TM Krishna Abu Dhabi, 3rd May

[nri]

3rd May 2013 7:00 to 10:30 PM
Vocal: T M Krishna
Violin: Dr Hemalatha
Mridangam: Bangalore Arjun Kumar
Kanjira: Anirudh Athreya

1. vA murugA vA - bEgadA rUpakam Spencer Venugopal
2. padavini - salakaBhairavi - Adi T;
3. Ragamalika alapana (Bhilahari, Bhairavi, Sama, Vasanta)
4. cuttum vizhi cudartAn - Ragamalika Subramania Bharati
5. dayA dayAmadO - Kalyani capu - Purandara dasa; neraval@kariraja
6. Dhanyasi Alapana-stand alone
7. Taanam (followed by)
8. cAla kallalADu Arabhi Adi T S, Tani
9. Shree subramanya namaste Kambhoji- MD S,N@vAsavAdi
10. sAramaina mATalanda (began as cAlu cAlurA) behAg ST
11. bAro Krishnayya
12. karpUram narumO
13. mangalam

Few things to mention: (1) TMK cut short his part of the artists introduction. (2) As much as the audience were, even the accompanists sat, awed. (3) Gestured handcams to be switched off. (4) At Kambhoji, just before taking off for a neraval, made sure with the audience that no one is in a hurry to leave home. (4) Tani was after a slight prodding from Arjun Kumar; but TMK immediately agreed, even after an almost finished arabhi and allowed a good amount of time. Not many would have noticed this, as it was gone in a blink! (5) TMK asked the organizers to keep the thanking part after mangalam, to cut it short and said that he wanted to sing instead.

Almost all songs had an alapana. TMK's sincerity and concentration in every bit kept me glued. I thought that by now, TMK has fairly accomplished to instill an audience discipline. Even applauses were measured and it was like no-one wanted to miss out anything that is delivered. It was somewhat akin to attending a strict professor's valued lecture. When physically listening to him, the unconventional items like a stand-alone alapana were actually fine. It is very difficult for me to decide which one was good or the best, even after 24 hours. Everything is still ringing. Just that I could not concentrate on Karpooram narumo, (though I have always wanted to listen to it from different artists) as I knew that it was almost a melancolous au-revoir!

[Rsachi]

nri,
You've captured it all so well. I can relate to everything as I have attended and enjoyed very similar concerts in Blr recently by TMK.
Please add a photo if possible.
Generally TMK is big on the tani bit too.

[vasanthakokilam]

nri: good write up about the concert.

Since TMK is doing these unconventional musical offerings fairly regularly, this has become his brand. It is not a surprise for the audience anymore and in fact the audience would expect such things in a TMK concert even if they do not like it. Once that expectation is set, I think it is possible to enjoy items like 3 and 6 just like any other piece.

What raga was the thanam?

[rajeshnat]

8. cAla kallalADu Arabhi Adi T S, Tani

VK
I think the taanam is in Arabi as per the above post of NRI.

[sreecons]

Thanks for the review - Sounds like 3.5 hours of musical treat. Interesting to note he had taken up ragam Dhanyasi as a stand alone. Must have been very emotive.

[ganeshkant]

TMK is evolving as someone doing nAdopAsana than simply giving concerts IMHO.In his recent concert here @ ayodhya mantapam he sang beautiful tAnam in the ghana pancha rAgams.only tAnam.he sang a kriti in dhanyAsi after a sketch.I think more and more one delves deep into music one starts having the urge to sing dhanyAsi.His singing of varuhalaamo after a brief AlApanai in mAnji really would have kept many in a contemplative mood.may TMK deliver such music consistently.

[nri]

Thanks everyone for your kind remarks.
rsachi, will post few pics soon.
vasanthakokilam and rajeshnat, taanam was in Arabhi.
sreecons,'t was not a treat, but a musical feast; and not much on the emotive side.
ganeshkant, you kind'a caught me. [We listened to a varugalamO by Trichur brothers and not by TMK.] The mood was not emotive or divine and not at all religeous levitation, but meditative and musical meditation, that is. Even the sahityam part of the songs appeared to have the manodharma elements, if I think what they are! Case in point was clearly evident during the behag alapana; he appeared to have transited into a deep and determined search to produce something worthy of the efforts. At one point, he quipped, "Athu thaan" (that was it!) and returned. Looking at his concentration, it was just not possible for anyone to divert attention. Either one has to be with him or walk-out, no third choice. For example, I was not trying to identify the raagam, did not "put" taalam, did not bother to think whose version was sung; such things did not exist then. Wish to learn atleast one song that he sang with some sincerity, will like to start with the salakabhairavi-padavini!
Tidbits: TMK carried 4-5 textbooks, some of them big and old; like the ones that have a nice old paper smell. I was tempted to grab one and take a deep smell. His tampura was tiny sized in off-white color. One young girl was asked to strum and he insisted that the girl's name be announced along with performers.

[arasi]

It's fascinating to hear all the impressions (responses, speculations) about an evolving artiste we go to hear. TMK being a musician who walks his own path (not that others don't), captures our imagination, no wonder.

He has enough assets as a vocalist and has a voice to go with it--which already is a crowd puller. Add to it his dramatic presence (not physical gestures alone).

It's going to be interesting to watch him over the years. He's after all young. Of course, he may choose to be a business man or a politician at some point, keeping his music for himself by nadOpAsanA at home. How are we to know? Here is a highly individualistic vidvAn who sings vilamba kAlam to delight his fans but evolves rapidly as an artiste!

Ganeshkanth,
Your being a poet, does dhanyAsi evoke in you the meditative mood because it rhymes with sanyAsi, I wondered at first Then I went through some of the songs I know in the rAgam (and one of mine too), and realized that it does have that quality!

[thanjavooran]

nri Avl,
Excellent writeup! As VK Avl correctly puts in
"Since TMK is doing these unconventional musical offerings fairly regularly, this has become his brand. It is not a surprise for the audience anymore and in fact the audience would expect such things in a TMK concert even if they do not like it."
Yet he attracts crowd. That is it.
Thanjavooran
05 05 2013

[nri]

Thanks all for kindly taking my posts. But I'm slightly afraid that my point is being missed by few here. Based on my own observations, there is something more to TMK, other than his unconventional song lists or ordering. That is the sincerity and concentration in his presentations. We are accustomed that artists adhere to sincerity for divinity, janaranjakam, patantharam etc, which is noble by itself. But this is a sincerity of a different kind and it may not be branded as a less mortal unconventional song lists/orders. On the contrary, I shall not be surprised now, if he sings a typical ARI list in a concert; and what should be taken home is his commitment to what he himself is responsible of, ie., to sing with a musical value of mention. Shruti, laya adherence, higher/lower octave sancharams, open throated singing are already a taken in that game.