Abhishek/B.U. Ganeshprasad/Neyveli Narayanan, Austin 10/5/13

[Enna_Solven]

1. Ninnu kori - mOhanam
2. nada tanum anisham- chittaranjani-T
3. sama gana lole- hindolam-GNB (S) @ kOmaLAnga kAmEshvara
4. gnAnamosagarAdA-purvikalyAni-T R NS @ paramAtmuDu jIvAtmuDu
followed by tani
5. kamAkshi ambA swarajati-SS R N @ bhaktajana kalpalatika
6. Ananda sAgara-garuDadhvani-T (bullet train)
7. RTP brindAvana sArangA + sArangA & brindavani(?) tAnam by B.U.G.
8. dasaratha nandana - asAvEri-T (started at cAlunu mAyA)
9. gOvardhana giridhara - darbAri kAnadA-NT (started at shrI vatsAnkita)
10. mangalam-pavamana - saurAshtram-T

:ymapplause:

Abhishek is a roller coaster, one that takes you around at dizzying speeds through fantastic twists and turns and leaves you speechless, not nauseated. He will mellow down and I pray that his voice remains in good shape at that time. Right now his imagination is boundless and his vocal cords are able to keep pace with it.

An excellent concert. I will remember the purvikalyani alApana for a long time. It was very satisfying. Rest were good too, none less than the other.

Neyveli Narayanan and Abhishek came well together but B. U. Ganeshprasad did not return many of Abhishek's volleys fully. There seemed to be a disconnect between their styles. Do not know if they came together for the first time. His violin solo's were excellent, including his tAnam in brindAvana sArangA.

[rajeshnat]

7. RTP brindAvana sArangA + sArangA & brindavani(?) tAnam by B.U.G.

ES
I was expecting a review of yours as you made a prompt before that you are attending . THis saranga - brindavana saranga combination was attempted 5 or 6 years back by suryaprakash as a pallavi . Did Abhishek sing three ragas or just two ragas and was the TAnam only by violinist. Also was there a swara ragamAliga in all 2/3 ragas and can you squeeze your memory for RTP pallavi lines. I long to hear any musician singing brindavana saranga - the raga that is very dear

[Enna_Solven]

Abhishek asked for a choice for RTP rAgam and someone asked for brindAvana sArangA. He did alApana in that elaborately followed by sArangA and then the other rAgam which sounded like a combination of amrutavarshini/brindAvana sArangA. It was brief. B.U.G followed with the tAnam. The pallavi line was "sArangeswara pAhi mAm bri...ndA...va...na (sArangeswara). The middle stop seemed to be between mAm and brindAvana.

The alapana of brindavana sAranga was extensive and had him reaching the highs quite nicely but the lower octave flourishes were very pleasing. There were several places that he used plain notes.

[mahesh3]

BUG was among the first violinist to perform with Abhishek on his stage concerts in very early 90s. In this concert - am sure they must have tried something on stage which did not come off as planned - not sure who was there for their padmanabhaswamy koil concert last December. The same trio - spectacular concert and BUG's performance in the Keeravani swarams and hamsanandi was stellar.

[Sreeni Rajarao]

I thought Abhishek is still in his 20s. He could not have been performing in early 90s? Perhaps you meant, early 2000s?

[mahavishnu]

Abhishek is a roller coaster, one that takes you around at dizzying speeds through fantastic twists and turns and leaves you speechless, not nauseated. He will mellow down and I pray that his voice remains in good shape at that time. Right now his imagination is boundless and his vocal cords are able to keep pace with it.

Amen.

[arasi]

Enna_ solven,
How well said!

[kanchi perivaa]

BUG was among the first violinist to perform with Abhishek on his stage concerts in very early 90s. In this concert - am sure they must have tried something on stage which did not come off as planned - not sure who was there for their padmanabhaswamy koil concert last December. The same trio - spectacular concert and BUG's performance in the Keeravani swarams and hamsanandi was stellar.

I was present at the padmanabhaswamy koil concert you mention, and I vividly remember the violinist to not have been the best match for the vocalist, with all due credit. I've also seen a live jalsa(?) program on web-stream (abhishek sang a brilliant vasanta bhairavi) and if I am right, BUG was on violin. He didn't seem very impressive. All said and done, each day is different for each artist.

Any chance of recordings/clips from Abhishek's ongoing tour? Thanks!

[mahesh3]

Sreeni - Abhishek (many with Anantha) has several audio recordings of live concerts in the 90s. The concert I reference - a Kalyani main - of which I have seen a video - someone in the know told me he was 9 or 10 years old - which would make it 94 or 95. For sure, he does not look 10 in that, but OK. BUG was the violinist in that. What a super korvai Abhishek has done in that - and spontaneously - because Lalgudi mama, Raghu mama and TNK mama all perk up when he does it.

[Sreeni Rajarao]

Mahesh,
Thanks for the clarification. I did not know that Abhishek has been performing for such a long time.
I have now looked up on Wikipedia that he was born in 1986. He is so young and already such a seasoned performer! Wow!

[rajeshnat]

The pallavi line was "sArangeswara pAhi mAm bri...ndA...va...na (sArangeswara).

ES,
On a side note I dont know if you felt that way as you were in person listening to the concert , the pallavi line sArangeshwara pahimAm brindAvana appeared bit strange . We usually associate brindavana with Lord Vishnu but we have sArangEshwara which i am assuming in only Lord Shiva. Of course musically how the pallavi was only counts. abhishek may bit watch out on this too or I think it is just artistic liberty as there are constraints .(If I am wrong in my interpretation I would like to be pointed out for my mistake). Incidentally for this combo of saranga and brindavana saranga the pallavi line that was sung by suryaprakash was "sAranganai ranganai ninai maname diname brindavana"


http://www.palghatraghu.org/abhishek-ra ... huram.html lists out the performances of his us tour . We need more reviews of abhishek then just Austin. VK - did you go to chicago. I am sure we will have a review from sanjose from a brindavana id , but that is Nov 03 .

[PUNARVASU]

sArangapANi is an epithet of Lord VishNu. So, like,venkaTEshwara, sArangEshwara can denote Lord VishNu.

[Rsachi]

The Sanskrit root is zArnga, the name of Vishnu's bow.
sAranga can refer to a deer, an elephant etc. And is also a name of Shiva.
BrindAvanasArangEzvara can be interpreted also as the Lord who is presiding over the raga BrindAvana sAranga!

[PUNARVASU]

V.S.Apte's dictionary gives the meaning of 'sAranga' as a bow. I suppose 'shArnga or zArnga' and sAranga all refer to the bow that Lord vishNu has in his hand and the deity in KumbakONam is referred to as sArnga (sAranga)pANi.

[rshankar]

I think sArangapAni is a corruption of the SArngapANi as RSachi and Punarvasu mention - AFAIK, sAranga(m) is a deer, and sArangapANi is Siva (atyadbhuta kara dhRta sArangam - from aruNAcalanAtham of Sri MD's), so I understand Rajesh's confusion

[PUNARVASU]

Rshankar, I remember we had a discussion earlier on this (the word shRnga or zArnga and sAranga). I was not able to locate the thread.

[Rsachi]

brindavanasarangeshwara does not refer to Shiva, but to Ishwara=lord or God, the original meaning in Sanskrit.
In Rangapuravihara, MD says brindavanasarangendra varada....
Therefore the Pallavi line is technically correct.


Monier-Williams: