R Suryaprakash - 20141012 - Indiranagar Sangeetha Sabha, Blr

[ranjanimalavi]

R Suryaprakash - Vocal
M A Sundareswaran - Violin
C Cheluvaraju - Mridangam
S Srishylan - Ghatam

1. Ramanatham Bhajeham - Panthuvarali - MD (NS)
2. Sevikka Vendumayya - Andholika - MT (RS)
3. Seetha Vara - DevaGandhari - T (R)
4. Kaa Vaa Vaa - Varali - P (S)
5. Chakkani raja - Karaharapriya - T (RNS)
6. Thani
7. Ninnavane - Saramathi - PD
8. RTP - Sumanesha Ranjani
Pallavi: Manini Ni Ga Ma Ga Ma Sancharini, Sumenasa Ranjani
Ragamalika: Janaranjani, Sivaranjani
9. Eppo varuvaro - Jonpuri - GB
10. English Note
11. Thillana - Sudha Sarang - Self
12. Srikantha Enagistu - Bageshri - PD
13. Mangalam

Excellant concert by Suryaprakash & Team.
I missed first 30 minutes or so, but it continued 3 hours after that.

Sumanesa Ranjani was excellant

Raman

[arasi]

A well-balanced concert in composers and languages.

That sumanesa ranjani sounds like a treat--the words of the pallavi line too!

A three hours and more concert...

Wonder who else attended. Look forward to hearing from them...

[Rsachi]

I walked in when the concert was in full swing. It was like walking to a warm and inviting camp fire when the flames are glowing splendidly.

His Kharaharapriya was loud and clear, melodious, imaginative and satisfying.
With Suryaprakash there are no half measures. He is a confident musician. He also took care to show a lot of respect for his accompanists and smiled often.

I didn't like that Purandaradasa krithi. It was a kind of Jugaad in CM. Neither were words lofty nor tune original. Surely Suryaprakash knows many better Kannada compositions. I am sorry I couldn't stay for the Bageshri one.

The Sumanesharanjani RTP was done with aplomb. His style of singing suits the raga very much. I wasn't there for the Varali, a quintessential Carnatic raga (and what a song!) but if he was equally at ease there, he is a musician to watch (for me).

The long raga name doesn't reveal the nature of this raga Sumanesharanjani. It can be likened to a famous character in a Shakespearean play with a high impact albeit a brief stage presence. Suryaprakash showed a number of talents in the RTP. He was able to paint the raga with much colour, his tana was very good (mridangam joined in ) and the pallavi was very competent. The raga changes were effective.

MAS received much respect from the fellow musicians as well as the audience. His opening phrase in Shivaranjani was the old, haunting AIR signature composed by Zubin Mehta's father (or was it Omkar Nath Thakur?). That invited a knowing appreciation-

from a sparse audience whose number didn't do justice to the quality of the hall or the excellence of the concert.

(However the bathrooms were fully utilised, given a senior citizen median age. Somehow Indiranagar Sangeetha Sabha itself has a geriatric personality, you feel indulgent towards its many administrative incompetencies.)

[arasi]

Weekend concerts have advantages and disadvantages. Bengaluru has many going on these days. Yes, working people can make it to a weekend concert, but which one? Ra and gA sang at the Gayana Samaja at the same time. Then, the ever-present traffic problems and distances are daunting for many.

[kvchellappa]

The first song was something like Srimatray amhaganapatim (nattai, I think).

[Rsachi]

AIR signature, played by Mehli Mehta, 1936
https://m.soundcloud.com/vjdilip/air

[braindrain]

The first song was something like Srimatray amhaganapatim (nattai, I think).

It was 'shivatraya mahAgaNapatim in nAta of SvarNa Venkatesha Dikshitar with some good rounds swaras.

[munirao2001]

arasi
I attended the concert from 5.30p.m. to 6.30p.m. only, due to other engagement, I could not miss on SUN12-OCT-14. When I made late entry, Sri RS was singing 'Shivatraya Mahaganapathim'. I made my exit at the end of 'Kaa Vaa Vaa'. I had heard Sri RS radio concerts broadcasts and TV concerts telecasts and this is the first live concert I have listened. Thanks to the braindrain report and others reports, I have clear idea of what I have missed out. It was a well thought out and planned concert and executed with confidence. Andolika raga delineation brought out the raaga svaroopa beautifully, covering the entire spectrum it offers. Devagandhari raga was developed based both on the moorchana and short, all unique phrases(pidis). Kaamavardhini, a brief and apt raaga handling giving the idea of the composition to follow was also good. Sri RS did strive to keep the paatanthara sudhatvam and also sense of proportion and balance in svarakalpana and laya vyavahaaram. Sri RS only needs pay attention to the kaalapramana of 'Raamanatham Bhajeham', a vilambakalam sung with tilt to madhyamakaalam, to some extent affecting the majesty in the construct of the composition. Sri RS paying attention to the tonal quality and visradhi better, will achieve the status he has set to and the higher state which RS fully deserves, very soon.
He was very ably supported by the entire team of accompaniments-Sri Sundareshwaran, Sri Cheluva Raju and Sri Srisailan. When did these very good accompanists failed? No, never.
Sri RS is also one of the maestro who deserves better support from the Sabhas, media and the rasikas in Bengaluru. With 'yogam', RS will achieve this, soon.

munirao2001

[arasi]

Thank you Muni Rao for being there to hear Suryaprakash, though you had another engagement to go to, later on.

Bengaluru invites so many Chennai artistes, young and old from Chennai. Somehow, in all the time that I have stayed for a spell in the city every year, I have only heard him once in concert there.

As for Sundaresan, I do not hear him as much these days. It's possible that he is accompanying vocalists whose concerts I have missed--during the season too. He is such an accomplished violinist of the Parur school...

Cheluvaraju is a bright presence on stage and he ably plays both for veterans and juniors alike.

[kssr]

We have discussed Sumanesa Ranjani in the past in these columns. Also, Suryaprakash in separate strings. Came to know of the concert only after seeing rasikas and braindrain's review. What a pity. A great miss. Indiranagar is nearly my backyard. Poor attendence may also be due to inadequate dissemination of the information. Really eager to listen to the SR RTP. I think Suryaprakash is one of Sri. TVS's very few disciples.

[arasi]

kssr,
A pity you missed the concert

Since there was no mention of Suryaprakash's concert except in Jayan's blog (which many follow), the newspaper announcements of concerts not being an ideal source, I posted about this concert in the Events section. This section was started a while ago to take the overload off General Discussions. Some are not used to it, it seems. It takes just a quick look to make sure what concerts are in the offing in cities all over the world.

You now have a place to announce the Nada Surabhi concerts too. I do hope it becomes a ready reckoner for many rasikAs:)

[Rsachi]

KSSR
Unlike in your sabha, I find a callous indifference to giving enough notice of their concerts and events in ISS. Once I told them they should put it in newspapers and they said they don't have the time to do it. They also said they send out a printed newsletter to their large membership base and that should have been enough.
Also, there was considerable confusion about Prince Rama's workshop enrollment etc.

You can now see what I mean by geriatric.