Abhishek @ Academy 26.11.2011

[naarayanan]

I am not good at reviews. So, I shall give a review of one of my acquaintance.

//
Sparkle Dazzle Electric !
by .....Sivapriya Krishnan


What is the human emotion after witnessing and being through a torrential downpour for three hours at a stretch? What is the feeling when you watch a half hour cracker bursting session? What happens when you are on a zig zag roller coaster ride?

A sense of awe and bewilderment ! One is stupefied and also maybe a trifle shaken! Sense of sparkle and dazzle! High spirited adventure trip?

These are exactly what we could describe of Abhishek Raghuram's concert last evening at the Music Academy.

Unbridled imagination translated into torrential spells of raga and swara phrases. Unstoppable brikhas catching up with one another left one stupefied! To such an extent, that even the mangalam 'pavamaana suthudu pattu ' was not spared !

Abhishek is blessed with a voice that can traverse easily and an imagination that charters unchartered territories. The Vasantabhairavi followed by Needaya Ra dhaa and the Kalyani followed by RTP - un darisanam kidaikumo nataraja dayanidhe, set in chatusra triputa, atheetha eduppu, witnessed all of that which has been said above.

Its amazing to see this young lad being gifted with so much of the musical sense that can be translated much beyond an average thought process. However as in the Kalyani raga, there were more of flashes upon flashes, with little of Kalyani to soak into.At times when he used to land on a traditional phrase format, one heaved a sigh of relief as though one has landed from a roller coaster, only to be lifted into a zig zag again !

As time goes by , without getting too lost into the mechanics of the swaras , if Abhishek lost himself in the ruchi or the flavour of music along with his sparkling imagination, one would see a stupendous artiste non-pareil, blooming prettily for posterity.

Akkarai Subbhalakshmi, is one violinist who has by now demonstrated as to how to maintain fidelity to the main artiste. Her violin transforms into that style and the effect of the concert just multiplies. Kudos to her on her ability to match Abhishek phrase after phrase.

Neyveli Narayanan, needs no introduction. A thoroughbred professional he led the show with equal gusto, ably supported by Guruprasanna on the Khanjira.//



I went hoping that there would be an LCD screening and was disappointed to know that it was not to be. All other big concerts have been arranged with the facility. Nevertheless some 20 people patiently waited till 7.15 and got the tickets. missed the first piece and entered halfway through 'guruleka etuvanti'.

then came the vasantha bhairavi alapana. it was crisp but the raga swarupa was beautifully captured despite abhishek's trademark treatment. Nee daya raadha was so serene and soothing in his dulcet voice.

next was a brief flash of kapinarayani and he started with parama sambhava which brought the audience to a straight spine.

brova vamma in neelambari was again lilting and soothing despite his brigas.

then came the RTP in kalyani with a grand exposition aptly and fantastically returned by Akkarai Subbulakshmi.

I thought the concert will go upto 10 as the tani itself went till 9.25. maybe strong reviews of last year criticising his time mismanagement, made him end the concert on dot 9.30 with a thirupugazh and mangalam right after the rtp.

on the whole a very good concert.

Forgive me for not giving it in the regular fashion and I should also admit that a detailed and analytical review is not my cup of tea.

[rajeshnat]

Tx naarayanan for your review in a seperate thread. The kalyAni RTP is a semmangudi popularized one, did he sing swara ragamaliga's there for the pallavi. I have heard in historic past his vasanthabhairavi and i liked it

[sivapriya]

The first part of the review reproduced by Naarayanan is from my website http://www.chennaidecemberseason.com

There was so much dazzle , sparkle, in this concert that my limited vision couldn't see through the beauty of the picture ! :)

[mahesh3]

Abhi created a raga spell throughout the concert - but first, my own worthy newsbits: there were so many oohs, aaahs and sabashs thru the concert - the ecstatic/thrilled/jubilant scenes of rasikas/artists/office bearers/VIPs hugging, congratulating and communicating their wondrous awe of his music after the concert made me feel as though India had just won the world cup - Again!

Nattaikurinji/GowriManohari/Vasanthabhairavi/Kapi Narayani/Neelambari - each were showcased in Abhi's signature style - complex permutations of sangathis, akaras, brighas, swaras, syllables and korvais. Neelambari and GowriManohari were so hum worthy - still in my mind. If 2010 was the year of the seminal Thodi, 2011 saw that of Kalyani. 40 wondrous minutes of refined sangathis polished with brighas, and topped up with so many varying voice internalizations - reminded me of a Bhimsen-ji concert in our local temple park in the 80s. Akkarai was superb in the swaras, and the percussion team was nothing short of brilliant. With just 14 minutes left, they created a rhythmic twirl in the auditorium.

[naarayanan]

rajesh, there was no other raga taken for swaras as there was no time. but no complaints. it was wholesome and highly satisfying.

Sivapriya, i left you a message on fb.

[tkb]

Kudos to Abhishek for a good presentation and thanks @naarayanan for the review.

[carnatricks]

i caught some of this concert. i think he has a good voice that can speak his mind. but my dislike is towards his hm/light style of rendering. it is different and maybe it is difficult. i dont know. but when i go for a carnatic concert i expect to listen to music that atleast sounds similair to it. i dont remember him singing like this 10 years ago. here is a clip online of him singing a keerthanam in devagandhari as a young boy (13 yrs. im told) and it is believable considering his voice has not broken yet. one of my friends passed this link on a few months back and i was able to find it now. it is a free track so hoping posting of this link is permitted.

http://www.raaga.com/channels/carnatic/ ... huram.html

im amazed as to how a boy singing such lovely music at the age of 13 went into a totally different line with more years. maybe sri.raghu kept a watch on his progress and guided him. considering it has been almost 3 years since the great vidhwan passed away could lack of guidance be one of the reasons for this change in stream of thought?

p.s. this young recording of ar reminds me of the 90s versions of sanjay and tmk.

[karthit]

There can no words to describe Abhishek's concert at MA! Any number of adjectives can be used but they would still fall way behind in describing the brilliance and class of his recital at the MA! The Kalyani he sang will stand etched in the portals of the TTK auditorium as one of the most extraordinary renditions of all time, let alone 2011, ofcourse apart from the Thodi of last year!! As long as Abhishek sings Carnatic music, its richness and substance will not only stay intact and not be lost in today's world where mediocrity is celebrated but will be taken to levels never seen before!! May God bless Abhishek and give him the voice, a strong head on shoulders and everything else he needs to enthrall the lovers of pure CM for the many years to come!

[sureshvv]

He sang an awesome and exhaustive kalyani at KGS on 2009 that still tingles

[isaiisai]

there is a difference in abhishek's style, but i think this change and evolution is important and the remarkable quality of such a musician. he is continually evolving. perhaps the best is yet to come. his music academy concerts both 2010 and 2011 will remain in my fond memories for a long, long, time.

[CommonMan]

was an excellent concert - on the faster tempo side, but enjoyable....pallavi was disproportionate (in time) compared to ragam and thanam, but he compensated it with his imaginative skills and executional mastery.....
@carnatricks: I completely agree with your comments......I have mentioned in another thread that his music in the last 2-3 yrs has started to enter the semi-classical/hindustani style...I ve also pointed out on the lack of guidance from his grandfather which is a concern for me.....I think this is just about time, he starts coming back to the 'carnatic" style before he drifts way too far......Since I have high hopes on Abhi, another concern for me is that, the entertainment he is providing us now a) has to susutain (which becomes a bit hard as he gets older) and b) has to keep up with the rising expectation otherwise he may stall: mainly bcos in my humble opinion, his style is capable of becoming a bit stale.....
He is a very good talent with immense musical sense - he has to revisit his 13 14 year old singing quite often to remind himself of his roots...we got to remember that all artists at any point in time in their careers require guidance and finetuning so that they doo not lose their direction....

[isaiisai]

One of my favorite items was brovamma in neelambari from abhishek's concert. This song was rendered in his older, call it slightly 'slower' style; which was very peaceful. But I think it's valuable for audiences to see and feel the energy and excitement he brings out in one concert. Most Carnatic concerts I've attended don't bring audiences to their feet, literally!

[isaiisai]

Does anyone have the link for "nava Sidhi petraalum" rendition from the jaya tv Tamil festival?

[bassethound]

Abhishek is, no doubt talented but, has a tendency to meander and not able to conclude a raga or swaram. Just goes on and on. Gives the feeling that the "landing gear" is not getting engaged!There used to be too much 'oruttal' the way he sings and has got an irritating smile at the end of something spectacular he has done. If these are controlled by him over the years he should make everyone stumped!

[tiruvarur]

I heard him twice this season. It is like he has a dual personality - extremely classical when he chooses to be and extremely light at other times! His classical shades span GNB and TNS, while his light shades span BMK and Hindustani. Perhaps it is not dual, but multiple personality! Quite disconcerting for a listener like me. Or maybe it is this surprise element that the average rasika likes!

[isaiisai]

interesting analogy. i get the feeling that he is hang gliding, bunjee jumping and taking off like a space shuttle during each raga exposition and the audience gets to go along as long as you pay attention. but, i guess his manodharma sometimes is faster than audience perception. i personally feel that his raga style is a breath of fresh air in the carnatic world. i too have noticed the smile. but, the smile, is more, "hey, this sangati worked, awesome" compared to a "look what i can do" IMO.

[Rajagopalan_V]

Well, I had quickly glanced through all postings and the majority of them uniformly complimentary. As a lay rasika, with no formal background in Carnatic Music, and one who looks for 'sowkhyam' or listening pleasure as the key ingredient in a concert and the vidwat of the performer mixed in right proportion, the below is my take on this concert.

Undoubtedly, Abhishek is the pick of the lot amongst the next generation of Carnatic singers. Simply breathtaking is the range of his voice and the consummate ease with which he could traverse from the lowest to the uppermost octaves without one bit of a shriek anywhere (not an iota of 'pisiRu' to be precise).

It was virtually 'vocal acrobatics' that he launched at MA - much to the delight of scores of Gen-Y audience (a rarity that 'charismatic' singers of his ilk are able to pull off with increasing regularity nowadays). Pyrotechnics all the way with one scud missile after another unleashed on the audience (and their 'aesthetic sensibilities') putting Dubya Sr. to shame. Possible that everyone in the audience appeared like 'Saddam Hussein' to him.

Such was the venom and vitriol with which he chose to launch the Kalyani alapana. The 'raga devata' in Kalyani whispered in my ears that she got so terrified that she was running away from the Academy and taking refuge in Bombay Jayashree's house till this evening (She would have preferred the distance of Bombay still though Jayashree happens to be a resident of Chennai nowadays).

Then it was Nilambari's turn. In her 1700+ years of existence, no vidwan before and none after (Na bhutho na bhavishyathi) would deliver such an aggressive (possibly bordering on violent) version of Hers said this Raga Devata.

However, as mentioned above, it was sheer delight for the young audience at the Academy, who responded with a close to 3-mins-long standing ovation at the end of the performance. A certain IIT Professor, scholar and expert in Carnatic Music gave 110 marks out of 100 for this concert. His take was that it was 'sheer arithmetic' all the way from the Varnam to Mangalam. Full of arithmetic progressions ('Kanakku' and its counterpart 'Vazhakku' in old timers' parlance).

The expert committee of the Academy though has learnt their lesson from last year. Or so said this Professor. When it was 09:28, the commitee members whose turn it was to honour the performers last evening, had walked on the stage with the memento and 'sanmaanam' for Abhishek and Party. Apparently in an attempt to ensure that Abhishek did not continue with his missile launches beyond 09:35 pm IST.

Bottomline : Abhishek and his Gen-Y rasikas (and the other audience who were fortunate to attend this concert) sukhino bhavanthu.

[isaiisai]

to continue with a small analogy on abhishek's music: it is as though one witnesses niagara falls in his raga exposition. torrential, awesome, and unstoppable! however, there is an incredible beauty in his intensity and continuity- the flow, the rhythm, and most of all the natural element- he just sings! you get the feeling these so called scud missiles are not planned and deployed with countdowns. rather, his creativity just shoots them up and the homing device is abhishek's incredible voice which controls the direction, the speed, and the target, which is always a high quality musical ending. yes, sometimes, the ending is an explosion from the audience in mesmerized ecstasy.
but, accusing this is like accusing niagara falls for not having the sowkhyam of a water fountain; the satisfaction one gets in being able to control the water flow by depressing the metal button is perhaps fit for those older than gen y. however, one concert of abhishek quenches my musical thirst for a lifetime, but i can't get enough.

[mahavishnu]

but, accusing this is like accusing niagara falls for not having the sowkhyam of a water fountain

Isaiisai, well said. could not have expressed it better.
I find the term sowkhyam to be misused and overrated. If one's enjoyment comes from just listening to music that relaxes or soothes, then one has a very unidimensional relationship with music. Music, to me, invigorates, stimulates and arouses the senses in addition to calming them.

[Ranganayaki]

Abhishek is the only artist whose performance evokes fantastic imagery in the minds of his audience whether they like it or not. We've seen it described variously as a roller-coaster ride, scud missiles, a crescendo of fireworks, the Niagara falls, a swara mazhai, a torrent, a thunderstorm, and more.

I've only attended one concert of his, and experienced a physical sensation of mounting tension. He was relentless in his quest for that ultimate mountain where everything is so perfectly balanced, absolutely precarious where the slightest touch could send it all crumbling down, but nothing moves and everything remains firmly and tightly in place held together by sheer magic. I have no ability to technically describe what he did but I could easily tell that not one swara, not one count was out of place. Not one element loose. Tight.. Tight Tight. I was utterly invigorated, utterly exhausted from the tension, utterly moved to tears, for the first time in my life. I am passionate about music, and I have been enthralled, soothed, stimulated before, but I am grateful for the experience of being moved to tears by his performance.

Watching him, I was equally moved also by his effort and focus, by that manic concentration. He does not hold back and for us, he visits some unknown physical and mental limit. As he builds up his momentum he gives everything he has within him to the moment and actually looks completely insane. It is a reflection of the complete focus, the herculean effort and his willingness to share with us his all. He bares his soul and looks insane doing it. I had the impression of watching a very private moment, a huge struggle, yet it was in full view of an audience. I am humbled that he shared that with me. It seems meaningless to call it the best concert I've ever attended. It was a musical experience beyond all others.

[mahavishnu]

very eloquent, Ranganayaki.
ditto that.

[Ranganayaki]

Hey, thank you, Ramesh! Nice of you to say that . A warm hello to you.

[level]

The term 'sowkhyam', is the ultimate term misused,overused and abused than anything else by paltform listeners. The terms is understood for copy book singing with melody for which our great music is not meant for. Innovation,venturing into new arena, kalaprmanam,spiralling swara singing,etc are all form of so called sowkhyam only. lack of knowledge over layam, dogma for not accepting manodharmam are conveniently are wrapped up by accusing absence/lack of sowkhyam. In earlier era, great TNS was being accused and now it is AR. Hear to his Sastri hall concert with LGJ,KRM and you ll end up in saying sans sowkhyam. But ask any artist who ll term as the magnum opus. If you ve heard last year AR's kamas in parthasarathy sabha, you ll understand what is the definition of sowkhyam. The phrases that he unmasked on that day, it was unknown where such new phrases were hiding till then. Mastery.

These sowkhyam brothers, better avoid these concerts and better confine to few ''sisters' ('transisters') concerts or so called lady folks' where their sowkhyam is guaranteed.

[dhanurasi]

Niagara! I like it.

Like Ranganayaki's post too.

[arasi]

Level,
Sowkyam is a lovely word. When we utter it, we feel it.
To me, sowkyam is not found in predictably patterned high quality concerts alone. I often find sowkyam even in musical explorations. A course charted with safety alone in the mind of the artiste, avoiding any adventure into imagination, results in boredom at times.

Ranganayaki,
You have reflected my own feelings in your post to a great extent. This youngster fascinates us with his virtuosity, floods us with his imagination but at times we feel as if we are carried by its high waves to some island unknown, and we want to return home!

When he settles down, I would like to hear him more--not stop with just one concert
Yes, he's an amazing feat!

[sridrect]

to continue with a small analogy on abhishek's music: it is as though one witnesses niagara falls in his raga exposition. torrential, awesome, and unstoppable! however, there is an incredible beauty in his intensity and continuity- the flow, the rhythm, and most of all the natural element- he just sings! you get the feeling these so called scud missiles are not planned and deployed with countdowns. rather, his creativity just shoots them up and the homing device is abhishek's incredible voice which controls the direction, the speed, and the target, which is always a high quality musical ending. yes, sometimes, the ending is an explosion from the audience in mesmerized ecstasy.
but, accusing this is like accusing niagara falls for not having the sowkhyam of a water fountain; the satisfaction one gets in being able to control the water flow by depressing the metal button is perhaps fit for those older than gen y. however, one concert of abhishek quenches my musical thirst for a lifetime, but i can't get enough.

@isaiisai ---- Wonderful words !!! The way you have expressed is just too good ... ! Kudos to you ! Hope this concert comes out as a CD by CDW.

[Kambhoji]

Beyond the virtuosity that Abhishek displays in abundance, the sheer repertoire of compositions of the Trinity, of other great composers of the bygone era, and of contemporary composers that he presents is amazing. I first heard him live in Massachusetts several years ago singing Vatapi Ganapthim and the originality in his presentation was what I admired most. I knew that he will be star. His rise has been meteoric no doubt. Wish him all the best.