Savita Narasimhan @ MA 28-12-2011

[hema]

This is the end of the season kutcheris for me. What a way to end it.
This is the BEST vocal concert I have heard so far in the season -- I hope the MA judges are listening.
The concert started off GRANDLY with "mApAla" in asaveri.
She then sang a brief "khamAs" and sang a "seeta pati." She sang swarams for this.
The next was pantuvaraali -- "ninne nera nammi." -- raagam and swaras at "vedashastra"
Her swarams seem to just flow effortlessly.
Sree Venkata Girisha -- suruti
Then followed a beautiful alaap in "yadukulakamboji" -- she sang "kaalai thUkki" -- no swaras.
For Margazhi sake -- kizhvaanam -- dhanyasi
Then it became grander:
Simhendramadhyamam -- Needhu charanamu lE. We saw the whole works here -- a Hindu reviewer
would have said "steeped in classicism and about her mellifluous voice." To my engineering mind, the anuswarams
were completely ANALOG -- they just flowed in a continuum. There was no struggle anywhere -- although
we did not hear much of mandara stayi. An occasional brikha to merge
with a heavy gamakam seamlessly in the alaap and her gamakaa laden swarams were a highlight.
No, gimmicks to show off her voice -- it was PURELY music.
This was followed by an RTP in Vasantha -- kanta jaati triputa -- no weird nadaiis.

santhatham chintayE udha murthim mithuna ....

The raaga maalika swarams had abhogi and ranjani and any other(?)
The swarams in each raaga were sung so that we could absorb the essence of her description of
the raaga -- and not a test on our competence at identifying raagas instantaneously
She then sang "praana sakii" --- I have heard this before -- somebody said this is chensuruti -- not sure.
Finally the beautiful "Yaar pOi solluvAr in todi"
She closed the concert with a "behag" -- Adaaramillai.

The BEST EVER story that an artist has said this season.

This concert was indeed worthwhile for me to stand in the queue at 5am on 2nd Dec to get the season ticket.

The sad part -- not too many people in the auditorium.

For the earlier concert I got only a plastic chair -- I could barely stand the sAveri. I quickly retreated to the
canteen.

Savita sang very well last year too (afternoon slot) -- I think I heard a "sahana" from her. Chittam irangaadada.

She had planned the concert very well. The concept of "measure" or "alavu" was just perfect -- no
"thegattara brikhas", no "gimmicks on voice properties", no sudden "prose", no "konnakol (spelling)", just
wonderful. It was a concert in the usual concert format.

[hema]

Sorry the date is messed up 28-12-2011. Got the year wrong.
I am rather tired but cannot get to sleep after this concert!

[Thalaivarda]

Nice to hear..

[tiruvarur]

This is the end of the season kutcheris for me. What a way to end it.
This is the BEST vocal concert I have heard so far in the season -- I hope the MA judges are listening.

Hema, I wonder who your giddy review is directed at! The MA judges?

[Sivaramakrishnan]

I could not attend the concert and that's areal miss!

I have been following up Savita's music for quite some time now (ever since she started taking lessons from N Ravikiran) Her rendition is perfect and the kriti-s get chiseled in her elite voice. And she has a 'really enviable' repertoire!

Music for the sake of music!

[MV]

I heard her Shankarabaranam @ MMU 2010. Was hoping to catch a full kutcheri this year. But I don't think she sang very many.

[hema]

Hema, I wonder who your giddy review is directed at! The MA judges?

At the MA Judges. At the Sadas (?) various prizes are given. I feel she should get the prize for
the best senior vocal concert (normally reserved for Sanjay!)

[hema]

I heard her Shankarabaranam @ MMU 2010. Was hoping to catch a full kutcheri this year. But I don't think she sang very many.

No, this is the only concert this season (ref: kutcheris.com)

[grsastrigal]

As per MA brochure, she was supposed to sing SoundararAjam in BrindAvana sAranga. I think she must have taken surutti because ArunA sairam rendered this in the 4.15 slot concert. i think Aruna's concert must have been "stampede" concert

I wanted to attend this concert but missed it. She has a great voice, good pAdandhiram.

About the crowd- Crowds do not determine the credentials of the Artist. For ex: Yesterday, for Bombay Jaishree, (4.15) there was a huge crowd, some of them were given plastic chairs after half an hour of the concert. I heard BJ concert was excellant. After this, Hyderabad Brother(s) rendered a beautiful Kambodhi main and Ranjani RTP (which I attended). At 9.18 PM, he finished mangalam, there was only 10 people. Though, rAghavachari's contribution is not upto the mark, it is insulting for an artist to have 10 people to clap at the end of the concert.

[bharathi]

Hema, thanks for the beautiful review. ..
It was really a wonderful concert...
Intricate sancharas in every Raaga, were shown without aplomb..
A kutcheri which displayed the true melody of CM, in the most serene manner.
It is a pity that she has been invited in only one sabha for the season..
I truly wish that this fine artist wins accolades, and is not lost to the concert circuit.
The padam rendition was simply divine..

[ganeshkant]

It was an awesome concert and I fully endorse the views of hema and bharathi.Due to traffic jam created by the exodus after AS's concert I could come only mid way through the pantuvarAli song.Undoubtedly this is the best of my season concerts.How beautifully she sang the YK,SM and Vasantha in her nectar'(amrutham)soaked voice!

I am really proud to be a fan of SN.

It is not that easy to sing AbhOgi and ranjani back to back.Once she sang kanakAngi and rasikapriya back to back in a Sim.Madh.RTP a couple of years back.

It is a pity that she has been invited in only one sabha for the season..

That speaks about the nasty politics in this field.Probably she or her friend should float a sabha where she can give chance to all known people irrespective of their merit and in turn earn chances to sing in he sabhas run by them.This type of 'barter' is quite rampant now.Or may be her PR needs to be looked into.She seems to be a bit introvert.

The virutham in behAg was followed by a thiruppuhazh (?) - thuppArappa (?)

[hema]

Don't know.

Forgot to add: Charulatha was excellent on the violin -- understanding her (SN's) perspective and supporting her at every step. Sivaraman and Sourirajan were soft and added lot of value to the concert.

[mahavishnu]

Hema, thanks for your lovely review. I heard SN last year at the academy too and found her presentation on ragas like Sahana to be just wonderful.

Hope we don't lose you till the next music season Please keep your reviews coming...

[mohan]

It is not that easy to sing AbhOgi and ranjani back to back.Once she sang kanakAngi and rasikapriya back to back in a Sim.Madh.RTP a couple of years back.
(?)

Singing similar ragas adjacent to each other may be difficult for the singer but is usually avoided. This is to give the listener some variety and to make the second raga stand out better.

[vasanthakokilam]

It is indeed surprising to hear that her only concert of the season is this one. I was at the concert that Hema and Mahavishnu refer to and I loved her Sahana as well and the viruttham she sang later.
http://soundcloud.com/carnatic-music-up ... -chiththam
http://soundcloud.com/carnatic-music-up ... 10-3-37-pm

I just checked her web site for concert schedule but that has not been updated for this year: http://www.savitanarasimhan.com/concert_schedule.htm

BTW, why are Abhogi and Ranjani related ragas? ( or why they are difficult to sing back to back? )

[mahavishnu]

excellent recording, VK. thanks for sharing.
The ambient acoustics at MMA make it a handheld recorder's dream.

[bilahari]

VK, they are both SRGMDS ragas (though N features in ranjani's descent, which offers variety itself, aside from the difference in madhyamam). Actually, I guess they aren't THAT similar at all.

[mahavishnu]

Hema, your wish did indeed come true

I heard from people that attended the sadas that Savita won the best senior lady vocalist award. This is especially unique since she was just promoted into that slot that season.

[vasanthakokilam]

Ah.. very glad to hear the news. Thanks Mahavishnu. We have a little fan club forming here for the best senior MA lady vocalist of the year!!

[PUNARVASU]

+1.

[ganeshkant]

+ 2

[bilahari]

VK, thanks for the clips. I liked the sahAna a lot! There is such beautiful clarity in her singing - both gamaka and sAhitya wise.

[hema]

Hema, your wish did indeed come true

I heard from people that attended the sadas that Savita won the best senior lady vocalist award. This is especially unique since she was just promoted into that slot that season.

Got very busy and did not get time to look at this. This is indeed fantastic. I hope she sings in
more places next year.

[kssr]

To my engineering mind, the anuswarams
were completely ANALOG -- they just flowed in a continuum.

Thanks for the review with so many superlatives and so many joining in in appreciation of SN. My engg mind wonders how music can be digital - just zeros and ones or just zeros - My idea was that it was always analog which can of course be digitised

I have never come across a concert of SN in Bangalore. It is a pity. By the way can some one fill in some details about the artist- guru- age group, etc.,