Carnatica's tribute to Shyama Sastry, March 1st 2011

[sureshvv]

Carnatica hosted a tribute concert for Shyama Sastry at the Arkay Convention Center in Luz on March 1st. Kudos to them for holding this tribute concert for the great composer. However two things about the event marred most of the enjoyment for me.

1. The introductory speech by Prof. Sivakumar was devoid of real substance and replete with shallow facts and indirect references to himself. It would have been nice if someone had vetted this speech before and pared it down to half the size so as to make it more interesting and less exasperating.

2. Nisha Rajagopal's starting off the concert with the Bhairavi Swarajathi and singing the opening 2 charanams in tara sthayi. Have never seen this done before and am not sure if this was because of the lack of form in her voice on that particular day but it felt like quite an abomination - like someone hanging a masterpiece painting upside down. While the rest of the concert was quite good, the above two things put such a damper on the event that it was hard to enjoy the evening

[Nick H]

It would have been nice if someone had vetted this speech before and pared it down to half the size so as to make it more interesting and less exasperating.

It is a sad thing to have to measure speeches according to how exasperating they are!

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[Neeraja veni]

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2. Nisha Rajagopal's starting off the concert with the Bhairavi Swarajathi and singing the opening 2 charanams in tara sthayi. Have never seen this done before and am not sure if this was because of the lack of form in her voice on that particular day but it felt like quite an abomination - like someone hanging a masterpiece painting upside down.

I wince as I read this.I tried imagining how it would be to listen to the opening charanams in tara sthayi. It would be like stabbing it with a spear! Just as cruel!

[bilahari]

Why would anyone do that to the swarajathi?! Its brilliance lies in its inherent gradual incline from the mandra stAyi to the tAra stAyi!

[Sam Swaminathan]

Great to have a programme like this to pay tribute to Shri Syama Sastry.....was any thing done to help the relatives of this great man who are living in a very bad economic state? Any part of the proceeds from this programme reach them? Any attempt made in this programme to do some thing about this?

In 2009 some of us ( in the rasikas.org) joined and did some thing thru the co-ordination of Sundaram sir..but I have not heard any thing after that...

[PUNARVASU]

Why would anyone do that to the swarajathi?! Its brilliance lies in its inherent gradual incline from the mandra stAyi to the tAra stAyi!

Yes, how can one think of such a thing?

[sureshvv]

Yes, how can one think of such a thing?

I don't think much thought went into this. Singers sometimes switch octaves when forced to sing in a different sruti or when their voice does not cooperate. But to do that in the course of the swarajati exposed an alarming lack of sensitivity.

[PUNARVASU]

I amend my query; 'How can one NOT think of such a thing'?

[rshankar]

We have just been discussing this lovely svarajati in the nATya thread - it is an impassioned paen by Sri SS to his beloved kanci kAmAkshi and any butchering of it I am sure would have disturbed his soul profoundly!!