L Subramanian Seattle Oct- 1 2010

[Suji Ram]

L Subramanian
Ambi Subramanian
K Sekar- Tavil
TN Radhakrishnan Ghatam
Satya Sai Ghantasala- Morsing

kAmbOdhi- Ata tAla -varnam (R)
abhOgi- a gaNEsha kriti- Adi (RS)
RTP? Eka

Finally I could attend one L Subramanian concert! This was a Centennial Lakshminarayan Global festival tour by these artists.

When LS announced he was starting with a varnam, I had my fingers ready. Not for keeping talam… but for counting the different speed. A total of 5 speeds was my count with 4, 6 8 12, and 16 aksharams. It was OK. I was expecting more.

Abhogi was fine. It also turned speedy with quick traversing of phrases between octaves. The kriti was rendered well though I did not know the lyrics. Then came the swarakalpana part- alternating between father and son- ending with a few rounds of swarams with electrifying speed. Ooh!! My co-passenger said “they have gone crazy” ]

LS announced the raga for RTP was a new creation. He explained in western terminology major this and minor that, perfect 4th and perfect 5th. I wonder who understood the scale. He could have explained in plain carnatic ! For me the raga sounded cArukEshi-ish though the kaisika nishada was played with occasional emphasis as a foreign note. It sounded new overall and was good. Pallavi was very short and followed by yet another round of mind-blowing swarams.

Tani was very good. I especially liked the morsing artist. He was bringing out different sounds, sometimes even without striking it. He also had another piece of instrument probably made of sticks which seemed like those I have seen with street sellers in my childhood. I loved it.

The thing I disliked the most was the violins being hooked to amplifiers. I was missing its natural tone.

I knew what to expect in a LS concert- Speed- and I heard it. It blew my mind away…

[arasi]

Suji,
Thanks for the review. You went to the concert with an open mind, though you knew about the giddying speed of the musical ride you were going to take.
Would like to know the name of the rAgam which resembles cArukESi.
Ambi is his son?
When you get to be very proficient in playing the violin, I do hope that the speed bug doesn't bite you I still like the way you played vEngaDavA with feeling!

[mankuthimma]

Hope you had time late in the night to practice again and reset your coordinates .
LS -' Solos have never made any sense to me .

[Suji Ram]

Hope you had time late in the night to practice again and reset your coordinates .
LS -' Solos have never made any sense to me .

Mankuthimma,
yes I did!! heard lalgudi's abhOgi( the concert where one can hear peacock calls) last night and and off course practised Srilakshmi varAham bhajEham just now

Arasi,
I may need a speed bug...but
No, I cannot even play normal speed and neither I am not going to treat my bow like a saw

[rajeshnat]

abhOgi- a gaNEsha kriti- Adi (RS)

Suji
The krithi could be shree mahAgaNapaTE - abHOgi - NS Ramachandran, number that was popularized by maharAjapuram santhanam and TS KalyAnarAman. Was it just three numbers , or did he play anything after RTP

[bilahari]

Suji, thanks for the review. I hope your local sabha at least benefited by having a good crowd for the LS concert - he is generally a crowd puller.
Thank goodness you heard LGJ's AbOghi to recalibrate yourself to real CM.

[Nick H]

I don't know that I have ever been so amazed by sheer mastery of an instrument and absolute virtuosity. I recall him playing, all at once, a) bowing with right hand, b) plucking with right fingers, c) fingering with left, d) plucking with left. It was astonishing to see and hear. How much it had to do with carnatic music, I am not sure, and was much too young at the time to intuit.

This business of playing something in a great number of speeds seems to me to do little but make a point, the point being just that the musician can do it. I feel the same about vocalists who can hold a note for an absurdly long time: right, you've proved you can do it, can we get back to the music now?

But of course there is room for virtuosity, and for its admiration. Certainly I have been thrilled by his live performances. On the other hand, I haven't taken the opportunity to see him when he has played here.

[laks1972]

Hope you had time late in the night to practice again and reset your coordinates .
LS -' Solos have never made any sense to me .

Well said. I wonder whether he can play a normal carnatic concert with kritis from popular composers, without any RTP, without any gimmicks. I have a nagging doubt that he perhaps has not learnt many kritis and hence launches couple of RTPs to fill up time

His mastery over instrument, his technical capabilities - no doubt he is supreme

[vasanthakokilam]

>I have a nagging doubt that he perhaps has not learnt many kritis and hence launches couple of RTPs to fill up time

Not true. But then he may have forgotten what he learnt since he has not used them in a long time

I know there are complaints about his over indulgence in technical maneuvering of the violin, but outside of that why are we taking a negative outlook on his concert format? We hear what LS does is how Pre-Ariyakudi concerts were, especially in the 19th century.

[arasi]

spring cuckoo,
A's singing was breezy and lively (but of course, was steeped in tradition and vidvat). But speedy?
I cannot say anything about L.S because I haven't heard him in concert. However, when an instrument is played so fast (even with all the merit that goes with it), it is not a pleasant thing for me to hear. A voice is something different. Even there, if speed is the creed, from start to finish, it can be overwhelming. An example: Sriram Gangadharan. good music, good voice, but his non-stop fast delivery comes across like a speedy load of goods dumped in a hurry.

[meenat]

Dr.LS played in San Diego too with his son Ambi ditto New Jersey concert. He has the same format of three nos. Ambi perhaps has not a repertoire. And what u saw was bow and not saw.
Meenat

[srikant1987]

For me the raga sounded cArukEshi-ish though the kaisika nishada was played with occasional emphasis as a foreign note.

But iirc, cArukEsi itself has kaishiki niShAda (which is also found in ragas like Shanmukhapriya). Did you mean kAkali niShAda (which comes in rAgas like kalyANi)?

[Suji Ram]

But iirc, cArukEsi itself has kaishiki niShAda (which is also found in ragas like Shanmukhapriya). Did you mean kAkali niShAda (which comes in rAgas like kalyANi)?

If only LS mentioned what swaras he was using I would not worry trying to figure out what it sounds like. I did notice kaishika ni being played occasionally- which sounded pretty good. Maybe I am way off in saying carukEShi-like.

[prasadvrg]

Namaste Suji Ram,
Thanks for the review of the concert. You are lucky to have attended a live concert by Dr L Subramaniam. He has created a new raga called Shreepriya which sounds like Charukesi. He explained this in one of his albums called: Shreepriya -- Master of Raga.

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Raga-Priya ... 28&sr=1-23

I have listened to another of his album called "Pacific Rendezvous" and does not give the name of the Raga. I think it is Keeravani. Can a rasika please clarify.

thanks,
Prasad

[kssr]

Good to know that LS can go beyond Vaatapi Ganapathim in CM. If you cannot recognise the raga it is your problem, I say

[vasanthakokilam]

[keerthi]

Well said. I wonder whether he can play a normal carnatic concert with kritis from popular composers, without any RTP, without any gimmicks. I have a nagging doubt that he perhaps has not learnt many kritis and hence launches couple of RTPs to fill up time

Good to know that LS can go beyond Vaatapi Ganapathim in CM.

We're probably being too facetious, and have a Procrustean view of what entails a good concert list. How fair is it to comment on the elements that weren't there in a song list; without primary access to the experience of that particular concert ?


I know it for a fact that LS has a respectably massive repertoire and has taught his students pieces like the veeNa kuppayyar YadukulakambOdi varnam. It is just that he chooses to erform whatever he chooses to.

I have seen similar criticism of Chembai vaidyanAtha bhAgavatar (who, IIRC gave LS his debut) about how he repeated the same few songs.

If one were to take a look at the song list that emerges from Chembai's recordings; it is a prodigious repertory.

While we entitled to voice opinions about LS's style/ speed/ choice of songs etc, to make unwarranted, unresearched comments about learning reflects poorly on our wisdom as rasikas.


p.s - srIpriya is LS's tribute to his wife. It is charukEshi with an occasional kAkali NiSAda.

[CRama]

Because certain songs are repeated by musicians does not mean they know only those songs. I know many cases where they teach many other songs to their students. I was also foolish enough to think that Voleti (for whom I have great respect and liking) was not knowing Navarathri Kritis of Swathi Thirunal till T got a radio recording of his teaching those songs. Even in concerts in TVM, he did not sing any of those songs.
Similarly, you should not come to the conclusion that LS do not know many songs. This package is designed by him for his own reaons. I have got many radio concert recordings of LS where he has played many other songs inlcuding Enduku peddala.

[Nick H]

Not only do I have no doubt of LS's knowledge, but I'd also say that he is very good at communicating it. Haven't seen it for quite a few years, but his book on carnatic music is written in a style that is clear and simple.

[Suji Ram]

p.s - srIpriya is LS's tribute to his wife. It is charukEshi with an occasional kAkali NiSAda.

Thank you keerti. Now I am convinced.

I do prefer concerts with a few items elaborated than a list with 10-15 songs. Sometimes people want more for their money!

[vasanthakokilam]

Suji: I have the same reaction. 1 varnam, one long item and 2 thukkadas may not be my cup of tea, but a varnam, three medium and one major pieces, a virutham, a couple of thukkadas would be ideal.

More importantly, for me, I need some break in between the medium pieces and definitely after the major pieces. Like a minute or so. It is amazing and incredible to me how musicians can sing so intensely in one raga, taking us through the emotional experience, bring it to a closure with a smooth landing and then immediately start on a brand new motif.. I know as a rasika I should not complain since it is a much bigger task for the Artist to do that, but I take a minute to recover and switch to the new motif.

[Nick H]

I do prefer concerts with fewer items elaborated than a list with 10-15 songs.

Me too! I had thought that this was because I started out my listening to music of this country with Hindustani.

I don't recall how many songs were in the concert (Bharath tells me he has too much work on at the moment to post reviews and song lists) but I was really pleased to hear a full hour or more or an RTP (from Sumitra) a couple of weeks back.

[Suji Ram]

oops. I meant a few items not fewer..

[Nick H]

Either way is fine by me --- so long as it doesn't mean a concert with no items!

[vasanthakokilam]

r-t, stay away from this thread A few posts from Suji start a few discussions on few

[Nick H]

Don't worry: no more from me on that

Back to LS, concert format, and so on...