Vignesh Ishwar-Shyama Shastri kritis@Thane on 20/02/2011

[tyagarajadasa]

Vocal - Vignesh Ishwar
Violin - Smriti Sunderrajan
Mridangam - Rohit Prasad
Kanjira - Karthik Srinivasan

Vignesh presented an outstanding 2.5 hr chamber concert at Thane today morning. Vignesh is a disciple of Anatharama Bhagavathar of Mumbai and also Sri T.M.Krishna. The audience consisted of youngsters from Mumbai, all learners and serious practitioners of music.

The stellar list was as follows:

1. himAdri sutE - kalyANi - Adi -tisra naDai - N,S @ shyAma krishNa
2. kAmAkSI - yadukula kambodi - misra cApu - R (sketch)
3. mIna lOcana - dhanyAsi- misra cApu - R,N,S @ kAmapAlini
4. mAyammA - nATTaikkurunji - Adi
5. sari evvarammA - bhairavi - khaNDa jhampa -R,N,T @ parama pAvani
6. kanakashaila vihAriNi - punnAgavarALi- Adi
7. pAlincu kAmAkSI - madhyamAvati -Adi

Vignesh started off the concert with a brisk himAdri sutE; the neraval and kalpana swarams were done very well! Smriti's replies were also apt and to the point. After a lilting kAmAkSI, the dhanyasi alapana was done beautifully, bringing out the beauty of the raagam. Neraval and swarams at kAmapAlini were very well done!

mAyammA was rendered with deep emotion.The mature and the slow rendering brought out the bhAvam of the rAgams and the composers very well. The kAlapramanam was just perfect! I would be failing in my duty if I did not praise Rohit's vAdyam here!

sari evvarammA seems to be Vignesh's forte! I had missed his Academy concert (where he sang this) and he more than made up for it! The AlApana was extremely mature and soaked in bhAvam! Vignesh's neraval at parama pAvanI was brilliant! Im going to be humming this for a long long time now!

My personal favorite of the concert was kanakashailavihAriNi. At my request, he ended with pAlincu kAmAkSI, most of the audience joined with him. That was like a crown on the top of the tribute to the great composer.

Except for some initial voice trouble and distraction, the whole concert was very memorable. Smriti's bhairavi Alapana was excellent and so was her dhanyasi. Her sharp piDis brought many AhAs from the musically sound audience.

Rohit's accompaniment was brilliant, especially to the slow kAmAkSI, mAyammA, sari evvarammA and kanakashaila. The tani was good; perhaps a little change to the routine Adi tAlam sollus to fit the structure of the khanda jAti jhampa tALam would have enhanced the performance. Karthik was sharp with his playing and played just at the right places, lifting the overall effect!

Vignesh is very hard working, gifted with a smooth but powerful voice and his music is very mature. I pray to Mother Kamakshi to shower all prosperity and good will on him.

God willing, we will have more such concerts in Mumbai in future.

[srikant1987]

So nice to learn of a Shyama Shastri special concert in Mumbai (from tyagarajadasa, that too!).

kanakashaila vihAriNi is almost running out of circulation!

[narayan]

This non-youngster also attended part of the concert and enjoyed it! Bhairavi raga alapanas of Vignesh and Smriti were excellent, elaborated nicely, but with no loose phrases or flab in them. The kriti certainly has one of the more striking swaraksarams going for it, but apart from the pallavi and cittaswaram passage, the khanda jhampa talam does not seem to have a big impact. Interestingly, the cittaswaram that Vignesh sang went thus: N,NGRSNDP, (nIraja dala nayana) etc. I've learnt it as S,NGRSNDP, (sArasa dala nayana), etc.

The tani avartanam was gripping, to say the least.

Mayamma (NK) and Kanakasaila were both rendered very well. It was also an experience, as tyagarajadasa says, to be in an audience where the large majority sang parts of Palincu kamaksi, as a tribute to the occasion.

I also pray to the goddess of the raga dhanyAsi that these artistes prosper and continue to sing this holy raga! Actually, the onus is on the listener, to some extent, and it goes to show that if there are people willing to listen, there are artistes, including youngsters, who can sing very good things. All the best to the venture.

[tyagarajadasa]

I also pray to the goddess of the raga dhanyAsi that these artistes prosper and continue to sing this holy raga!

LOL

Actually, the onus is on the listener, to some extent, and it goes to show that if there are people willing to listen, there are artistes, including youngsters, who can sing very good things.

Definitely true. That was the reason for inviting only musicians to the concert!

Now Vignesh has set high standards for subsequent concerts!

[thenpaanan]

Vocal - Vignesh Ishwar
Violin - Smriti Sunderrajan
Mridangam - Rohit Prasad
Kanjira - Karthik Srinivasan

Thanks for the feeling review (but not overly done either!). Was a recording made of the concert that can be accessed? Some of the kritis are relatively rare and it would be good to have a record from a solid pATAntharam.

-Then Paanan

[tyagarajadasa]

Dear Thenpaanan,

We are not in a position to share recordings of this concert right now. Sorry!

Gokul

[chuppan]

Dear Thenpaanam

None of the kritis are rare.If u visit Sangeetha priya site u will get as many recordings u want of these songs uploaded of many stalwarts.