Vijayashiva@BGS on Dec 08th,2006

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 08 Dec 2006, 20:33

N.Vijayashiva in BrahmagAnaSabha was accompanied by LAlgudi Vijayalakshmi - violin and J.Vaidyanathan - mridangam

1A short slokham "sada... kalyAna murthihi.." - gurjAri -??
1B gunijAnadhi nutha guruguhO - gurjAri - MD
2 ninne nEra namminAnura (N,S) - pantuvarAli -T
3. lalitE shrI pravrddhE (R,N,S) - bhairavi - T

4. E paapamu (R)- athAnA - T
5. dhanyuDevvaDO dAsharathE(N) - malayamArutham - Patnam
6. kA vA vA - varAli - pApanAsam sivan

7A rAga alApanai in madhyamAvati
7B slokham ending in the lines kanchi puri devAtham - madhyamAvati - ???
7C palinchu kAmAkshi (R,N,S,T) - madhyamAvati - Shyama Sastri

8 viruttam pullai pirandAlum mirugAdhi jananangal - neelAmbari + kApi + behAg
9 aadum chidambaramO - behAg - GKB
10 mAdhar pirai kariyAnai - senchuruTTi - thevaram

11 rAdhika krishna - rAgamaliga - Jayadeva(Ashtapati??)
12 vetta veliyil thanil ?? (folk song) - ?? - kudAmbai siddhar??
13 Seetha kalyAna vaibhOghame - shankhArabharanam - T
14 iyal isayil - husEni - thirruppugazh?
15 pavamAna - sowrAshtram - ThyagarAja
16 slokham usually sung by SSI "savasti sukhino bhavandhu"

A truly class concert from the word go till the end capturing not just my attention, but most of the rasikas. His well known diction with the right mike adjustment started with a rare gurjAri reminding me of his guru DKJ. Very nice execution of gurjAri was followed by a quick pantuvarAli with a good neraval in the line vedha shAstra purAna nAnura. I am little too demanding in pantuvarAli swarams(courtesy MMI/SSI overdose...) , I felt it was little below my expectation.

The best in the concert was his new bhairavi . A very lilting bhavAm laden alApanai of bhairavi was perfect and I heard this lalgudi pancha ratna krithi of thyagarAja for the first time . Bhairavi was sung in the rightest proportion with clear diction , with a right poignant flavour. Neraval in the lines "kanna talli shubha vadanE annadayaku pAtruDane " with the right drop of "ambA" was phenomenal . The swarams were very good bringing in the right proportion.

A detailed alApanai of atAna was very good and the krithi was just good. The popular malayamArutham was sung very well with quite good neraval in the lines "vara maddaLa tALAdi tambUra vINa vAdyamula".

Well I made up my mind it was a RTP as it was a early R,N,S in bhairavi . But vijayashiva sang somewhat not to my expectation singing a madhyamAvati main krithi . An obesiance in slOkham to kanchi goddess was perfect for a predictable master piece palinchu kamAkshi . He sang the neraval in the lines "rAjamukhi shyamakrishna nutha " which was excellent . THe swarams were very good but the finish towards the end was not that appealing.

The next tamil viruttam was outstanding in emotive experience especially the kApi for the musical contnent and the neelAmbari for lyrics (an interesting tamil line was kazhuthayAi pirandAlum kai kanda sagunam enbAr ). The viruttam in behAg had a very gripping finish in the popular krithi Adum chidambaramO of GKB.

The senchuruTTi thevaram was again a good testimony of his sequence and his elucidation perfection . The next jayadeva ashtapadi?? was outstanding . The lines were sung quite slow but the rAgas in the rAgamaliga was perfect . I heard a sure khamAs , an unsure lalitha or lalithapanchamam ??? , a sure husEni and a jOnpuri all musically perfect .

The next folksong I heard it before of kudumbai siddhar was excellent again. The Seetha kalyAna vaibhOghame krithi of ThyagarAja needs a special mention . Usually this krithi is sung somewhat in a whispering style . But what I had heard from vijayashiva was creativity at its best . Not just a whispering , but also a full open throated and another rhythmmic sita kalyAnam which you would have heard had you ever attended a nAma sankeerthanam radha kalyAnam . A Wonderful and unforgettable utsava sampradAya krithi rendition.

The lilting husEni was a thiruppuggazh ??? and it was lovely , which gave me a solace as my last 2 days of timer alarm finish from 2 other artists that I had experienced was unpleasant. Rest was customary finish to a truly excellent musician who avoids all the gimmicks .

The concert was a success because of JV's apt playing.He was excellent .His tani was just good .Also lalgudi vijayalakshmi played good ,her madhyamAvati return and alApanai was little average but the bhairavi returns were the best.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 09 Dec 2006, 17:55

I enjoyed this concert so very much!

This is only the second time I have seen Vijay Siva perform, and he has shot into my favourite's list.

His delivery, never showing any strain, and free from any kind of unnecessary embellishment just shines. I feel, with this kind of performer, that the singer is not getting in the way between me and the music.

I was also impressed with J.Vaidyanathan's mridangam: sparkling, but always modest, and always appropriate.

I was absolutely loving the violin accompaniment --- and shocked that I didn't realise until this thread, who was playing. Maybe without her brother, my brain cells just failed to connect. This often happens.

I have an amusing anecdote: I shushed one pair, older woman and young woman, who were doing a lot of loud talking, and clearly audible from several seats away (by contrast, the brief raga conversations among the women sitting just in front were quiet and never obtrusive or annoying).

My wife tells me that she had a good, loud grumble about foreigners as she passed behind us on the way out. Wasted! I was so engrossed in the music I didn't even hear this at all!

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 10 Dec 2006, 00:35

LOL, Nick!
Vijay Siva and J. Vaidyanathan have a long history: JV is none other than DKJ's youngest son, and as you know, Vijay Siva is one of DKJ's prime disciples.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 10 Dec 2006, 11:39

Nick,
We are fighting a losing battle, and you know it. Yesterday, I was at a classy vocalist's concert at a temple hall where people trickled in to hear her--it was M.S. Sheela. There were narrow benches in the perimeter of the hall and as other women came to occupy my bench, the rattle started. Any amount of my gestures of a plea to 'please shut up' was ignored. I inclined my head the other way to ignore the chatter, and within five minutes, two women came to sit by my side (the good side) and sounded like eight in volume. I had to move to another bench which was on the temple side and when M.S.Sheela was singing an elaborate and weighty sankarAbharaNam, the temple gongs and instruments started (no problem there--after all, it was a temple) and went on until she finished akshaya linga vibhO! Again, top marks for Sheela in just carrying on in her extremely professional way.
Going to be in Chennai for a week to savor the season. Another 'foreigner' who is going to put up with a lot of 'surround' sound and accompanying stares for my being so 'insensitive' to their tete-a-tete exchanges....

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 10 Dec 2006, 12:32

rshankar, thanks --- I didn't know any of that. I guess this is a family/parampara I am only just discovering!

Arasi.... let us never give up the fight

. I do believe that the majority of the audience agree with us, and (although I have had musician friends try to strike up conversation with me in mid concert) that most musicians agree with us.

But I do expect that different standards will apply to a temple concert. The whole ethos and atmosphere of the place being social (those who think that it should be religious and meditational having lost their battle long, long ago...).

anandabhairavi · Post by **anandabhairavi** » 10 Dec 2006, 22:08

Rajeshnat .Pullai pirandalum was sung by Nityashree in Jayatv marghazi mahotsavam in 2004 .There is a cassete also from Nityashree I think "Idudhano tillai stalam " (I hope I am right)where she has sung this viruttam followed by Natan sabesaa in Kanada ragam.Just check.

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 12 Dec 2006, 11:04

rshankar, you may also add that Vijay's sister Poorna is JV's wife. she is a performing Violinst, though not very popular in the sabha circuits.

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 12 Dec 2006, 11:20

rajeshnat, was the slOkam in madhyamAvati, the one which begins with 'gandarvAmara'? he has rendered it for the bEgaDa kriti, kAmAkshI in some commercial release i think.

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 12 Dec 2006, 13:57

rbharath wrote:rajeshnat, was the slOkam in madhyamAvati, the one which begins with 'gandarvAmara'? he has rendered it for the bEgaDa kriti, kAmAkshI in some commercial release i think.

The starting word i have put it gandarvA was smudged. The lines of the slokham had two parts , the first had an ending with lines on rAmA , indicating may be the madhyamavAti krithi was rAma katha sudha . But later ending up with kAnchi puri devatham indicating the popular SS krithi.Looks you and I are referring to the same.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 12 Dec 2006, 17:50

Yes, thorough Rajesh is--and intense and enthusiastic (not paiththiyam

We appreciate him, Vijay, Bharath and all others...

Jigyaasa · Post by **Jigyaasa** » 04 Jan 2007, 18:39

Till the day I attended this concert, I was always disappointed that every single rendition of Palinchu Kamakshi I'd heard lacked the composer's mudra. They just sing the neraval and swaras at Kanthamagu and wrap up the song. To hear the entire kriti this time was awesome! And the invocatory shloka was in Hamsadhwani, not Gurjari.