Madrasana . 2019

[thanjavooran]

Madrasana
24 12 2019 . Tuesday . 09 30 hrs
Venue . Sathyam Theatre

M Renganatha Sharma Vocal
Embar . Violin
Patri . Mirudhangam
Nerkundram . Kanjira

sri renganathudu
Boche . Kamaz . R S
Maravairi ramana . Nasika bhushani . R N S
Mana vyala Nalinakanthi
Needhaya radha . Vasantha byravi
Entha sowkya ma ninne . KapiR N S and Thani
karunai kadale Behag
Thukkada

The concert started exactly at 09 30 hrs. Rasikas were present at 09 00 hrs and also Vidwans. Concert was excellnet right from the selection of songs. Embar as usual was pleasing and in Nasika and Kapi he showed his skill. Patri and Nerkundram a very good pair and quite enjoyable during Niraval. Though the mirudhangam is with bolt and nut arrangement, Patri was fine tuning with the conventional stone only. Thani was very good.

My observation.

As I entered, smart volunteers in cute dress welcomed and took me to the desk and as I showed my கை பேசி the smart volunteer himself checked my entry permit and I was issued with an entry pass. Guiding me, one took me to the canteen with utmost care for coffee and break fast. Again was taken to the auditorium by another smart one, who was humming a raga with a smiling face. Volunteers in both sex were all I T professionals I presume from their discussions. To my surprise Hall filled with more youngsters than Senior citizens like me. From 09 15 hrs clippings of earlier concerts were on screen that included Vishnudev Namboothiri in Madrasana. This was my first concert in a cinema theatre. Absolute silence was maintained. All the seats were full. Rasikas were advised not to go out during the middle of a song.
At the end there was little power disturbance and I could notice Volunteers from different places rushed and assembled to check the problem.
Absolutely a very nice Morning performance.
Kudos to the entire team headed by Mahesh and family.

Thanjavooran
24 12 2019

[arasi]

Thanjavooran,
I am glad you attended Madrasana's concert in a theater which is an experience worth sharing. You resonate the feelings I had when I attended a concert of Ramakrishnamurthy last year at the same venue. Indeed, my experience then was akin to what you describe. The volunteers were extremely courteous and caring towards seniors. As you say, the auditorium was replete with youngsters but decorum and attentiveness towards the elders prevailed. The atmosphere lent to peaceful listening.

[rajeshnat]

Thanjavooran
Very nice of you to travel all the way from perambur to sathyam theatre to attend a concert . Keep it coming sir. How long was the concert just 2 hours or 2 and half hours

[thanjavooran]

Shri Rajeshnat Avl,
The duration of the well organized program was for 135 mts. Thanks.
With wishes,
Thanjavooran
26 12 2019

[thanjavooran]

Madarasana 2019
Friday . 27 12 2019 . 09 40 hrs


Aabhishek raguram .   Vocal
Akkarai . Subbulakshmi . Violin 
Anantha R. Krishnan                   Mirudhangam
Suresh Vaidhyanathan     Ghatam
Shri Sundar Kumar  Kanjira

Ninnukori .   Mohanam
Nada thanumanisam .    Chitharanjani
Sri Ramanae  nino .  Arabhi . 
R SVithula .  Maya mayamalava Gowla  R N  .  Thani .for Ghatam .
Paalinthuvo .    Kanthamani .  R S
Mari vera gathi .  Ananda Bhyravi . R N S Thani .   KanjiraRama
Namame .   Desh .  R 
Vandematharam . Ambikam .  Ragamalika Slokam
Karpagame .  Madhyamavathi .  Thani .  Mirudhangam


The 160 mts last concert in the series started little late since being last day a small introductory speech by Shri Mahesh key person of Madrasana. Though started little late a wonderful concert not in the standard format.  The hall was full as usual  All enjoyed the whole concert.  Even the floor was fully packed of course by youngsters.  Could notice persons walking denied entry since fully occupied.  Reg Akkarai, one need not comment, was very enthusiastic closely following the vocalist.   Anandha bhyravi and Kanthamani were rendered nicely.


My observation

The same formalities were followed.  On entry each one was provided with a water bottle and on coming out with a juice bottle.  This is a regular practice.   As I entered early , made to stand in the queue.  One volunteer seeing my physical agony guided me to the hall by opening the gate a little permitting me to take a seat inside the auditorium.   OH! To my surprise a mini Thalavadhya cutchery was in progress.  This is for sound adjustment.  Sound engineers both girls and boys were in full efforts for the sound alignment.  Though percussion artistes were in time late came the main Abhishek.  He took the team into task and lot of adjustments were put in and even then he was not fully satisfied.   He sang few lines in Sriraga pancha rathna kriti and  other few lines in different compositions.   Mirudhangam is a late inclusion I presume. 
Shri Mahesh introduced each volunteer [ both boys and girls in equal numbers ]by their names.  The main role is by Master Sri Mushnam.  He thanked the sponsors of various groups and finally mentioned about Datri Largest and Leading Blood Stem cell Donors Registry and its involvement in Life saving mission for the society.  When I was struggling to identify the rare raga a smart female volunteer sitting on the floor close by, immediately murmured Kanthamani.  Every volunteer is an expert in CM besides discharging their services to the elders and Senior Rasikas. Before commencement of the regular concert few shots of Sandeep Naryan and Kanjira Thani by 4 experts headed by Purushothaman were screened.  It is learnt  Mrs Mahesh  a BITS product besides a light music Artiste is behind Mr Mahesh for this wonderful venture.  With this last program Madarasana 2019 came to an end.
Kudos to Mr and Mrs Mahesh and to his entire tireless team.

Thanjavooran
27 12 2019

[CRama]

Thanjavooran, Thank for your review of the above concert of Abhishek Raghuram. It was very pleasant meeting with Thanjavooran after many years and we exchanged pleasantries as well as our thoughts on this concert. I am recasting the song list given by Thanjavooran to enable more clarity on my observations.

Ninnukori . Mohanam
Nada thanumanisam . Chitharanjani - T
Sri Ramana vibho . Arabhi . Swati Tirunal (R)
Vithulaku . Mayamalava Gowla –T (R N)
Thani - Ghatam . 15 minutes
Mari vere gathi. Ananda Bhairavi . SS (R)
Thani - Kanjira- 10 minutes
Paalinthuvo . Kanthamani .T (R S).
Rama Namame . Desh . Tanjavur Sankara Iyer
Vande matharam Ambikam . Ragamalika Slokam
Karpagame . Madhyamavathi .
Thani . Mrudangam 3 minutes

A big hype is created by Madrasana for the series of concerts. But the accoustics was not all that good in today’s concert. From the very beginning, the volume for Abhishek mic was kept to the minimum. Despite frequent requests by all those on the stage as well as from the audience, the mike volume was inadequate. Further, the audio operator had a tendency to meddle with his volume every now and then. When the volume is raised to the correct level, within a minute he will reduce it. At last we all reconciled to whatever was offered to us.

The concert of Abhishek raghuram followed an unconventional format in certain respects. The kriti Nadathanumanisam was well presented with proper splitting of words. Raga alapanas of Arabhi, Mayamalavagowla, Anandabhairavi, and Kanthamani were well presented in his inimitable style with plenty of brighas and akara sangatis which when comes from Abhishek is any day enjoyable. Customary neraval on the lines Kamala Gowri Vageeswari for the song Vidulaku was icing on the cake.

In the entire concert of two hours and forty five minutes, there was kalpana swarams only for one song- Palintuvo in Kanthamani. That too, very brief. Abhishek Raghuram, whom we have heard innumerable times and sat wonderstruck with his manodharmam swarams, if it is not there, then how the concert can be enjoyed.

There were two thani avartanams- separately by Ghatam vidwan and Ganjira vidwan totally consuming 25 minutes. We felt as if we have come for a talavadya cutchery.

Abhishek -Anantha is a heavenly combination. In today’s concert, despite Anantha’s presence, thani avarthanam of Anantha came just before the mangalam, that too for 3 minutes. But Anantha was his usual self and embellished the kritis to a great extent.

Akkarai Subbulakshmi played very good alapanas as usual.

It was much disappointing for me as I expected a regular Abhishek Raghuram concert and I went for this concert leaving many other concerts and lec dems. Now I will wait for AR concert in Music Academy.

[rajeshnat]

  The main role is by Master Sri Mushnam. 

Is that sean rolden, son of srimushnam raja rao?

[thanjavooran]

Yes. You are right. I could not recollect his Gnanasnanam namakraranam.
With wishes,
Thanjavooran
28 12 2019

[arasi]

Say chAnDilyan--his grandfather's name (the famous author) and you nearly get his name

[bhasi]

@arasi Bravo madam, you guessed the etymology of the name right!

“My free will to do different things became a hassle because of my name,” he recalls. And so, in 2011, he decided that a change of name would help. He decided on Sean (pronounced ‘Shaun’) – “a shortened version of Sandilyan” (his maternal grandfather and renowned Tamil writer) and picked Roldan from a random Google search.

(source)

[rajeshnat]

Sean Roldan actual name is Raghavendra . I heard him once his carnatic concert and reviewed it here.

[thanjavooran]

Bhasi Avl,
Many thanks for the extra piece of information. I was wondering why this change in name. I am aware of his participation in carnatic music idol programme few years back.
Wish Ragavendra aka Sean Rolden good luck.
With wishes,
Thanjavooran
29 12 2019

[iamsundar]

Thank you, Thanjavooran/CRama for the lovely reviews. Looks like AR had a powerhouse of pakkavadham in Anantha + Suresh + SundarKumar; multiple Thanis were certainly in order .

Kudos to Mad Rasana organizers for the hospitality. It goes a long way in making the event doubly enjoyable.

I'm curious to know about the acoustic differences (+/-) between a movie-theatre hall (ala Sathyam kind) and a traditional music auditorium (such as KGS or MA). Never attended a movie theatre concert so far. Is this a new Maarghazhi trend in Chennai?

[Sachi_R]

@thanjavooran

Every volunteer is an expert in CM besides discharging their services to the elders and Senior Rasikas.

Isn't it wonderful? Taking the rasikatvam meaning to a different level? Perhaps in the Sabha where Lord Nataraja danced, the volunteers would have been like this!!!