k gAyatri@Ayodhya mantapam on Mar 31st, 2015
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Vocal : K gayatri
Violin : Usha Rajagopalan
Mrudangam : B Sivaraman
Kanjira : Anirudh Athreya
Concert duration/Day : 2 hrs 05 minutes/Tuesday
Concert Type : Nirvana (prime evening concert , no concert to follow)
Sabha/Hall : Ayodhya mantapam , west mambalam
Crowd : ~300 (peak)
Ticket : Free
Occassion : Rama navami celebrations
1. vanjakshirO??? - hamsadhwani??? - ???
2. Dhanyu devudO(RS,N,S) -malayamArutham - patnam
6 mins neraval in 5 mins swaras
3. amma ravammA (R,N,S) - kalyani - T
5 mins neraval in tulasammA nannu pAlimpa amma rAvamma
4 mins swaras
4. nAmOralakimpavE - devagandhari - T
5. needayarAdhA - vasanthabhairavi - T
6A. rAma bAna (R N S T) - saveri - T
8 mins alapana and 5 mins violin return
8 mins neraval in
6 mins swaras
6B. tani for 16 mins
7A. slokham shree ramana dasharAthmajam aprameyam - poorvikalyani +
Ajanu bhAga - sahana +
aravinda dhala - kapi
7B. janaki ramana - kapi - vanamALi jeeyar
8. kurai onrum illai - shivaranjani + sindhubhairavi - rajaji
9. rAmA bhaktha hanumAn - jOnpuri (notmAnd) - her guru Vidushi suguna purushottaman
k gAyatri@Ayodhya mantapam on Mar 31st, 2015
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rajeshnat
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k gAyatri@Ayodhya mantapam on Mar 31st, 2015
Last edited by rajeshnat on 04 Apr 2015, 13:48, edited 2 times in total.
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rajeshnat
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Re: k gAyatri@Ayodhya mantapam on Mar 31st, 2015
vidushi K gayatri performed in ayodhya mantapam rama navami series. I have been observing and hearing her for the last 7 years or so, there is a certain maturity that is centered on paddhati and sampradayam (Thanks to her illustrious guru and teacher suguna Purushottaman). Like the previous TNS concert that i attended with the series being rama navami , the concert had numbers mostly of sadguru Thyagaraja whose ishta devata was rAmA
I went bit late the first varnam was on , i think i heard vanajakshi/jalajakshi or vanajakshirO or some variant , it is quite a challenge to disambiguate the different varnams which began with vanajakshi?? . This is as tough to disambiguate who is the one of the 7+ gayathreee's who is singing in today's concert stage. I think she sang hamsadhwani as the varnam - I have to be excused if i am wrong. THe first impression was the vocal volume of the artist was adjusted right unlike TNS where the vocal volume was bit down.
With the next raga alapana sketch my head was spinning and did not settle to disambiguate valaci or malayamarutham , as it was a brief raga sketch. I wish she sang a bit more alapana , the krithi that followed was patnam number dhanyu devudo - lovely enunciation and in particular the neraval had her paramaguru musiri oomph effect. Swaras were done well but she could have dwelled more .
Kalyani is a dear raga that is undergoing viral mutations , it is going very very away from a south indian base to a north indian, fusion typecast . But i liked immensely the way K gayatri sang the alapana of kalyani, it surely did not cross godavari. The krithi amma ravamma with neraval was well done but i did notice a little too much of all round rigidity , she could have cut loose in swaras but just chugged along the earlier momentum.
The next choice was a rare devagandhari,liked the way she sang focussing on diction- i could take a pen and write those telugu words. But i felt the tempo bit sagged from kalyani to devagandhari which was understable . THe next in vasanthabhairavi she appeared to start with a focus on slightly more aggression and the tempo change was only noticable at the first half. I felt she could have given a round of swaras in faster pace or a little more alankarams in vasanta bhairavi. The vasanta bhairavi could have been better .
THe next choice of main was saveri , the sag in saveri was bit more pronounced(considering preceding kalyani submain, devagandhari and a no fast filler) ,there were few brigas that came sparkling but did not give me the attention to hear with more focus. THe krithi rama bana is a lovely krithi -the janaranjakam mamas and mamis may have expected some thing better for their comfort . But i immensely liked it . The neraval was again done well in first half , but she had difficulty in generally going towards 2nd speed ,an attempt is partially made but not that aurally convincing . Her swaras in saveri were measured and I wish she went with more and more swara kalpana there.
The best of her concert was the first tukkada . It was a slokham in three ragas and all were well done especially the delicious kapi, the vanamali jeeyar krithi in kapi was a kumbakonam kapi brew and i liked it - no froth there. Most of the female musicians have an eye to showcase their inspiration moments of the legend ms subhalakshmi . kurai onrum illai came there and i registered it more as a bit over rated dilute number. I was expecting a ragamaliga of suguna purush but out popped up a nama sankeerthanam rama bhakthi hanuman bhajan. I have and will continue to have extraordinary respect for the late vaggeyakkara - suguna purushottaman mami-but in that process I am finding it difficult to accept this rama bhakthi hanuman that too in the second half when the mrudangam artist plays dholak strokes of mrudangam .
Usha rajagopal during songs played well but in alapana return i was not that impressed . Her returns are not having well rounded raga gamakam . I felt there is a bit of vottam or race in her alapana return that does not give more well rounded gamakams.B Sivaraman was a bit of revelation today. I have noticed him playing in the last few years where the hit is not that strong HIT . I immensely liked his aggression in the concert,but there were few occasions during songs where the speed was not that fast . I am assuming either B sivaraman himself or some known/ unknown guru have given adequate feedback and there was marked improvement . Anirudh has quick fingers and he played well . The controlled aggression in tani with lots of laya fireworks was a pick moment for me.
All said , k gayathri could have bit focussed on little more elaboration on neraval and swaras . She has two parama gurus , one is musiri which has come into abundance thru her guru suguna purush, but I have not heard the other parama guru track of semmangudi mama in her . There are no recordings of young suguna purush that shows semmangudi typecast , but i wish her to focus more on that . In few concerts of hers she has done in the past especially one todi i recollect- but certainly not this time.Her voice and sangathi weight coupled with right stresses during krithi adhering to paddhati is her unique selling proposition.
Overall a very good concert for 2 hours and 05 minutes.
I went bit late the first varnam was on , i think i heard vanajakshi/jalajakshi or vanajakshirO or some variant , it is quite a challenge to disambiguate the different varnams which began with vanajakshi?? . This is as tough to disambiguate who is the one of the 7+ gayathreee's who is singing in today's concert stage. I think she sang hamsadhwani as the varnam - I have to be excused if i am wrong. THe first impression was the vocal volume of the artist was adjusted right unlike TNS where the vocal volume was bit down.
With the next raga alapana sketch my head was spinning and did not settle to disambiguate valaci or malayamarutham , as it was a brief raga sketch. I wish she sang a bit more alapana , the krithi that followed was patnam number dhanyu devudo - lovely enunciation and in particular the neraval had her paramaguru musiri oomph effect. Swaras were done well but she could have dwelled more .
Kalyani is a dear raga that is undergoing viral mutations , it is going very very away from a south indian base to a north indian, fusion typecast . But i liked immensely the way K gayatri sang the alapana of kalyani, it surely did not cross godavari. The krithi amma ravamma with neraval was well done but i did notice a little too much of all round rigidity , she could have cut loose in swaras but just chugged along the earlier momentum.
The next choice was a rare devagandhari,liked the way she sang focussing on diction- i could take a pen and write those telugu words. But i felt the tempo bit sagged from kalyani to devagandhari which was understable . THe next in vasanthabhairavi she appeared to start with a focus on slightly more aggression and the tempo change was only noticable at the first half. I felt she could have given a round of swaras in faster pace or a little more alankarams in vasanta bhairavi. The vasanta bhairavi could have been better .
THe next choice of main was saveri , the sag in saveri was bit more pronounced(considering preceding kalyani submain, devagandhari and a no fast filler) ,there were few brigas that came sparkling but did not give me the attention to hear with more focus. THe krithi rama bana is a lovely krithi -the janaranjakam mamas and mamis may have expected some thing better for their comfort . But i immensely liked it . The neraval was again done well in first half , but she had difficulty in generally going towards 2nd speed ,an attempt is partially made but not that aurally convincing . Her swaras in saveri were measured and I wish she went with more and more swara kalpana there.
The best of her concert was the first tukkada . It was a slokham in three ragas and all were well done especially the delicious kapi, the vanamali jeeyar krithi in kapi was a kumbakonam kapi brew and i liked it - no froth there. Most of the female musicians have an eye to showcase their inspiration moments of the legend ms subhalakshmi . kurai onrum illai came there and i registered it more as a bit over rated dilute number. I was expecting a ragamaliga of suguna purush but out popped up a nama sankeerthanam rama bhakthi hanuman bhajan. I have and will continue to have extraordinary respect for the late vaggeyakkara - suguna purushottaman mami-but in that process I am finding it difficult to accept this rama bhakthi hanuman that too in the second half when the mrudangam artist plays dholak strokes of mrudangam .
Usha rajagopal during songs played well but in alapana return i was not that impressed . Her returns are not having well rounded raga gamakam . I felt there is a bit of vottam or race in her alapana return that does not give more well rounded gamakams.B Sivaraman was a bit of revelation today. I have noticed him playing in the last few years where the hit is not that strong HIT . I immensely liked his aggression in the concert,but there were few occasions during songs where the speed was not that fast . I am assuming either B sivaraman himself or some known/ unknown guru have given adequate feedback and there was marked improvement . Anirudh has quick fingers and he played well . The controlled aggression in tani with lots of laya fireworks was a pick moment for me.
All said , k gayathri could have bit focussed on little more elaboration on neraval and swaras . She has two parama gurus , one is musiri which has come into abundance thru her guru suguna purush, but I have not heard the other parama guru track of semmangudi mama in her . There are no recordings of young suguna purush that shows semmangudi typecast , but i wish her to focus more on that . In few concerts of hers she has done in the past especially one todi i recollect- but certainly not this time.Her voice and sangathi weight coupled with right stresses during krithi adhering to paddhati is her unique selling proposition.
Overall a very good concert for 2 hours and 05 minutes.
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arasi
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- Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30
Re: k gAyatri@Ayodhya mantapam on Mar 31st, 2015
Rajesh,
Thanks. A typical review of yours, with unique rajeshisms which amuse me, as always!
In Cleveland, the Malladis sang my sAvEri favorite daridApu lEka vEDitE which was a treat after so many years, and K.Gaythri has sung my dEvagAndhAri favorite. Wish I had heard it. nA morAlagimpavEmi. All the lines are so moving in that song.
rAma bhakta hanumAn is the most popular song among SP's compositions, I think. It was apt to sing that at a rAmanavami concert where it would have lifted the mood of many bhakthAs who had gathered, among music lovers.
Hope K. Gayathri and the other students of Suguna P take to the many assets of her and those of her gurus.
Thanks. A typical review of yours, with unique rajeshisms which amuse me, as always!
In Cleveland, the Malladis sang my sAvEri favorite daridApu lEka vEDitE which was a treat after so many years, and K.Gaythri has sung my dEvagAndhAri favorite. Wish I had heard it. nA morAlagimpavEmi. All the lines are so moving in that song.
rAma bhakta hanumAn is the most popular song among SP's compositions, I think. It was apt to sing that at a rAmanavami concert where it would have lifted the mood of many bhakthAs who had gathered, among music lovers.
Hope K. Gayathri and the other students of Suguna P take to the many assets of her and those of her gurus.
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jodha
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Re: k gAyatri@Ayodhya mantapam on Mar 31st, 2015
9. rAmA bhakthi hanumAn - mAnd - her guru Vidushi suguna purushottaman
It is in jOnpuri,not mAnd.
It is in jOnpuri,not mAnd.
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harimau
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Re: k gAyatri@Ayodhya mantapam on Mar 31st, 2015
Does it really matter?jodha wrote:9. rAmA bhakthi hanumAn - mAnd - her guru Vidushi suguna purushottaman
It is in jOnpuri,not mAnd.
We should dismiss it as some Hindusthani raga that has lost its moorings and wanders all over the octave.
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rajeshnat
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Re: k gAyatri@Ayodhya mantapam on Mar 31st, 2015
Corrected the mistake and also the krithi is rAma bhaktha (not bhakthi) hanumAn. Txjodha wrote:9. rAmA bhakthi hanumAn - mAnd - her guru Vidushi suguna purushottaman
It is in jOnpuri,not mAnd.
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arasi
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Re: k gAyatri@Ayodhya mantapam on Mar 31st, 2015
maNDaiyilE mAND 
"Oh, those aliens--except those we have absorbed ages ago!", perhaps...
"Oh, those aliens--except those we have absorbed ages ago!", perhaps...