Palghat Ramprasad@Sastri hall on Nov 12th,2013

[rajeshnat]

Palghat Ramprasad@Sastri hall on Nov 12th,2013
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Vocal : Palghat Ramprasad
Violin : V V ravi
Mrudangam : Trichur Narendran
KanjirA : KV Gopalakrishnan
Occassion : Poongulam Sabesa iyer commemorative homage .Late poongulam sabesa iyer is a mrudangam vidwan who has trained many disciples inclusive of his son Poongulam subramanian(?m).

Concert type : Nirvana (no concert to follow)
Day/Duration : Tuesday / 1 hr and 50 mins concert with an additional speech of 20 mins

1. varnam - sarasooda - saaveri - kottavasal venkatrAma Iyer
2. rAmA nannu brOvarA (N S)- harikAmbOdhi - T
9 mins neraval in meppulakai kannatAvu
6 mins swaras

3. Azhimazhai kannA(R) - varAli -AndAl thirrupavai
5 mins alapana and 4 mins violin return

4. kaDaikkaN vaittennai ALammA(R N S)- bEgaDa - ramaswamy sivan
9 mins alapana and 5 mins violin return
neraval in "santatam pugazhndu guhadAsan manattanbu" for 9 mins
7 mins swaras

5. Speech break by vidwan TNS on

I have had an experience of hearing palghat ramprasad about 7 or 8 years back , i think that review is under water sangeetham.com website. This is my second experience of hearing ramprasad.Ramprasad has a very masculine voice , sangathis are well polished and there is always a touch of intense karnatakam (with sampradaya touch) in his presentation.

The concert was advertised in paper as a tribute to poongulam sabesa iyer and also shri TNS was invited as a chief guest and the start was indicated to be 06:30 pm. I was not sure when there would be a speech break - but certainly went late to the concert and reached the venue around 07:10 PM. I was early despite being late as the concert just did not start when i entered sastri hall. With a brief alapana ramprasad started sarasooda in saveri . His voice did have the right azhuttam and the emote of saveri was very much there, the second speed of saveri was not that great .

The next rAmA nannu brovurA start was quite good - this particular T krithi is just a masterpiece. Having heard so many variations with vidwans in the pallavi line rAmA nannu brovarA- I just felt he could have dwelled bit more to give few more goose-bump sangathis . He slowly cruised to neraval and his presentation in neraval reminded a bit of KVN where he sang sangathis with a touch of leisureliness and I enjoyed it . HIs sangathis in general are not so expressive in assertion but nevertheless there is aesthetics which have some kind of undercurrent feeling.I found those undercurrent sangathis - that are still powerful sangathis in the second half of neraval . The undercurrent continued in the next two alapanas of bEgada and varAli.The swaras of harikAmbOdhi was not that tightly leashed with rhythmn but with higher dose of ragabhavam -rhythm can at times take a backseat.

Two heavy ragas unfolded varali and bEgaDa.varAli alApana was nice and the andal thirruppavai was sung well- with he ending just with a short krithi wihout neraval and swaras was not to my liking.The bEgaDa was wonderful, his alapana with well rounded gamakas was sung beautifully. The krithi that followed was very nice .bEgaDa krithi kadaikann vaitennnai is bit tricky- the musician has to do a bit of quick rhythmmic sommersault here and there for few line lines like gowri shankari rajarajeshwari in pallavi line .I found ramprasad was doing a bit more justice at ragabhavam and not doing that much justice with laya vinyasam in bEgaDa krithi. But certainly it was well sung

Shri TNS who came during bEgaDa talked for about 20 mins . I am certainly not complaining as the occassion was advertised that way.He gave a historic account of how pockets of musicians were having their home bases in different towns and cities and referred kumbakonam town having many musicians inclusive of sabesha iyer. The speech was contextual and he did a great job

[rajeshnat]

6A. shree krishnam bhaja mAnasa (R N S T) - tOdi - MD
Brief raga sketch and violin return all within 3 mins
neraval for 4 mins in shanguchakra gatha
swaras for 7 mins
6B. tani for 13 mins

7. vimala kamala dala - neelAmbari - ST
8. viruththam - NAdiya poruL kai koodum - hamsAnandi
+ neediya arakEsAnai - shuruTTi
+ rAman thOl vali - dESh
8B. rAMA nAma mEthudhi - dEsh - Tjr sankara iyer
9. pavamAna

After a very delayed start and a speech break, it was evident that concert will be a curtailed one . ramprasad jumped to the oceanic todi with a touch and go raga alapana in tOdi .He could have gone significantly more. The neraval was just ordinary and the swaras had few good manodharmic piDis.

tukkadas were well done . I am not sure if i have ever heard this swati gem vimala kamala in neelAmbari. This neelambari was bit fast but he sang well. The viruththam in all three ragas came out well , the take off of hamsanandi , a bit of cruise in shuruTTi and while I was thinking he will end with a shurutti , the surprise short detour to desh and landing in rama nama was lovely.

Vv Ravi played well in his alapana returns, his turns in few sangathis were bit rough. Trichur narendran mrudangam was a bit slow for many songs and I missed a shade of aggression which could have gone well in the concert . His nAdham especially in his second round of tani was really good . KVG gave able support and he played the best in tani - his role was limited.

Few areas I think ramprasad can work on :
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1. His raga bhavam and his approach is intensely typecasted in sampradaya . That is very commendable. If he takes a little more challenge in layam and interacts more with the percussionist in presenting a lot of rhythmmic cascades especially in swaras will make the concert more exciting . Changing the tempo with atleast one fast song is atleast to me a neccessity for me to sustain my concentration.

2. Mel kala neraval and swaras were hardly touched , his forte is his madhymakAla rendering and also few mandara sthayi touches in early part was nice .

There were 2 vocalist who sat for the whole concert sriram gangadharan and vijay siva(and a lot of percussion artists) . Ramprasad looks like a musician who has modelled his concerts with Dkj (in proportion) and also a touch of KVN (kind of near masculine tone) . HIs strength is his masculine voice that produces a well rounded gamakam. For me - the two occassions that I have heard him in the last 7 years has always some function preceding it - i wish to hear him in a longer concert . He certainly has the carnatic- sathiyam in his approach.

Overall a very good concert for 1 hour and 50 minutes.

[mahavishnu]

Nice review, Rajesh. Balanced and constructive.
I look forward to hearing Palghat Ramprasad this season. I am very curious to see how his music has progressed; I have only heard positive things.

[CommonMan]

Thanks for the review, Rajeshnat! I could not attend the concert bcos of illness, and my brother-in-law did. He said that PRP announced at the beginning of the concert that because of traffic he was delayed by an hour. About the rythmic part, what I have always noticed in the last several concerts that I've attended is that he always does smaller scale kanakkus - nothing elaborate - about 5 or 6 volleys, which is very subtle - I've seen him do that in all songs in which he sings swarams. I usually kind of follow what he does - but never get it. Not sure if he did not even do that.
I also have a complaint that he does not sing mains elaborately - and in the last 4 or 5 times Thathwamasi has clarified (after talking to him) that it was because he was asked to wind up the concert sooner or whatever.
You are correct - I've also felt that undercurrent in his singing - and in my several decades of concert listening, I feel it comes from the "classissism" or as you pointed out the "sathiyam" and no-anavasiyams.

[pperumal]

It was a nice concert and I wish PRP the best in future.
My only wish is that he take more risks and sings with gay abandon - something that I would like personally

- PP

[KV.Gopalakrishnan]

The concert was advertised in paper as a tribute to poongulam sabesa iyer and also shri TNS was invited as a chief guest and the start was indicated to be 06:30 pm. I was not sure when there would be a speech break.

The Concert started late because the traffic chaos happened that evening due to the visit of Honorable Vice President of India to the city. Sri TNS was supposed to speak in the beginning only. But he too got delayed and hence the speech happened in the middle of the concert.

[rohithc911]

Is a recording of this concert available? Would be very useful as I am learning from Ramprasad sir. Would greatly appreciate it!

[kssr]

Thanks,Sir, for the review. Quite excited as a concert of Ramprasad is scheduled in Nadasurabhi tomorrow. I too have heard him around a decade ago. Very young at that time. Was planning to make music his profession. Then I think he took off in the direction of academics with PhD and more. He was quite impressive even at that time.

Recently I was searching for Muruga Muruga ena nee sol- a Madurai somu hamsanandi composition and Ramprasad's excellent concert rendition popped up on youtube. I hope he sings it tomorrow.