TVS - MA - 29 Dec 2011

[bilahari]

T.V. Sankaranarayanan - Vocal
(accompanied by both son and daughter)
Nagai Muralidharan - Violin
B. Harikumar - Mrudangam
S.V. Ramani - Ghatam

Approximate Songlist:

01. vallabha nAyakasya (sketch, S @ pallavi) - bEgaDa - rUpakam - MD
02. O jagadamba - Ananda bhairavi - Adi - SS
03. jAlandara (R, S @ pallavi) - valaji - rUpakam - HMB
04. sarasa sAmadAna (N @ hiTavu mATalenDo, S) - kApi nArAyaNi - Adi - T
05. kA vA vA - varALi - Adi - PS
06. srI mATrubUtam (R, S @ pallavi) - kannaDa - miSra cApu - MD
07. cakkani rAja (R, N @ kanTiki sundara, S, T) - kharaharapriya - Adi - T

08. rAgam tAnam pallavi - kAmbOji - tiSra tripuTa (sama eDuppu)
"tillai Isanai kANa enna puNNiyam seidEnO"
swaras in hamsAnandi and brindAvana sAranga
09. vaNamAl varai tuNaiyAka (vruttam?) - bEhAg and sindhu bhairavi
10. eppO varuvArO - jOnpuri - Adi - GKB
11. English Note - SankarAbharaNam - Adi (tiSra) - HMB
12. suruTTi sketch

It was a great concert by TVS, which he dedicated wholly to MMI. It was also my first live concert of this vidwan.

As a true disciple of MMI, TVS presented beautiful kalpanaswara patterns throughout the concert. Simultaneously, I was pleased that he is no mere clone of his guru but has evolved a style of his own that extends to the way he sings compositions and his manOdharma as well. Yet he has absorbed some of MMI's attributes like the importance given to moments of silence in a concert.

I am hearing O jagadamba for the second time this season and can never have enough of this kriti. TVS's neraval and swaras in sarasa sAmadAna were original and I enjoyed the entire presentation. His kannaDa alapanai was succinct but melodious, though much of the glory for the latter belongs to the rAgam itself! His kharaharapriya ragam, however, did not have enough punch to keep me engaged and seemed slightly incoherent to me. His rendition of cakkani rAja, though, was emotive and beautiful.

TVS only had time to present a short sketch of kAmbOji, which is not really a "short sketch" kinda raga if you ask me. His tAnam in a faster clip was very satisfying though. I liked the pallavi a lot, and TVS really did a good job with the neraval, covering the octaves efficiently.

While TVS had minor shruti problems, it was evident that he was in total command throughout the concert, which called into question the necessity for two vocal accompanists.

Nagai Muralidharan played beautifully throughout the concert. His bowing and fingering were spot on for the most part and his responses were extraordinarily crisp. I particularly liked his kApi nArAyaNi and kannaDa replies, and his kharaharapriya ragam definitely brought out the rAga bhAvam effectively.

B. Harikumar accompanied pretty understandingly throughout the concert although he was given to a moment or two of unnecessary loudness. S.V. Ramani played with a lot of azhuttam and the tani was an energetic affair.

[srutibedam]

This concert was announced at the beginning to include Mani Iyer favourites because of Mani Iyer's birth centenary. So the song list was hardly surprising. While some of the more well known and often sung songs, sung even in other years, such as Eppo Varuvaro and English Note attracted much bigger applause, my favourite in today's concert was Hamsanandi swaram. If he sets his mind upon it, TVS could take it to a wholly different level...like last year's Academy concert which is still ringing in my ears. The Hamsanandi swaram today was like that. Of course, the other ones were good but heard many times. Kharaharapriya and Chakkani raja were well done as usual. The swaram in Sri mathrubutham was also very good. Hithavu in Sarasasamadana must have taken Mani Iyer's fans in a nostalgic trip. Hey, one more thing, how many times should a singer ask the sound guy to increase the Monitor sound? TVS expressly asked thrice and the fourth time he signalled for it. By the fourth time he seemed to have lost hope that he looked rather disappointed and resigned to accept that the sound would not be increased nevertheless. Music Academy should be ashamed of not providing even such a basic facility after repeated requests from the singer.

Harikumar fortunately played in a very subdued way during the singing. Only during his thani was there the loud banging. If he had banged so hard during the entire concert, today would have been all bombardment and explosions. Ghatam was a standard performance. Violin played concisely and well in kannada. He was generally good throughout. See how TVS forgot himself at one point and repeated after the violin when the violin had just begun the raga after TVS. That was pure dedication to music.

On the whole, a very entertaining and fulfilling concert. Despite the bad weather in the morning, the hall was nearly full.

[squims]

Thanks for the reviews! The first one of TVS sir's concerts I'm reading about this season!