Abhishek Raghuram @ Music Academy 30 Dec 2010

hema · Post by **hema** » 30 Dec 2010, 23:59

What a concert. He is really bindaas. He overshot by 21 minutes (started 4 mins late). I am surprised
the curtains did not come down on him.

1. Vanajaksha(i) -- Kalyani -- Ata tala varnam -- sang it beautifully
2. Gana Suddharasa -- Nata
3. Deva shree tapasa -- Madyamavathi -- the raagam was too short -- song was sung very well, overdose of swaram (I really do not enjoy his gymnastics -- he has a great voice) -- I would have preferred a LONGER raagam.
4. Dasukovalena -- Todi -- alaap -- 30-35 mins, tani -- 20 min -- it was really wonderful -- the concert started picking up here.
5. Hamsavinodhini -- RTP (it was 9.27pm when started this) -- went on until 9.55pm a very brief Ragamaalika swarams
(I got distracted by the time -- was worried that the curtains will come down on him).
(Hamsavinodhini -- not very satisfying)
On the whole, a thoroughly enjoyable.

Violin was okay -- not very supportive. Mridangam and Kanjira were very good. Even the Kanjira which I do not enjoy
very much, sounded great.

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 31 Dec 2010, 00:37

Thanks, Hema. Was it well attended?
I am surprised by the curtains not coming down too, since the culture-vultures of the academy are very prompt about shutting things down per schedule.

Tani by Anand in Misra Jhampai must have been a treat! I would be surprised if he does not win the best mridangist prize this year (now in the senior category too).

hema · Post by **hema** » 31 Dec 2010, 07:41

Yes, it was well attended. Not full though. He got one of the LONGEST standing
ovations at the end of the concert ( I have attended about 20 this season).

hema · Post by **hema** » 31 Dec 2010, 07:42

Tani -- I do not know details of mridangam -- still figuring it out but it really did sound beautiful.

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 31 Dec 2010, 09:15

mahavishnu wrote: I am surprised by the curtains not coming down too, since the culture-vultures of the academy are very prompt about shutting things down per schedule.

The curtains certainly come down for evening 1 slot, but for evening 2 slot , they give a bit of leeway. Best wishes to Abhishek on his maiden prime time concert.

Hema
The nAttai krithi gAna sudha rasa is by M. BalamuralikrishnA.
The accompanist were Mysore shrikant- violin, anantha krishnan -mrudangam and KV GOpAlakrishnan - kanjirA

ashoksubra · Post by **ashoksubra** » 31 Dec 2010, 11:11

In my long years of listening, I have not seen this sure-footed exposition in many musicians. Vibrant imaginations, colorful painting of each raga he took were really inspiring to every listener. Energy packed renditions and tracing untouched, unseen contours of Thodi was such a joy to listen.

He not only took Dr. BMK's krithi to sing, through the concert, Dr.BMK's imaginations were seen through Abhishek;s voice. Ease of sancharas in tara and mandra sthayis were so easy for him, despite troubling voice.

Though it felt like Dr. BMK"s imitation in many places, especially in kalpana swaras and raga alapanas... this imitation was fully acceptable and appreciable one.

At a Boy..

prasanna · Post by **prasanna** » 31 Dec 2010, 12:41

The aspects of time management and concert planning were totally absent yesterday..I personally felt that if he had wrapped up after the Thodi by singing a couple of thukaddas it would still have ended as a very good concert.Singing the RTP in a hurried manner and exceeding the alloted time by half an hour didnt help in any way.

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 31 Dec 2010, 12:51

mahavishnu wrote: the culture-vultures of the academy are very prompt about shutting things down per schedule.

This whole practice of drawing the curtains right smack at the end of the concert is so rude and disrespectful to the artist and the audience. MA should stop that and find another way to inform the artist that the time is up. I know it is quite effective to open the curtain and have the artists all seated with the lights focused on them. For that purpose, they can close the curtains after a few minutes of the end of the concert. On top of that, my main problem is, I like to go to the front at the end of the concert and take a good picture of the team. In my greed to get a good picture, I waited an extra second or two and all I got was a half drawn curtain. These culture-vultures!! That was so frustrating!

ubari · Post by **ubari** » 31 Dec 2010, 13:04

@ prasanna : I have witnessed artistes exceed the time limit (LIMITLESS) and sing until like 10:15 in the same premises.

The RTP was a great attempt. Yes hurried yet it did make an impact ..

anandasangeetham · Post by **anandasangeetham** » 31 Dec 2010, 13:08

On the drawing of the curtains.

Surely it is disrespectful. But from the organisers part they need to keep the time and schedule. Once (some years back)I was witness to the begging of the organisers of the main artist to end the concert but he was going on and on. The next concert was to happen at 7 (Dr Ramani, VVS and Trichy Sankaran) and they were literally waiting in the side. The artist should also know the time management. How does a couple of more songs going to affect his performance if he or she has not been able to capture the audience in the first few songs? Yesterday I was again witness to another such. At Besant nagar Vinayagar temple (performance of VVS and TVG) Rithvik Raja went beyond the slated time, I am naming him as he is a young artist and needs to know this. The concert which should have started at 7.15 (as per ad in the Hindu it was 7) started well after 7.35 and ended promptly at 9. This in a way disappoints ardent rasikas who come to listen to their favourites end up with a short concert.

Please do not misunderstand me...music is Not Time Bound. Manodharma sangeetham is not time bound ...but planning a concert is.....

Probably MA resorted to such pulling of the curtains as a last resort....not justified nevertheless..

gs · Post by gs » 31 Dec 2010, 15:09

Just a few observations. I started listening to Music just about the time TNS established himself. In late Seventies we had DKJ, Voleti, KVN, Somu, Ailing MDR, BMK and the two enigmatic crowd pullers - Jesudoss and Maharajapuram Santhanam. It didn't take lot of time for TNS to reach his place as critically acclaimed numero uno. Abhishek has the talent to do just that.

I have been following Abhishek for 3 years now and I have a feeling he is going to repeat what TNS did. He has fertile imagination and it is unbridled. I like it that way. Last year he did a Kalyani RTP in Krishnagana Sabha for 70 minutes and pallavi was for only 15 minutes! This year, he rendered an out of the world poorvikalyani RTP in Parthasarathy swami sabha, just like Y'day's Thodi.I have listened to a very elaborate kanada (enna solli)

The point is he likes to travel where ever his manodharmam takes him. That defines his music, BMK and Somu influence not withstanding. Produces new phrases and I have heard people say they don't confirm to raga lakshanam. Translated, this means "His sining betrays my understanding!". He will be better of ignoring these comments and continue the way he sings.

He needs to work on his voice culture. There are occasional off key notes. Even yesterday, he had sruti issues initially. Secondly, he claps in front of mike in the name of tala. This can be jarring at times. Of course, this is a personal problem of mine and not a complaint.

My best wishes to him.

prasanna · Post by **prasanna** » 31 Dec 2010, 15:23

I have witnessed artistes exceed the time limit (LIMITLESS) and sing until like 10:15 in the same premises.

The RTP was a great attempt. Yes hurried yet it did make an impact ..

It is not a question of whether artistes have exceeded the time earlier or not..It is rather a question of professionalism.When an end time for the concert has been specified,the artist is expected to end by that specified time.

ubari · Post by **ubari** » 31 Dec 2010, 17:33

@ prasanna : Again . Im talking about MUSIC and u are speaking about PROFESSIONALISM ... Still there were people who listening and who gave a stand ovation after the concert..

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 31 Dec 2010, 18:10

I am just listening to a bootleg recording of the concert. Some of the prayogams are truly priceless... I fully concur with gs's assessment about Abhishek's flights of creative bursts in manodharma. Yes, they are unconventional but I think it is the signature hallmark of his creativity.

I do see the point about concert planning though; even at NGS I felt that his pallavi was too short. Given his strong sense of layam, he should reserve more time for the RTP in general. However, when I go to listen to Abhishek (or turn on a John Coltrane CD) the last thing I am looking for is planning.
However, the issue of respecting the rules and the allotted time are important in these contexts, especially during the season. He is welcome to give 5 hour concerts in N.America and people will be here till the last minute to lap it all up and request an encore.

I had the pleasure of listening to him at Tatvaloka (special Syama Sastry concert will be released by Charsur next year) and NGS in addition to this recording. In all the 35+ concerts I have attended this season, no one else has made me feel the "WOW" experience like Abhishek.

mahesh3 · Post by **mahesh3** » 31 Dec 2010, 18:24

The PiedPiper at the academy...

A futuristic demonstration by abhishek and anand with great support by KVG and minimalism by Mysore Srikant gave us a glimpse of how carnatic is going to change in the era of technological musicology.....his variations, layering and channelling of a zillion different sounds and phrases were just so innovative and out of the box - some breezy, some deeep, much of it foreign with a tinge of traditional to keep everyone clued in - I dont think it is going to be proper for any traditional "review" or an opinion of such a concert...what everyone could agree in the hall is that we are in the presence of GENIUS....abhishek's breathless whirlwind of dense, layered torrent of ideas with like a 1000 different kinds of voice channelling techniques in madhyamavathi plus todi plus hamsavinodhini made him the piedpiper at academy this year....we've all grown up with the staple of MDR, GNB, BMK, TNS, SKR and Sanjay....but abhishek will make his mark as the first product of the modern subculture, and his choice of modern contemportary composers like BMK, Kumaresh and many others show that he is clued in not only to the past, but holds the keys to the future...in an era where many artists continue to offer to old ideas memorized from tapes of yesteryear. Abhishek is a beacon.....

To not avoid some of the larger issues however....the 9:45 finish had many of the organizers standing in the side, in a sweat, beckoning him to finish.....and some of the lights were starting to be turned off.....abhishk needs to stop putting the folks in a spot of bother, compliance with time and the system will make it much easier for people to digest what he offers in the time duration allotted....

hema · Post by **hema** » 31 Dec 2010, 20:18

I do not know whether right or wrong -- his time management. The important point is that as one of you has pointed
-- he added a new dimension toTodi -- I have not heard such explorations before. I felt great. I could not sleep for almost two hours after I returned home -- It was Abhishek without boundaries indeed! There is a difference between art and
architecture -- art has no boundaries, architecture can have boundaries. There is creativity in both, both must be
encouraged.

I wish he has many more such concerts and that sabhas will just not stop him.

Although his RTP was short -- it was still beautiful. I would have liked more taanam. But I think somebody sent him
a chit asking him to wind up.

Yes, he does remind me of BMK during his youth.

Kambhoji · Post by **Kambhoji** » 03 Jan 2011, 20:38

Just saw this and wanted to share with all of you....

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chennai/ ... oncert-952

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 03 Jan 2011, 22:12

hema wrote:Yes, he does remind me of BMK during his youth.

He is very young, and if he ends up like BMK later in life, I shall be happy. Just now, and on the basis of just one small experience, I can only say that I wish he had stuck to Kanjira. I really enjoyed his kanjira playing, and I am delighted to have seen him play with his grandfather playing mridangam: it was great.

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 03 Jan 2011, 23:20

Just now, and on the basis of just one small experience, I can only say that I wish he had stuck to Kanjira.

Nick, I feel quite the opposite. Admittedly, it is a sad loss for the world of kanjira, but carnatic vocal music has gained a star performer with the potential to inspire and lead the artform into the future.

I also miss his kanjira performances with Sri Raghu (and a few select others that he played with). And how I miss the great man himself. Vidwans of that stature are not replaceable.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 03 Jan 2011, 23:48

I will give this man another chance. It would be foolish to ignore everybody's recommendation.

But, if my opinion is not changed, well, he will not be the only "genius" on my avoid list. It takes all sorts, and I must remember that I am often insisting on just that.

Kambhoji · Post by **Kambhoji** » 08 Jan 2011, 01:52

Here is a review of Abhishek's concert in Hindu. See the audience and reader's reaction to the concert at the end of the review. The concert was indeed a memorable one. Given his prodigious talent, I will not be surprised, if he can sing and also play the Kanjira at the same time!

http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/article1027192.ece

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 08 Jan 2011, 02:13

I think there is a serious disconnect between the reviewer and (at least some members of) the general public on this one...

behag · Post by **behag** » 08 Jan 2011, 10:27

Nick H wrote:I will give this man another chance. It would be foolish to ignore everybody's recommendation.

But, if my opinion is not changed, well, he will not be the only "genius" on my avoid list. It takes all sorts, and I must remember that I am often insisting on just that.

i must say i was not also overly impressed by him, but i will give him another chance as well given all the praise!

nick, if you don't mind my asking who are the "geniuses" who are on your avoid list? you mention the matter quite often, but without actually divulging the names so am now very curious! of

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 12 Jan 2011, 09:30

I did not have a chance to hear Abhishek this season. In the past two years, I have. He's extremely talented and I agree that there are moments in his singing which astonish me. When it comes to structuring a concert, or even singing a solid kruti, planning plays a part (need not be deliberate but one should have a fair sense of proportion).

In Cleveland some years ago, Suryaprakash sang a beautiful RTP of Ranjanis (?) but the time he had was too short (curtailed by a late running previous program) and how I regretted that he had taken up a pallavi when there was time only for a few tukkaDAs! He could not do justice to the pallavi form (mainly in duration) or to his rich imagination. He did'nt exceed the given time either

harimau · Post by **harimau** » 12 Jan 2011, 11:16

Kambhoji wrote:
Here is a review of Abhishek's concert in Hindu.

http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/article1027192.ece

One of the comments at the end of the (online version of the) review was:

"First of all, it is nice that the scribe has accepted the fact there is a star in the making and his statement that whatever he attempts to say on the Todi would be blasphemous is another candid disagreement with the a portion or two of what Abhishek sang. The exceeding of time marginally is no crime and is not new to Music Academy as there were precedents in Maharajapuram Santhanam, T V Sankaranarayanan, T N Seshagopalan and many others. There were also instances of crowd imposing the reopening of a screen by the Academy authorities for extra time. This does not undermine the need to have adherence to time schedule. This young artiste has not been given his due by the media perhaps because of some vested interests indulging in wire-pulling fearing his emergence. There is definitely a sense of insecurity and fear he has created in the minds of the so-called bigwigs. The merits also suffer for want of PR these days and the average also gets undue recognition due to PR. Any way a star of the caliber of Abhishek will be beyond the designs and schemes from any quarters.

from: Sriram
Posted on: Jan 5, 2011 at 12:25 IST "

Does anyone else think that PR in the highlighted sentence refers to the singer's grandfather? :^)

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 12 Jan 2011, 11:29

Harimau: Your eyesight isn't half bad! You have a few more years before you visit your ophthalmologist for progressive lenses.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 12 Jan 2011, 12:09

harimau wrote:
Does anyone else think that PR in the highlighted sentence refers to the singer's grandfather? :^)

[update]Doh! Totally missed the pun! Please accept my apology for the knee-jerk defense.[/update]

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 12 Jan 2011, 16:01

mahavishnu,
I had a chance to hear the recording that you had sent me in private, It just got lost in lot of mails that too as the site was down for few days . Few impressions , since you asked me in another thread:

# It was a really brilliant concert , no questions about that , perhaps in tOdi alApana I could find little excess freewheeling and bit too long,that is some thing I see even with few yesteryears jAmbhavans of the golden era of 60's. He has taken a lot from TNR's famous tOdi recording.Hamsavinodhini pallavi was taken by Dr BMK (I am assuming he was the first to do few decades back), very recently I heard roughly a year back from suryaprakash, the choice of Abhishek taking that rAga was very apt considering he went with tOdi main. I enjoyed that hamsavinOdhini contrast though rapid fire mode , still made a nice impact .

# In my opinion , the HINDU has really done the best of best PR , the title may be talking about his timelimit , but look at the opening lines "Carnatic lovers Watch Out , a star in the making". These kind of opening lines will give more lift to his musical career to the 10 million eyeballs than a 1000 odd who think on timelimit, proportion , technicalities , overlap of tOdi with sindhubhairavi. Also it is in page 2 or 3 of the supplement , unlike page 4 or 5 or 6 which gives very scanty details.

After all every carnatic musician wants more fresh blood exclusive rasikas than a rasika like me or quite a lot of you here at rasikas.org ,who spend time with a spread of vidwans/vidushi bringing non exclusivity.

# I wish I was there in this concert ,there was and is usually an aura of confidence with Abhishek. Nothing wrong in extending the concert beyond , but awarding for the extended concert is something that I did not like which I have expressed in another thread. I guess extending or starting late by 30 mins is best for academy awards

.

# In my opinion In this season THE HINDU and MUSIC ACADEMY have really done a lot for Abhishek . Two giant pillars ,If I could say the California and Newyork state of US Presidential elections.

Harimau,
Definitely the right PR, atleast the deceased PR will be happy with this PR

Congrats Abhishek , keep it up

.

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 12 Jan 2011, 20:04

Rajesh, I see your point and now I totally get where you are coming from. Thanks for your detailed post.

I also agree with you about having to listen to such concerts live. Not just to see the confidence that he exudes, but to see the way the audience is pulled into the kutcheri, excited like schoolchildren.

There is the PR that you get from singing a concert like that, that neither the Hindu nor the academy (or the grandfather PR) can provide.

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 12 Jan 2011, 20:48

There is a comment at the Hindu link towards the end that seems to be quite level headed..

"A request to the fans of Abhishek. Do not heap sky high accolades at this young age. He is a great singer, cut above the rest definitely but not the greatest ever etc. Even the word prodigy is a cursed word. He has prodigious talent, let us leave it at that. The DC review is a joke and same is this Hindu review. The DC review reads more like a fan-boy blog than a review and the Hindu review unnecessarily spent too many words on the time management."
from: Madya Sthayi

I assume 'DC' refers to Deccan Chronicle.....

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 12 Jan 2011, 22:27

VK: The comment does express a balanced view. The word prodigy is so misused in India, especially in CM circles. It does more damage than good when the word is used indiscriminately.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 12 Jan 2011, 23:37

How about the word 'genius'?
Sorry, we in North America aren't exempt from such excesses. Expressions like 'the most accomplished singer', 'a great exponent of CM' and such lavish praises are found in brochures and announcements often.

srikant1987 · Post by **srikant1987** » 13 Jan 2011, 04:20

VK, that seems balanced, except the "cut above the rest" part. :tmi:

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 13 Jan 2011, 07:57

arasi wrote:How about the word 'genius'?
Sorry, we in North America aren't exempt from such excesses. Expressions like 'the most accomplished singer', 'a great exponent of CM' and such lavish praises are found in brochures and announcements often.

Arasi, I fully agree. We in N. America are equally guilty of propagating this hyperbole. Although in some instances, these are provided by the artistes themselves. From my limited experience as an organizer, some artistes insist on having their biographies read loud and they include these cliched words and expressions you mention. Other examples include prodigy/genius that first performed at age 7, well-chiselled voice and mellifluous singing style reminiscent of past masters etc (what does that even mean? which past masters?). Sometimes the compliments of musical genius extend to their gurus also; I just noticed it on someone's bio that was posted on another thread. And almost always, there is a line in everyone's CV that links them directly to the Tyagaraja sishya parampara.

mahesh3 · Post by **mahesh3** » 18 Jan 2011, 08:53

Rajeshnat, nice points you make. My view based on attending the concert was that Abhishek's manodharma was brimming on that day...that hamsavinodhini he has brought so many splendid and subtle tweaks in the 10 minute alapana, and then still manages to show novelty in the thanam....just beautiful contrast to the thodi as u note!

kamalamba · Post by **kamalamba** » 18 Jan 2011, 17:13

It is quite exciting to see a current-generation frontline singer sing BMK's kriti's ( gAna Sudha rasa is an exceptional kriti, especially the use of sa ma gAna sudha...). BMK's kritis are real gems to be treasured and I wish more artistes would sing them. Last year I heard TMK sing BMK's Lavangi at Parthasarathy Swami Sabha; this was quite brilliant as well.
Back to this concert of Abhishek's, I hope Charsur et al would sell DVDs.

Rsachi · Post by **Rsachi** » 20 Jan 2011, 20:39

I am just now listening to Todi raga alapana by Abhishek I downloaded from Sangeethamshare.org. It seems to be a well-meaning secret recording of a listener with a deep voice who chats quite a bit.
The Todi is very creatively and imaginatively sung, with good violin accompaniment by Srikanth. The Todi exposition however has almost completely eschewed Ga. Its a bit like Krishna without his peacock feather or sambar without tamarind!

Rsachi · Post by **Rsachi** » 20 Jan 2011, 20:41

I hasten to add that where and when he does touch Ga, he does it to great effect!

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 20 Jan 2011, 21:00

*** mods, could you please merge this with the ongoing thread on this topic?

Rsachi: It is mildly annoying when (well-meaning) people talk through their bootleg recordings and then post them in a public site.

I have listened to the todi a number of times now (albeit from a much better recording) and I never noticed what you seem to have observed. I should perhaps give it another listen. Did you mean that he does not sustain a "Ga" or that he does not employ any pidis that involve a strong "Ga"?

I have heard him sing "Gajavadhana" in Todi on other occasions and he does a good job handling the chittaswaram in all its glory. That is almost a litmus test for whether someone understands the many shades of gandharam in Todi.

Rsachi · Post by **Rsachi** » 21 Jan 2011, 11:19

Mahavishnu,
He has tackled Todi with a strong emphasis on the upper half of the octave and pointedly avoided the Ga such that the raga sounded a lot different from the well known personality of Todi.
Wherefrom did you get a much better recording? Wish I could access it....
Abhishek is totally brilliant.. wish he would cultivate a more melody-oriented concert style and not so percussive a style. To me music should be first and foremost an aesthetic experience and then only a technical exercise.

Gadolinium · Post by **Gadolinium** » 21 Jan 2011, 13:51

He has tackled Todi with a strong emphasis on the upper half of the octave and pointedly avoided the Ga such that the raga sounded a lot different from the well known personality of Todi.
Wherefrom did you get a much better recording? Wish I could access it....
Abhishek is totally brilliant.. wish he would cultivate a more melody-oriented concert style and not so percussive a style. To me music should be first and foremost an aesthetic experience and then only a technical exercise.

Rsachi: First, thanks for the pointer towards Abhishek's MA concert. I have been looping the thodi alapana for so many times. Simply brilliant.

You make some interesting points. I have been listening to CM for over 6 years and can identify a wide range of ragas. However, I don't know the notes in Thodi or Saaveri or any other raga (maybe because I do not sing). I could tell quite easily that it was Todi - could you clarify on the "lot different" part. Also, I feel that the "notes emphasized" is a triviality from a listener's perspective unless the appeal could have improved multifold.

Coming to your more interesting point, I agree that a song should not be a technical exercise without an aesthetic dimension. But I disagree that melody-oriented style and an aesthetic experience are one and the same (though they have a big overlap). I have listened to many good, melodious thodis. They linger for a while till maybe I listen to another good thodi. However, what I consider an aesthetic experience would be a combination of novelty, freshness, and to an extent, a rich and melodious voice. For me, novelty and spontaneity would rank higher than an over-rehearsed melodious Thodi. A case in point: Chintayare, a shankarabharanam piece, rendered by TNS (wish I was able to find it in sangeethapriya) that I listened to 4 years back and still lingers.

kvn_bhakta · Post by **kvn_bhakta** » 21 Jan 2011, 22:11

Since fools and amateurs boldly go where experts fear, let me respond to rsachi.

First, I don't think Ga should be considered the "Krishna's peacock feather of Thodi". Thodi is one of the greatest ragas in the carnatic canon because almost every single note is important and can be elaborated. Secondly, I personally dislike too much use of the "over-oscillated" Ga, and my personal Todi favorites - like GNB, MMI - limit it. And in the upper half, there is so much scope with Ni/Ri/Da etc.

Coming to Abhishek's rendition, I don't think there is any confusion at all in the raga. Early on he established the Ga while exploring the lower half, and IMHO the raga identity is there throughout. To me, it was different but still a classical Todi, fresh and exciting. Ga is used in the upper octave to, but not with the extreme Ri-Da oscillation except once or twice, perhaps this is what you are missing. But it always sounds like Todi to me, and that is what is important.

Finally, after repeated listening its clear to me that - despite all the talk of Abhishek's manodharama - it is a very carefully planned rendition. At every stage he is taking a key pidi and elaborating around it, step by step moving up the octave, showing different shades of each note - with phrases that are angular, oscillated, through brigas, and even Patiala-gharana-like taans. There is no doubt in my mind that enormous thought and practice went in to the alapana.

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 22 Jan 2011, 06:03

...despite all the talk of Abhishek's manodharama - it is a very carefully planned rendition

nicely written, kvn_bhakta. Your views are really fair and balanced, unlike some news organizations that call themselves that

Rsachi, after reading your comment, I listened to the tOdi again and to be honest, I did not feel anything missing because he did not spend much time on "ga" as he was ascending the scale during raga development. Different, yes. But it was a very classical tOdi with no missing aesthetics. There were no percussive gymnastics in the alapanai. This is not to say that Abhishek has or does not engage in such practices.

I have personally heard him take some serious liberties in the grammar of raga development in kharaharapriya, neelambari, mohanam and even behag. However, I did not get that impression on this occasion and in his performances in the last season; I heard him on 5 different platforms.

P.S: If you email me through the forum, I can send you a better recording.

Rsachi · Post by **Rsachi** » 22 Jan 2011, 08:21

Dear kvn_bhakta, Mahavishnu and others,
Please read my original comments:
The Todi is very creatively and imaginatively sung, with good violin accompaniment by Srikanth. The Todi exposition however has almost completely eschewed Ga. Its a bit like Krishna without his peacock feather or or sambar without tamarind! I hasten to add that where and when he does touch Ga, he does it to great effect!

I am a bit new to this type of exchanges where people jump in with ready comments about fools, amateurs, trivialities etc. Can't claims to Carnatic music expertise and appreciation do without this attitude of giving and taking offense?
Just to let you know- I have been listening to CM for >55 years and knew KVN closely. We have discussed Todi at length.
Happy Listening!

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 22 Jan 2011, 09:24

Rsachi: It is great to see you engage others in discussions of this type. Just as an observation, if this discussion seems like giving and taking offense to you, You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet!!

Just kidding.. Go on!!

Rsachi · Post by **Rsachi** » 22 Jan 2011, 09:27

Dear kvn_bhakta, Mahavishnu and others,
Please read my original comments.
I am a bit new to this type of exchanges where people jump in with ready comments about fools, amateurs, trivialities etc. Is this de rigueur at rasikas.org?
Can't claims to Carnatic music expertise and appreciation do without this attitude of giving and taking offense?
Just to let you know-I have been listening to CM for >55 years and knew KVN closely (and talked about Todi at length). Still I am sure there's a lot for me to learn from more mature rasikas.
In any case music is first and last about listening. So happy listening!

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 22 Jan 2011, 09:29

Rsachi: This has been and still is an extremely civilized exchange of ideas. I do not see anywhere in this discussion where any offensive comment was made. So, I am honestly puzzled at your reaction.

I would personally be delighted if you could start a thread on your long association with KVN and your discussions about tOdi with him. We could discuss several tOdis at length and maybe even post exemplar audio clips.

mahesh3 · Post by **mahesh3** » 22 Jan 2011, 10:08

kvn_bhakta wrote:
Coming to Abhishek's rendition, I don't think there is any confusion at all in the raga. Early on he established the Ga while exploring the lower half, and IMHO the raga identity is there throughout. To me, it was different but still a classical Todi, fresh and exciting. Ga is used in the upper octave to, but not with the extreme Ri-Da oscillation except once or twice, perhaps this is what you are missing. But it always sounds like Todi to me, and that is what is important.

Well said! The Ga was clearly established in the first few minutes itself.....it really was an electric exploration...

mahesh3 · Post by **mahesh3** » 22 Jan 2011, 13:34

and the beauty of this concert is that i have heard the thodi a zillion times, and still magnetised by it, not just because i discover some new facet, but because of its appeal from so many angles......and apparently i am not the only one!

kunthalavarali · Post by **kunthalavarali** » 22 Jan 2011, 16:44

[quote][/quote]ICan we get a (good) recording of this concert available pl?