T. M. Krishna at Sruti, Philadelphia, Pa - May 28, 2011

[musicapriya]

TMKrishna - Vocal
RK Shriram Kumar - Violin
K. Arun Prakash - Mridangam
held at Great Valley High School, Malvern, Pa

1. sri nathaadi guruguhO - mAyamALavagowLai - Adi - MD
2. O JagadambA - AnandabhairavI - Adi - SS
3. shrI vishvanAtham - caturdasa rAgamAlikA - Adi - MD
4. amba paradevathE - rudrapriyA - Krishnaswamy Iyer
5. sankarI nIvE - bEgadA - Roopakam - Subbaraya Sastri
6. RTP - kharaharapriyA - tisra triputa - 2 kalai - rAmA nee samAnamevvaru, nee samAnamevvaru, samAnamevvaru - start on samam.
7. AduvOmE paLLu pAduvOmE - mAnd - Subramania BhAratI
8. jagaddOdAraNa - kApi - PurandaradAsA
9. sakhiprAna - cenjuruttI - Dharmapuri Subbarayar
10. thillAna - kAnadA - Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar

TMK, RSK and AP provided a brilliant concert yesterday. The mAyamaLavagowla piece was sung a tad slowly (compared to a DKJ rendering) was just mesmerizing. TMK did neraval for mAyAshabaLita in the caraNam and finished with a jumbo kalpanaswaram that took form right from madya sthayi Ga and got built up to the tara sthayi Pa. What capped the enjoyment was TMK's explanation of the intricate pattern of this song where he demonstrated the swara structure for the AP and the palindromic structure in the Charanam. Beautiful.

The Anandabhairavi piece was peaceful and Arun Prakash enhanced the beauty of this piece.

In an unusual twist, RKS then started playing Shri ragam and just when you were thinking of what possible songs there could be, he started ArabhI. That started people thinking. When TMK then took over with another ragam and explained to puzzled faces that he was singing Gauri, people realized it was Shri Visvanathanam on the horizon. RKS and TMK alternated with AlapanA in the different ragams of MD masterpiece and delivered the caturdasa rAgamaLika wonderfully.

After an hour and 10 mins into the concert, we were done with 3 songs. After a quick amba paradevathE in rudrapriyA, TMK started a beautiful bEgadA and sang sankarI nIvE. The kalpanaswaram exchange between RKS and TMK was a treat to watch and the mandra sthayI exchanges were pure class. After this TMK asked Arun Prakash to play tani in any tALam that he chose. Arun got the audience to suggest and ended playing a masterful tani in misra cApu. The takeaway from the bEgadA piece was the thought that all 3 of these great musicians are so much in tune with each other that they could very well switch their roles in an instant and the show would continue without any difference. Truly amazing rapport.

The RTP in kharaharapriya was again exquisite with the pallavi starting on the samam (I think). The rAgamAlikA swarams were led by RKS and consisted of khamAs, kuntalavarALi, pAdi, kalgadA, yadukula kambOjI and suruttI.

The vigorous mAnd and the deliberate kApI piece and jAvaLi led to the thillAnA and thus concluded a memorable concert. The more I relived many of the pieces, the more I realize that the oneness with with these three perform is actually a blessing for all of us who listen to them.

DS

[bilahari]

Musicapriya, thank you for the lovely review.

I don't quite understand a thani played in any random tala. The tanis that I love the most are the ones that develop the line chosen for neraval or swaras or the pallavi - in a sense continuing and completing the piece. Wasn't it jarring to hear a miSra cApu tani after sankari nIvE?

Or maybe the rationale was to sell the thani as a piece on its own, and not merely an addendum to the main item (as it sometimes is).

[musicapriya]

TMK said that in general, most of the pieces are planned by the vocalist and he wanted to make this a little different by asking Arun to have his own piece like you mention above. TMK actually made RKS play the ragamalika ragams in the RTP first and then he would sing what RKS played.

[rajeshnat]

The rAgamAlikA swarams were led by RKS and consisted of khamAs, kuntalavarALi, pAdi, kalgadA, yadukula kambOjI and suruttI.

musicapriya
You meant pahadi between kuntalavarAli and KalgadA right

[srikant1987]

musicapriya,

I see the rationale, but TMK could have before hand asked KAP to tell a talam and chosen a krti of that choice to give the tani to -- it's not necessary that be the "main" piece or come at the fag end of the concert, etc.

(In fact, tanis earlier on might avoid the during-tani exodus -- though I see it's reducing these days without any such thing -- though that could mean people are waiting with bated breath for the tukkadas.)3

I see TMK is also singing pallavis composed by KAP, so I don't see why he could not choose KAP's favourite tALam-for-tani through a krti or pallavi.

[musicapriya]

rajeshnat,

no, not the hindustani pahAdI, it was pAdI - the janyam of mAyAmALavagowlA.