TM KrishnA@SKGS on Aug 07th,2011

[rajeshnat]

TM KrishnA@SKGS on Aug 07th,2011
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Vocal : TM Krishna
Violin : RK ShrirAm kumar
Mrudangam : newest sangeetha choodAmani Srimushnam Raja rao
KanjirA : B Sree Sundarkumar

Concert duration/Day : 2 hours and 30 minutes / Sunday
Occassion : GokulAkshtami Series

1. tatva jeevAtvam (S) - keeravAni - Sadasiva Brahmendra
swaras for 12 mins
2. EmAnaticcEdivO (R N) - sahAnA - T
6 mins alapana and 4 mins violin return
neraval in "su sharIra mosangEDu bhAsura tyAgarAja vinuta" for 6 mins

3. nijamArmulanu - umabharanam - T
4A. sari evarammA (R,T) - bhairavi - SS
9 mins alapana and 8 mins violin return
4B.tani for 20 mins

It is been quite some time since I heard this vidwan,i did not hear him even during the last concert season . The start was advertised as 06:15 pm with a 10 min function to bring about lakshmi devnath's GNB pictorial biographical series . Last time when I attended GV's concert at that time she released MS amma's pictorial biography, this time TMK is releasing GNB's series. With about 4 dignataries speaking (lakshmi, GNB's younger brother, Prabhu and TMK),it took a bit of time , but certainly they were short in speech. Best wishes to Lakshmi's biography series .The concert started at 06:40 PM

When concert starts bit late All musicians have a tendency to go with a submain like song , and TMK started with a semmangudi popularized sadashiva brahmendra's composition in a rAga that brings instant ecstasy for any rasika. Keeravani start was showcasing in general TMK's voice , atleast he sang more in mid to lower octaves to start with , the best of best came when he sang swarakalpana the last pattern was swaras was really superb and it was very long and I enjoyed the violin return. For this number the percussion did not gel that well , but still this song was pick of the day.

TMK's sahana alapana was good,nothing very exceptional and the krithi that followed did not bring that emotinal stir of a usual sahana , I thoght he would bring that in neraval , but nevertheless it did not come as neraval too was just good. Sahana's slow tempo was contrasted with umabharanam faster tempo , I felt there was not much cohesiveness , to an extent it was the low point of the concert

Bhairavi alapana opened out well and he presented very well with a near proportion return by violinist. SarievarammA was built quite well it fizzled bit towards the secondhalf ,with no neraval and swaras , the tani was a better showcase than the main krithi.

[rajeshnat]

5. RTP - pantuvarAli
Pallavi line "pArthatum manam mayaNginEN pAvaiyiN pArvayai"
7 mins alapana and 3 mins violin return
7 mins tAnam
pallavi was for 6 mins
swararAgamAliga for 14 mins
pAntuvarAli + mmgowlai
+ mmgowali + sarasangi (violin)
+ sarasangi + behAg (vocal)
+ behAg + desh (violin)
+ desh + sindubhairavi (vocal)
+ sindhubhairavi + pantuvarAli (violin)


6. mAlai pozhudiniLE - rAgamAliga - kalki
7. rAma jaNardhana (nottuswaras)- shankarAbharanam - MD
8. nee nAma rupamulaku - sowrAshtram - T


It was expected that too when he cut short the main , a pallavi would come that too being a big sabha. The pantuvarali alapana was quite measured but still well done , tAnam was bit excessively loud and that too with mrudangam his aesthetics was bit drowned in vocal power, but certainly it was an engaging and very fulfilling one to me .

The pallavi lines are generally dedicated to rama or murugan or devi. This was a contemporary cassanova theme "what I see is what you get" type . Certainly the pallavi lines did not raise any eyebrows in me , but perhaps that was the case for the others. I am a rasika of type who thinks "what I hear is what I get" , as I believe there is nothing to see in a carnatic musician .I heard the pallavi line being dwelled very well.

The swararAgamAliga for 14 mins was quite different .Krishna did not sing any detailed electric downpour of swaras like Mmi or ssi, but he sang few avarthanas of pantuvarAli and then moved to MayamAlavagowlai.RKSK moved from mmgowlai to sarasangi (hopefully not charukesi), krishna sang few swara pattterns of sarasangi and then went to behag . Behag in particular was a hindustani ustad type and he sang very well and I liked it a lot. RKSK took hues of behag and moved to a splendid and wonderful desh. Krishna went from desh to the ubiquitous pallavi ragamAliga fullstop of sindubhairavi and i liked it . Finally from sindhubhairavi to pantuvarAli RKSk wrappped up. Overall the RTP presentation was well done

The tukkada of kalki was excellent and the last nottuswaras was just good . The crowd for TMK was not that high , the hall was just 60 to 65 % full, in the past there has been more crowd to him. I expected a bit more.

Accompanist:
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Barring bit high volume that too with TMK also at times having high decibel , the concert was a showcase of intelligent percussion. In particular SUndarkumar kanjira returns during tani was a "harishankar in the making" type and I loved it and he gave a real good response for the newest sangeetha choodAmani rajarao sir.RKSK had class in swara ragamAliga , his bhairavi was bit longist , overall he was excellent.


Few critical Observations :
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One is minor and the other major

1. The pallavi swararAgamAliga of exchanging swaras with the sequence of violin leading with the raga and then vocalist following may be a good one time experience. Will that have an aesthetics like a typical vocal leading violin swara ragamAliga type. Perhaps these are bit (un?)wanted innovation. This is just a minor crib.

2. THe major crib is in general with TMK's presentation. TMK does not truly bring sowkhyam when he changes from a softer malleable krithi to a more high power fast sangathi krithi. At times I longed to hear more (a case of sahAnA) and m a n y a t i m e s I long to shut my ears (umabharanam, tAnam of pantuvarAli and the last pavamana was truly puncturing ears). In short the elusive sowkhyam is bit absent , there is kind of billow effect. Is the billow effect becoming his permanent style ( the present realist in me tells that) or is it some thing that he can correct it for sure (the future optimist in me tells that)

Overall a very good to excellent concert for 2 and 1/2 hours.

[mahavishnu]

Rajesh, Thanks for your review. Pardon my ignorance, but what is the "billow" effect?


The choice of Umabharanam, Keeravani, Sahana, Bhairavi and Pantuvarali makes for a nice rotation of moods and compositions.

The pallavi lines are generally dedicated to rama or murugan or devi. This was a contemporary cassanova theme "what I see is what you get" type . Certainly the pallavi lines did not raise any eyebrows in me , but perhaps that was the case for the others. I am a rasika of type who thinks "what I hear is what I get" , as I believe there is nothing to see in a carnatic musician .I heard the pallavi line being dwelled very well.

The pallavi line sounds very secular and neutral to me, but somehow the WYSIWYG theme is not my thing. While a pallavi line can be about anything, I was never fond of lines like : Sankarabharananai azhathodi vadi kalyani, darbarukku. This one seems marginally worse. Even other neutral lines like "unnaiya rathi endru ninaikkindren adi" seem like a a bad way to treat a delicate sentiment with much sringaram (or whatever else) with so many algebraic manipulations and trikalam.

And yes, SreeSundar Kumar is an excellent khanjira vidwan. On that note, I must say that this must be another golden period for this instrument, monitor extinction notwithstanding. Harishankar seems to have inspired an entire movement in modern CM.

Some of today's khanjira artistes, the post Harishankar/V Nagarajan/Ramachar generation, are extraordinary. Sundarkumar, Guruprasanna, BSPurushothaman, and the younger ones including Anirudh Athreya, KVG, Nerkunam Sankar have all given amazing performances in recent memory. Not to forget the talented Abhishek Raghuram and Neyveli Venkatesh who rarely play the instrument these days. Sri TK Murthy (among others) deserves special credit for training many of these youngsters.

I really like Sri Raja Rao's accompaniment for TMK. He provides a gait/cadence to the concert that some of TMK's stock accompanists do not.

[rshankar]

The pallavi line sounds very secular and neutral to me, but somehow the WYSIWYG theme is not my thing.

Ramesh, what is WYSIWYG?

While a pallavi line can be about anything, I was never fond of lines like : Sankarabharananai azhathodi vadi kalyani, darbarukku. This one seems marginally worse. Even other neutral lines like "unnaiya rathi endru ninaikkindren adi" seem like a a bad way to treat a delicate sentiment with much sringaram (or whatever else) with so many algebraic manipulations and trikalam.

I for one like the pallavi - after all isn't love a many splendored thing? I am sure it is all of those things you get in a pallavi and so much more!

[rajeshnat]

Rajesh, Thanks for your review. Pardon my ignorance, but what is the "billow" effect?

By billow I meant --> as a sudden surge of wave or sound

YOu said it well about kanjira vidwans . Add also alAthur rAjaganesh who is excellent , he plays only during season and I think he is based out of trichy.

I generally love srimushnam , very intelligent and always plays with a lot of contrasting patterns. If he gets going and if his sound is not that high ,kutcheri will reach himalayan north

[rajeshnat]

Ravi
WYSIWYG is an abbreviation for "what you see is what you get". This term is prevalent in computer user interface

[mahavishnu]

Ravi, I am not against themes of love/sringAram... but doing trikAlam on those said lines robs them of their true import, especially when you place kArvais to have the arudhi end in the right place etc. This is, of course, just my opinion not fact

RE: the SankarAbharaNanai 4 raga pallavi.... I just do not those lines poetically appealing. Especially the "vAdi kalyAni" part.

I have also never been a fan of the usage of "Di" or "aDi" as a term of either endearment or subordination. Few poets use it well; bhArathi's nalladOr veenai, where he says sollaDi sivasakti is a rare exception (although I am sure there are other examples).

[sureshvv]

I have also never been a fan of the usage of "Di" or "aDi" as a term of either endearment or subordination.

Awwww... Guess you have never been called that

[sureshvv]

but doing trikAlam on those said lines robs them of their true import, especially when you place kArvais to have the arudhi end in the right place etc. This is, of course, just my opinion not fact

Au contraire, my friend! It is essential practice to bestow them with their true import!

[ganeshkant]

Did the mridhangam accompany for tanam ? Normally TMK - Rajarao combo try that.

[rajeshnat]

Did the mridhangam accompany for tanam ? Normally TMK - Rajarao combo try that.

Oops sorry,forgot to mention that . Mrudangam accompaniment was there for tAnam after the first minute of tAnam rendition.

[khanjirachavana]

In response to Mahavishnu's comment about khanjira artists,

Its nice to see that somebody is really taking interest in naming a khanjira artist while writing a review about such a big concert. Its high time that the khanjira artists are given due and high recognition and the artists that have been mentioned here are truly deserving and efficient in bringing the instrument into a bigger limelight.

But there is a point that I would really like to include in the review. The names of two of the most premier and senior disciples of Vid. G. Harishankar have been omitted.
1. Vid. C.P. Vyasa Vittala and
2. Vid. Bangalore Amrit

I strongly believe these senior khanjira artists (from Bangalore) are right after the "post Harishankar/V Nagarajan/Ramachar generation" and before the "Sundarkumar, Guruprasanna, B S Purushothaman" era. Many young students, both here and abroad, have taken up khanjira as a serious instrument for learning just by hearing them play. They have done tremendous sadhana and have supreme confidence and control over their playing. They have been in the field for more than 25+ years as professionals. It is a matter of upset to people like us being a huge fan & follower of these two "biggies".

I am not stressing that these names were deliberately omitted while writing the review but it would be definitely nice to see these names on the top when a list of GOOD khanjira artists is being prepared anytime.

[mahavishnu]

Khanjirachavana: Thanks for your post. Yes, both the names you mentioned are excellent vidwans.
The list posted was by no means exhaustive, so any further additions are most certainly welcome.

Given your expertise and considerable interest in the topic, it would be nice if you could start a thread on khanjira vidwans - past and present in the vidwans/vidushis section. I know of Scott Robinson's website, but there are few resources that chronicle the contemporary history of this wonderful instrument.

[khanjirachavana]

Mahavishnu: Yes, I do agree that this is certainly not an exhaustive list and with all due respects to this blog, it is not in the right order. The very intention of writing a comment in this particular topic was to make sure there is a correct chronology of Vidwans in the Khanjira era and to make it clear as to where they stand in the line.

As far as starting a new thread about the past and present khanjira artists, there is a small question. Is it really possible and worth our time? The reason behind asking this question is simple. There is a new boy / girl who are opting to play this challenging instrument day in and day out. As said by you, it will never be exhaustive!!!! The Scott Robinson website has both wonderful and never heard vidwans in the list. I feel it has so happened that he has captured anybody and everybody holding a khanjira. (Not trying to insult any vidwans here. It means to say that there are both regular - trained - experienced and irregular artists in that list).