Smt. Neela Ramgopal @IHA, Koramangala, B'lore, on 17/04/2011

[squims]

Vocal: Smt. Neela Ramgopal
Violin: Sri. Vittal Rangan
Mridangam: Sri. V Krishna
Ghatam: Smt. Sukanya Ramgopal

1. Saami dayachooda (Varnam) - Kedaragowla - Adi - Tiruvotriyur Tyagayyar
2. Kari Kalabha mukham [R S] - Saveri - Rupakam (2 kalai) - Muthuswamy Dikshitar
3. Manasunilpa shakti [S] - Abhogi - Adi - Tyagaraja
4. Korina varamu [R N S] - Ramapriya - Rupakam - Patnam Subramanya Iyer
Neraval and swarams @sarivArilalona
5. Vararaagalaya - Chenchu Kamboji - Adi - Tyagaraja
6. Neeve raa kuladhanamu [R S T] - Begada - Mishra Chapu - Tyagaraja
7. Mamava Pattabhirama - Manirangu - Mishra Chapu - Muthuswamy Dikshitar
8. Tiruppugazh verse - Hamsaanandi - Adi (tisram)
9. Mangalam - Sourashtram - Adi - Tyagaraja

Another brilliant concert from maami. The concert started over an hour late due to the previous performance not getting over on time. Although it was a short concert, Neela maami managed to pack a punch! There's something about her performances that is so endearing that just elevates us to another plane.
The Saaveri raagam was a sketch. Swarams were sung in classy maami style! There was a single RMD, but I don't think Srikant minded very much ( ), because it definitely felt appropriate and used at the right juncture. (I personally don't have an issue with the RMD phrase in Saaveri though.)
Ramapriya was soulful. There were many moments were the audience as a whole could just not help but go 'ah ha' etc. Loved it.
The main piece turned out be quite short actually. But still, it left me very satisfied. (Just one tiny little gripe that there could have been a nice long kuraippu and korvai at the end of the swarams.)
Tukkudas and mangalam.

On the accompanists:
The real surprise package of today was Vittal Rangan. I have seen him play earlier, but this was an eye-opener. Such sensitivity at such a young age! He seemed to effortlessly match the calibre of music that came from maami. Crystal clear sangathis. Some lovely brighas in the aalaapanais. Very impressed.
Sri. V Krishna and Smt. Sukanya Ramgopal gave very apt support. A robust and entertaining thani from both of them.

Overall, had an excellent evening. Looking forward to maami's next performance. Hoping it will be a looooong one and will have a super RTP!


P.S.: Managed to catch the latter half of Amrutha Shankaranarayanan's concert at the same venue. She performed a bhakti filled Hamsanandi RTP.
Had the chance to sit right with TVS sir in the audience...he was right behind me! Also got to speak to him.
Got to speak to maami after the concert as well. Was thrilled to realise that she's a member here and actually recognises me! Hehe.
In short, the evening couldn't have been better!

[ranjanimalavi]

It was an excellent concert. Even with the time constraints it looked as if it was full fledged concert.

The rama seva mandali organizers could have had some agreement with nadasurabhi organizers to at-least share the mike,
it could have given another extra half an hour. There were lot of people came, but most of them left very early.
Instead of starting at 6.30pm the concert started almost around 8.00pm.

Raman

[rbharath]

well, Neela mami does follow rasikas very much. she knows many members by face and name and shocks quoting them in person

[srikant1987]

Squims, it was 17th yesterday!

Indeed, it would have been good if Indian Heritage Academy'd kept Naadasurabhi and Rama Seva Mandali informed of each other's plans.

However, Smt Neela Ramgopal (N) gave a thoroughly enjoyable concert. I was asking for an n'kurinji, but no complaints after a bEgaDa main and a sAvEri submain!

rAmapriya offered a good change from pantuvarALi and pUrvikalyANi while simultaneously covering M2 (and R1). Of course, rbharath also says there's a "non Trinity quota", which, too, kOrina varamu fulfils. We do need some scalar ragams once in a while too.

Vittal Rangan's playing was extremely impressive, and his swaram replies, in particular, were goosebump-givingly awe-inspiring. His rAmapriya AlApanai was also very good -- so good, in fact, that N sang many similar phrases in her swarams. There was scope for bhAvam and leisurely playing in the bEgaDa AlApane though -- but then, N had done her bEgaDa thoroughly, it could be debated whether a leisurely exploration was needed after that. =)

Pushing to the limits, maybe the neravals could have been a little sAhityam indicative.

It was a very fulfilling concert, and is absolutely unbelievable that this was her third concert in the week and second concert in two days -- the other one being in Madras!).

That said, I found nIvE nA kula dhanamu to be such a bhAvam-filled song that it could have been rendered with a little more bhAvam (and I would have been moved to tears!).

Unlike Squims, I totally relished N's bEgaDa swarams. It was lovely to have the rAgam flow like that, especially all those Ga, MGGR Ri -- that region. Also, there was ENOUGH laya viShayam in sAvEri and rAmapriya swarams. A kuRaippu for main is normally a justified demand, but then that might have robbed us of the mAmava paTTAbhi rAma!

I must again say how totally inspiring N's bEgaDa AlApanai was! A dhanyAsi main and a bEgaDa main. Now that was good weekend! And both concerts had wonderful accompanists too.

I found out after the concert that Vittal's a disciple of Kum A Kanyakumari. He accompanies her in her concert in Seshadripuram coming Friday.

[pattamaa]

Another nice concert, though it was short one. I enjoyed every moment of the concert. Abhogi was fast paced and provided good warm up for vidushi, generally i haven't heard her singing in that kind of kalapramanam. I expected kari kalabha as soon as initial phrases of saveri was sung. Varnam and saveri kirthana - could have been better, vocal support was of more prominence - i do believe that vidushi doesn't need any vocal support, she can perform on her own without any difficulties. Ramapriya and begada alapana's were good lessons for me, mami is known to be an exponent of begada, i haven't got an opportunity to hear her begada live. What else i can ask! Adding to that keerthana, it was in back of mind that one day i should request her to sing this gem - not often heard these days in concert circuit. A neraval would have been icing on the cake, but blame it on late start.

I was asking for an n'kurinji,

Didn't know that you were there Srikanth. Hope your wish for Nattakurinji and sowrastram will be fulfilled in near future.

Vittal Rangan's playing was extremely impressive, and his swaram replies, in particular, were goosebump-givingly awe-inspiring.

i agree 100%. I heard this teenager first time, have heard very highly about him before. Really impressive. I liked his swara passages and begada alapana, more than ramapriya alapana; i found that very predictable compared to vidushi's version, don't know why.

[pattamaa]

The rama seva mandali organizers could have had some agreement with nadasurabhi organizers to at-least share the mike,

Raman

True. It could have been better planned. There was another hall in same complex, they could have arranged it there. Or, atleast, could have communicated to artists that it will be 7.30pm start, it was sad to see that all artists started arriving as early as 6.15pm and waiting for close to 1-1/2 hours to perform. Hope, it will be better next time.

Looking forward to maami's next performance. Hoping it will be a looooong one and will have a super RTP!

I think, next concert of mami is on saturday, 23rd April in Sanjay Nagar, Bengaluru. Stay tuned to update from sappri.

[srikant1987]

pattamaa and other Bengaluru rasikas,

This 23rd concert must be the one the organizer of this concert:
http://rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=15988

Mr Keshava Murthy announced after it. It's in the Ganapati temple opposite one of the entrances of the Ramana Maharshi Kendra in Sanjay Nagar. Sappri please confirm!

[gardabha_gana]

I was asking for an n'kurinji,

Looks like srikanths like natakuranji

[sappri]

Srikant1987 - absolutely right - that's the venue!

Nattakurinji is one of the ragas oft sung in Kerala and loved by the music-loving jantha of that state!!!

[braindrain]

The rama seva mandali organizers could have had some agreement with nadasurabhi organizers to at-least share the mike,

Raman

True. It could have been better planned. There was another hall in same complex, they could have arranged it there. Or, atleast, could have communicated to artists that it will be 7.30pm start, it was sad to see that all artists started arriving as early as 6.15pm and waiting for close to 1-1/2 hours to perform. Hope, it will be better next time.

Nadasurabhi is a very professional organisation and have their regular concerts at this venue.

Rama Seva Mandali, if i remember correctly, started 5 years back and the initial couple of years used to conduct a week long 'Rama Navami' series, which featured artists like TNS among other stalwarts. Last 3 years, this had been reduced to a 3 day affair. Their so called 'monthly concert' had also been irregular. May be they do not have enough volunteers among organising committee, causing these operational bottleneck. However, the concerts ( rama navami) had always been in this small hall, and not at the hall where Nadasurabhi conducts their monthly concert.

[srikant1987]

Actually I (mis)understood that only a tukkaDa section was left when the Naadasurabhi member spoke after the tani played for the kIravANi piece (kaligiyuNTE I think), and that the hall would be handed over for Neela mami's concert soon -- in fact, I thought Neela mami's concert was also organised by Naadasurabhi, initially.

Personally, I feel no need to blame anyone as Neela mami's concert was thoroughly satisfying. But like squims said, many people couldn't wait for it to finish as it was getting late. If the same concert was held at Sanjay Nagar (for instance) I might've had to leave before the main (if not before the concert itself) to reach home before ghosts began prowling about. :$

[kssr]

From what I understand the two organisations had been allotted separate halls by Heritage Academy. Both had independent music systems. But only Nadasurabhi had a stage (meaning a set of benches asembled to form an elevated platform for the artists to sit). Ram Seva Mandali had to therefore wait for the other concert to conclude, to get hold of the stage. As the overlap was known right from the beginning an easy solution for them would have been to arrange for a set of benches from one of the tent wallahs for the day. (On the other days of the RSM series, they were using the stage /benches of Nadasurabhi as they had no programme of their own.)

See how a trivial oversight on the part of organisers, can create great hardship to a senior vidushi like Neela mami and all the rasikas.