NeyveliSanthanagopalan-SriramParasuram for YACM 25 at MA

[sivapriya]

It been a long time since I have written on this forum. I am now here sharing my impressions about the concert by Santhanagopalan and Sriram for YACM 25 years celebrations at the Music Academy, yesterday at 7.15p.m., titled "An evening with Sambandar, Tukaram, Arunagirinathar , Meera and Friends !"

Accompaniments :

Violin : Mysore V Srikanth
Mridangam : Arunprakash
Khanjira : Purushottaman
Harmonium: Umakant Puranik
Tabla: S.Madhusudhan
Jhanj : Srinivas Prasad

Since I had no initial intention of writing ( later on changed my mind) - I did not note down the song list and the order, as demanded by the "protocols" of this forum. Any forumite who attended this perhaps could fill in !!

Firstly, the overall concert was a neat, honest, good collaborative effort, with both the singers complementing each other, with a lot of grace and camaraderie on stage, though with "mild doses of individual domination in parts sans aggression or competition". The singers kept up the objective of maintaining strict classicism throughout their concert. Not once was there a light or semi classical touch to their renditions.

Sriram was a dominant partner in rendering the Tukaram and Meera bhajans, while Santhanagopalan and Sriram shared the rendition of the Tirupugazhs and Tevarams. Both brought out their creativity whether in raga alapanas, neravals or swara prastharams in equal measures in precise and judicious proportions.

The team effort and the submission of egos on stage while doing a team rendition was demonstrated quite well and in a matured manner.

They began with the begada Adi tala varnam "Intha Chalamu" wrapping it with brisk short phrase swaras at the end.

"Pitthaa pirai soodi" in Mayamalavagowlai set the pace for the rest of the concert. this was followed by a Tevaram in Suddhasaveri. The main highlight of the day was Sankarabharanam - "Kadhi Modhi" (tirupugazh). The tala was in the traditional format composed of three groups of Khanda Ekam + two rounds of Tisram+One round of Khanda Chapu. Santhanagopalan's raga was replete with very traditional solid gamaka phrases, with Sriram following up on the brisk brigha phrases, both together rounding it off with the lower octave phrases. The rendition was highlighted with the Tirupugazh being sung in different nadais and speeds with intelligent swaras. Arunprakash and Purushottaman, capped the rendition with a brilliantly gripping tani avartanam for this tala .

The abhang by Tukaram "Ananda Tarang" in Sohni-Hamsanandi was rendered both soulfully and dexterously, with Sriram explaining the meaning of the abhang. There was a Tirupugazh set in Misra Jhampa rendered in ragamalika ( different ragas for each avartanam). The concert came to a close with a Surdas bhajan in Bhairavi and Venkatachala Nilayam in Sindhubhairavi wrapped with a short tani avartanam by all the percussionists. Mysore Srikanth on the violin followed intelligently the spirit of the singers with his alapanas and swaras, so also the artist on the Harmonium.

Maybe YACM should have had their concerts in the Mini Auditorium, as the sparse crowd was explicitly highlighted in the TTK Auditorium.

[Always_Evolving]

Sivapriya
Thanks for the write-up. It was a nice concert and very engrossing. The Sankarabharanam suite with trikaalam in that complex tala was very cool. And as you said the creativity of both artistes sans competitive intentions was one of the highlights.

However it didn't really work as a "jugalbandi" for me as the pieces were very distinctly CM or HM, and I missed an exploration of shared or contrasting idioms. It seemed very effective as pure-carnatic jugalbandi in the CM parts while the Hindustani portions almost came across as main-artiste w/ vocal support. This effect was further emphasized by the supporting artists on the left and right side of the stage hardly playing together except for a last few rounds of Thani.

[Nick H]

Almost exactly my thinking. I posted this on another thread. It would have been quite late in the concert, after the main piece with the [carnatic] thani...

... I feel that this as jugalbandi has just taken off. Before, it was Hindustani music with vocal support and Carnatic music with vocal support. The left side of the stage... and the right side of the stage. As a conversation, it was a bit like one person doing most of the talking, while the other occasionally interjects, "Oh, right, yes...". Not enough interaction between all the artists on the stage. I was disappointed seeing the tabla take no part in the thani, but then, at least, the mridangam and kanjira joined with the tabla some time later in a further solo.

[venkatpv]

they also sang the Keeravani thevaram Vaananai, with neraval swarams at Veeranai. The neraval was tantalizingly short!

[mahakavi]

they also sang the Keeravani thevaram Vaananai, with neraval swarams at Veeranai. The neraval was tantalizingly short!

I agree. Neyveli has done full justice to that song in the past. Perhaps the time constraint played a role.

[bilahari]

There is a beautiful and elaborate vANanai of NSG in Sangeethapriya for those who felt shortchanged by the brief exposition here! NSG's kIravANi is always an experience.

[ragam-talam]

The kiravani was the highlight for me. They indulged in some lovely swaraksharas.
The CM-HM combo format didn't work for me.
Pitthaa pirai soodi - didn't sound like MMGowla to my ears, had touches of Saveri... or was it Nadanamakriya? I forget now.

[Sundara Rajan]

The sankarAbaraNam piece was from thEvAram: oRRumai sErvadu meyyinaiyE.
kAdhimOdhi is Arunagiri's thiruppugazh and was sung , I believe, inharikAmbhDdi(?)