Kiranavali Vidyashankar Concerts in Hamburg, Germany

[hennigsj]

By chance I just came across your forum on south Indian classical music. Here are some impressions on two concerts which Kiranavali Vidyashankar, an excellent vocalist in Carnatic music, gave in Hamburg last month.
The first was more of a chamber concert and lecture demonstration for about 40 people from different backrounds.
Some of them, like me, are pupils of Smt. Pia Srinivasan, an Italian born and Hamburg based musicologist who teaches Carnatic music herself. Others belonging to the circle of Kenneth Speyer, the therapist who, as a lover of classical Indian music, gladly offered his premises for the occassion.
The others knew about the concert by word of mouth: German Yoga teachers, Bharatanatyam dancers and others without any connection to India and Indian arts, eager to experience music of a different kind.
The main concert took place at the Völkerkundemuseum, Hamburg's museum of ethnology. An audience of about 200 included the Consul General of India and other dignitaries of the city.
In both the concerts we all witnessed highly inspiring and sophisticated music from Southern India. Kiranavali has a talent for making her listeners familiar with the ways of how Carnatic music and the compositions of Tyagaraja, Dikshitar and others are traditionally performed. It starts from “experience and just listen” to what is being delivered as the wonderful classical music of South India.
For example she always gave us the name of raga and tala of each piece, translated the lyrics, told us of what belongs to the “fixed composition” and what’s her “creative freedom” in it, like Kalpanasvaras, Sangatis, Niraval etc. Further on she gave us the skeleton of the raga first, for example the pure svaras of Shanmukhapriya, and then the same raga with “blood and flesh”, i.e. all the embellishment which makes carnatic music so special and extraodinary (one could hear some people gasp in appreciation, as they had never heard this kind of “flow” in music before). This was followed by the main piece of the evening in Shanmukhapriya. It transported us to India, not only in memory and remembrance of the Chennai music sabhas but straight up to the Muruga Devasthana on top of Palani hill.
Both concerts had the right amount of emotive, intellectual, spiritual and ecstatical "vibration" to leave us not only satisfied but enriched by the beauty and brilliance of this music. One can’t recall all the pieces Kiranavali sung but the main piece of the museum concert in Raga Todi was another highlight – superb and truly deserving of the standing applause extended for both the concerts.
Kiranavali's skillful accompanists were Christian Schmidhofer on the Mridangam (Germany based Austrian Talavadya Senior), and on the Tambura, Susanne Herzog (chamber concert) and Elisabeth Grosse-Schmidt (museum).
As Carnatic live performance are all too rare in Hamburg, we took advantage of the two excellent CDs by Kiranavali, getting into the “Carnatic mood” at any time. One is an extraordinary double CD of a live concert where Kiranavali amazes by delivering 108 Ragas in one Ragam Tanam Pallavi. The other CD is a very well done studio recording.
Listening to her I ve been not only amazed about my own absorption but wonder ever since: how is it possible to memorize and render it all with such elegance and perfection?

[rshankar]

A very elegant review - thank you!
Artists of today including Smt. Kiranavali and her illustrious siblings are not only amazing performers, but also superb communicators. Gone are the days when the artists just let their music speak. Nowaday, they speak, and their music does too!

[rajeshnat]

Kiranavali's skillful accompanists were Christian Schmidhofer on the Mridangam (Germany based Austrian Talavadya Senior), and on the Tambura, Susanne Herzog (chamber concert) and Elisabeth Grosse-Schmidt (museum).

Hennigsj
Nice to see a review from Deutscheland , keep them coming.
Was there no violin accompaniment or is it that you forgot to mention?

[arasi]

Today is Bharathi Day, and women's pride day! It is good to hear about Kiranavali's concerts. She is not only good with her music, but is able to speak about it to a gathering of educated (in music too) western men and women who are eager to know more about CM. Kiranavali after all is the sister of the two Kirans, daughter of Sri. Narasimhan and grand daughter of the GoTTu vAdyam giant! Think about the funds of knowledge which is at her disposal!

We also have Gayatri Girish, Vijayalakshmi Subramaniam and other vidushis who are extremely good at research and educational presentations.

[mahavishnu]

Congratulations to Smt Kiranavali on the successful concerts in Germany.
Hennigsj: thanks for the review and welcome to the forum!

[hennigsj]

[quote="rajeshnat)
Hennigsj
Nice to see a review from Deutscheland , keep them coming.
Was there no violin accompaniment or is it that you forgot to mention?[/quote]

rajeshnat
No, sorry, there was no violin accomaniment for both concerts.
And I ll keep posting reviews in case we are lucky to witness further CM performances of this calibre!