. However, a vocalist (and instrumentalist too) is doing himself and his audience a favor by taking the trouble of knowing the meaning of those eight lines or a few more of a song. Just as they practise singing before they perform, they can refresh their memory about the lyrics too. After all, how many songs do they sing in a concert?
How does this excercise help them? The bhAvam of the song will automatically be conveyed to them and with the rAga bhAvam which is already there, they can shine more in their presentation. Of course, we as the audience benefit too, listening to them when they come well-equipped to the stage..

[kalaash]

Instead of digressing and turning this into an arguement why can't we just try to share our views on the compositions selected by Rama Varma for this particular concert? I totally agree with Mahakavi that people from the Andhra region aren't as warm towards Thyagaraja as they are towards Annamacharya. But here I think ML29 spoke about the Tamils disliking Dr BMK as he was the one mentioned here. It is so sad that every community is so parochial and cannot stand a musician from another community. And w.r.t Dr.BMK, many people are not aware of his compositions as most of the time, he sings Nagumomu or Devadi Deva and the concert ends! I got to know of his work only after I got to know of Rama Varma. So I don't balme people who are unaware of his genius as a composer. But, whatever his merit as a composer may be, it is foolish to get into unnecessary mudslingling although that might not have been our intention. I am pasting a link to an article written by Rama Varma on Dr.BMK. It is a wonderful article and helped me understand Dr.BMK in a clearer way.
http://ramavarma.yolasite.com/murali-and-me.php

[vsarmaiitm]

http://ramavarma.yolasite.com/murali-and-me.php

Thanks kalaash for the link. We have to thank Sri. Rama Verma for sharing his experience.
Here is another link which throws further light on the genius.
http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/200 ... 630400.htm

Sarma