Neyveli Santhanagopalan - London Ayyappan temple 18-Sep-2010

[jayaram]

Dear friends,

I was lucky to attend a memorable concert by Shri Neyveli Santhanagopalan in London last weekend.
The event itself was not advertised that well - a friend of mine sent me the details just the previous day, and fortunately I didn't miss listening to this great vidwan.
(It seems Shri NSG was passing through London...)

The pakkam consisted of local youngsters, so I am not even sure about their names!
The names below are based on the announcements:
Jalataran - violin / Ram - mridangam / Arun - ghatam / Mervin - morsing

Concert item list:
1. Intha chalamu - Begada varnam - Adi - Veena kuppaiyer
2. Rama bhakti samrajyam - Shuddha bangala - Adi - Thyagaraja
3. Manavi Alakinchara - Nalinkanthi - Adi - Thyagaraja
4. Sabhapathikku - Abhogi - Rupakam - Gopalakrishna Bharati
5. Kaa vaa vaa - Varali - Adi (2 kalai) - Papanasam Sivan
- thani avartanam -
6. Janani ninnu vina - Ritigowla - Misra chapu - Subbaraya Sastry
7. Arabhimanam - Ragamalika - Adi - Tanangambadi Panchanada Iyer
8. Hamsanandi
9. Karpagame - Madhyamavati - Adi - Papanasam Sivan
Mangalam

He sang swaras for all the pre-thani pieces. Lovely swaraksharas in Abhogi, a divine Rama bhakti, a reposeful Ritigowla were the highlights for me. (Janani ninnu vina was per my request for a misra chapu kriti - he sang it after the Varali main!)

I got to chat with Shri NSG both before and after the concert. In fact, he even asked me to speak at the end of the concert about 'rasika dharma' - I mumbled something about raiskas' duty etc. On the drive back home, brilliant ideas came to mind, but it was too late!

A really enjoyable concert by this great vidwan - who is also a forum member.

I really hope we get to organise a better arranged concert of his next year in London, under the Rasikalaya banner.

[Nick H]

I'm glad he gave a concert as he was passing through. Where is London Ayyappan Temple, Jayaram?

I hope you enlighten us as to your ideas of rasika dharma!

[arasi]

Jayaram,
Was just wondering about why we haven't had a peep from you in a while!
Nice that you could go to 'guru' NSG's concert (whenever I hear and see the word vidyaarthi, all I can picture is NSG the guru among gurus!).
His naLinakAnti is something else.
What did he sing in hamsAnandi?

vidyaarthi,
You are a rasikA too among us. You could have spoken about Rasika dharma and I'm sure your definition and thoughts would have been fascinating to hear. AnAl, SollAmal Solluvadilum nIr vallavar

[mankuthimma]

Jayaram
Just in case you have not come across this

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=p_PK ... ma&f=false

[vidyaarthi]

sorry Arasi,i could not reply all these days.How are you?

that day in london,I had to fully concentrate on how to take the concert along with the entirely new set of accompanists ;in fact, Jayaraman sir spoke with full of rasika bhava and that gave me some rest and relaxation and I could continue with renewed strength.

that is what had happened.

neyveli anbudan.

[rajeshnat]

In fact, he even asked me to speak at the end of the concert about 'rasika dharma' - I mumbled something about raiskas' duty etc.

Jayaram and vidyaarthi
May we all have access to atleast the recording of what Jayaram spoke about "rasika dharma". Jayaram is a very good communicator who can pass some insights to all of us.

[arasi]

vvidyaarthi,
vaNakkam and thanks for your post. I bet the young accompanists did their best. A vidvAn like you behaves like a vidyaarthi when it comes to your manners, both on and off stage--a rarity You would have put them at ease immediately.
Doom and Gloom people (as Nick says elsewhere) can take a break now. Just as grace is very much part of music, when it is seen in the practitioners of it too, what could be better? Thank heavens for performers like you.
For anyone who wants to jump in, let me hasten to say that I'm not flattering NSG for any favors, and he knows that.
The only purpose of my going to such length in speaking about him is that genuine music needs no hoopla, no heated discussions or fiery advocates. In my view (limited, perhaps), NSG is both old and new. Old in that I feel I'm listening to a no-fuss, AtmArtha sangItam when I hear him, new in the sense that vidyaarthi is a vibrant modern guru.

disclaimer: I have noting to gain by this post except that I got a chance to say that there are many positive aspects to CM, even in these media-oriented times.

Jayaram,
Look forward to meeting you in Chennai! As Rajesh says, it would be nice to hear your speech.

[sivapriya]

Jayaram
Just in case you have not come across this

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=p_PK ... ma&f=false

Thanks for the link, makes for a very involved and interesting read.!

[fduddy]

For anyone who wants to jump in, let me hasten to say that I'm not flattering NSG for any favors, and he knows that.

????????????? what is that for???

[arasi]

fduddy,
My turn to ask: why all those multiple ????????
If you want an answer to all those questions, here it is.
Being nice to each other (genuinely so), being friendly (because we like talking about the music which we all love and share too) is what Rasikas is all about. Isn't that so?
If all this seems soppy stuff to those who like arenas to fight things out, exchange some blows, all this in the name of being -------(fill in the blanks with one of the following words: experts, intellectuals, supreme rasikAs--there could be more categories), all I can say is that I do not understand them.
In a way, you were right. I went back to my post to edit it, and on second (third?) thoughts, did not. Why? Someone else could have asked what the motive behind my praise was
Then I had to explain that I had none. Not that it matters. I would have given an answer to the best of my ability, but as you know, some are hard to please...

Now, my apologies to NSG for all this. I don't intend taking the thread away from his music.

And fduddy,
Sorry to have bothered you with whatever I had said.

[fduddy]

fduddy,
My turn to ask: why all those multiple ????????

A typo!
Perhaps it was a over enthusiam in you to have written that way about Neyveli's music.

[arasi]

You are right. I am enthusiastic about his music and about his qualities as a human being as well.

[bilahari]

Me too! NSG rules!

[Nick H]

Sounds like a new sort of cricket!

[arasi]

Nice Sensible Gentlemanly rules!

[Nick H]

Very gentlemanly

[ragam-talam]

Amazing swarakalpana from the maestro here!
Pallavi - Neyveli Santanagopalan-02May2009-1

Is Pallavi a sabha in the US? This kutcheri seems to be an excellent one. Hope we can get the full concert upload.

[Sathej]

Amazing swarakalpana from the maestro here!
Pallavi - Neyveli Santanagopalan-02May2009-1

Is Pallavi a sabha in the US? This kutcheri seems to be an excellent one. Hope we can get the full concert upload.

But the clip does not have any Kalpana Swarams as far as I can see..those are Chitta Swarams for Nenarunchinanu !

Sathej

[ragam-talam]

Sathej - thanks for the correction. I meant to say swara fireworks.

[kssr]

In Podhigai channel, they are having a navarathri concert series from 5 pm to 615 pm. This week I heard NSG in it. There was a Poorvikalyani-Meenakshi memudam and Thodi- Brindavana Lola- Thyagaraja kriti. They were par excellence.

No extra briga or frill. Straight rendition as the great composers had probably intended. Youngsters should listen and learn from this presentation. The simplest is the best. The wordings and their arrangement appear extremely simple, taken without the music. But the genius of MD and Thyagaraja comes out only when it is sung as in this case by an artist like NSG.

Also, he had very understanding accompaniments Special mention to be made about the mridangam vidwan, also from Neyveli (couldn't get it correctly. Can some one fill in?). The connecting fillers by the mridangam during the pauses in the singing was so much with understanding that it just elevated the overall effect of the concert.

NSG, can sometimes be moody and can underperform. But if given the proper atmosphere and accompaniments can really excel like no one can.

Great programme. The following day was Dr.Ramani. It was once again brilliant and the surprise brigas, come as a total delight- no one can even remotely approach his level even today. Unfortunately the TV edited in the wrong places and made it a bit messy. But still it was a memorable programme.

[ganeshkant]

The mridangam palyer for NSG was Sirkazhi J.Skandaprasad which made me think whether this was an old recording as the mridangist ,I heard is settled in Singapore and not playing for more than a decade,I count.

[VRV]

.

Also, he had very understanding accompaniments Special mention to be made about the mridangam vidwan, also from Neyveli (couldn't get it correctly. Can some one fill in?). .

kssr,

Was the mridangist Neyveli Narayan? A wonderful and understanding mridangist capable of elevating any concert to a different plain. He is a student of Umayalapuram Sivaraman, if I am not mistaken.

Vinod Venkataraman

[kssr]

whether this was an old recording as the mridangist ,

I too think that these recordings are old ones; especially after listening to Aruna Sairam yesterday. Believe me. It was pretty good. Quite obviously an old recording.

[ragam-talam]

In Podhigai channel, they are having a navarathri concert series from 5 pm to 615 pm. This week I heard NSG in it. There was a Poorvikalyani-Meenakshi memudam and Thodi- Brindavana Lola- Thyagaraja kriti. They were par excellence.

It's been uploaded at youtube (by our own vkailasam!):
Purvikalyani: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHhPPYTH0sc
Todi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4ChgH4r_0U

I agree, NSG is in great form!

Btw, who is the shishya sitting next to him?
(Pakkala Ramadas is on the violin.)

[S.Balaji]

Btw, who is the shishya sitting next to him?

Sriram Parthasarathy, NSG ji's student