T. N. Krishnan & Sriram Krishnan, Violin Duet, NJ Concert Oc

[Ramaprasad]

Violin Duet:
T. N. Krishnan
Sriram Krishnan
Rohan Krishmamurthy (Mridangam)

Arranged by CMANA. Venue: Arsha Bodha Center, Somerset, NJ. Oct. 11, 2008

1. Deva Deva Kalayami – Mayamalawagowla - Adi [R, S]. Swathi Thirunal
2. Amba Kamakshi - Bhairavi Swarajathi. Shyama Sastri
3. Ka Va Va – Varali – Adi. Papanasam Sivan
4. Brocheva – Khamas – Adi. [R] Mysore Vasudevachar
5. Marubalga – Sriranjani – Adi. {R] Thyagaraja
6. Hechcharikaga – Yadhukulakambhodhi – Jhampa. Thyagaraja [R]
7. Raghuvamshasudha – Kadanakuthoohala – Adi. Patnam Subramania Iyer
8. Kiravani [R,T,P]
Thanam Ragamalika – Khambodhi, Shanmukhapriy,
Sahana, Shubhapantuvarali, Lalitha and Dwijavanthi.
Dwijavanthi ended in a small Kavadi Chindhu
9. Madhava Mamava – Nilambari – Adi. Narayana Tirtha
10. Theeradha Vilaiyattu Pillai [Sindhubhairavi Alapana]
Ragamalika – Eka. Subramania Bharathi
11. Eppo Varuvaro – Jonpuri – Adi. Gopalakrishna Bharathi
12. Mangalam

I thought other rasikas in the audience would write about this concert. Since nothing has appeared on the Rasikas forum so far, I thought I would add a few words here because this is a historic concert.

TNK Sir turned 80 on October 6, 2008. But for the fact he made this announcement himself, it is difficult to believe that he is 80, in the light of the way he looks today and, more importantly, the way he commands his instrument. The concert is historic because this particular CMANA concert is his first one in his post-80 period! As his son pointed out, this is his second debut as a violinist, the first one having occurred 72 years ago! We can look forward to another TNK era.

I would like to report more on the non-musical, but great moments in the concert hall that people who were not there have missed. He started by saying that he is indebted to all his gurus whom he thanked, especially Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer. When he was playing the Bhairavi alapana, he stopped briefly and was moved visibly. He said that it brought back lots of memories. Truly, having been a major part of seven decades of Carnatic music, his life is full of successes and those great moments with the elders of the past. At one point he said that when he first started playing, there were only Petromax lights and no mikes and it was in open air venues. I wish he would write in book form his memoirs. It would be an invaluable contribution to our music heritage.

He devoted this kutcheri to SSI. As a sign of this, a detailed Mayamalawagowla alapana was followed by Deva Deva of Swathi Thirunal. The Bhairavi piece was spellbinding, deep in the thoughts that went to play it and very moving. As the CMANA president pointed out in the vote of thanks, this was a concert from another era, a vintage one, with a great master at the helm crafting music of the highest caliber.

There were lots of “chitsâ€

[bilahari]

Ramaprasad, sounds like a great concert! I have never heard TNK's Keeravani before; how was it? Many thanks for the review. Would love to grab hold of a recording of this one!

[Ramaprasad]

Bilahari,
As I said above, I wanted to limit myself to the non-musical aspects. His violin sounds are still ringing in my mind. Let the experts who were there elaborate on Keeravani.

Please contact CMANA. I believe the CD's will be available soon.

[vijay]

Many thanks Ramaprasad. It is indeed a landmark. It is a miracle that he is still on top at his age (I think I heard him last at a Lec Dem last year and the Surutti was just mind-blowing). I agree - he looks no where near 80 and nor does his playing. Here is wishing the veteran many more years of outstanding music.

[srikant1987]

Could you tell more about the pallavi played in the R, T, P?

[rajeshnat]

Best wishes for Prof TNK . I think his style of playing keeravAni gives a special touch (always my personal favourite of TNK's list ). I hope 2 things happen:

1. Aishwarya VenkatrAman (young girl who is a disciple of TNK ) also teams up with Prof TNK elsewhere in US and certainly we all hope to have a review of that concert too .

2. In our rasikas concert when I and Nick asked AishwaryA as to when she would play as violin accompaniment , she said that if Krishnan mAmA thinks I am ready , she would do the same. Perhaps some one gently reminds Prof TNK on that, I am pretty sure that she is ready.

[rbharath]

rajesh,

i would always prefer TNK playing solo...

and ya, one doesnt have to remind a guru about his/her sishya. they know much more about their disciples than any of us.

[srikant1987]

Oh yes, solos, total solos, are very special to me. The musician's ideas can flow without any interruption that way. I have often wondered why the AlApanai and tAnam of vocalists, flautists etc., are also not kept solo. Neraval and svaram exchanges, and group kriti renditions are fine.

And hasn't Aishwarya Venkataraman shifted to Chennai in order to learn from Professor SRJ? Of course, Professor TNK lives in Chennai most of the time too!

[Sathej]

As for Alapanais and Tanam being solo-displays by the main performer, well, the violinist chips in most of the time only with the ending phrases. Infact, during Tanam (as also Neraval), the violinist rarely plays anything when the vocalist sings, usually repsonding only in his/her turn. The purpose of chipping-in during Alapanais is primarily to provide a breather to the main performer in addition to giving him/her time to think up the next phrase. However, there have been and (still are) instances where violinists do more than chipping-in;sometimes venturing to reproduce almost everything that the vocalist sings. This has several consequences - positive and negative. Some artistes don't quite approve of it while others draw inspiration and take their own performance to greater heights.
Sathej

[srikant1987]

Why can't there be complete silence for a "breather"? If musicians need time to think out the next phrase, the rasikas also need time to drink in the previous phrase. And I think it is much easier to think out a phrase in silence ... though, of course, if you are used to someone chipping in the phrase, that might work just as well or better.

But there is a certain "effect" from repetition of a phrase: whether the "effect" should be created or not should be decided by the person who included it in their AlApanai imho.

Another problem of having an accompanist repeat everything is that sometimes they may make "corrections" that can annoy the main artist and spoil everything. Of course, with a disciple accompanying, this won't happen.

[SSK]

How can one expect anything less than a spectacular concert from Prof. TNK? Legends predicted this would happen more than 40-50 years ago.

I was talking to Prof. Mysore Ramarathnam couple of years back, and he recollected some noteworthy comments from his guru Mysore T. Chowdiah, who used tell his contemporaries and legends (such as Ariyakudi, Gotuvadhyam Narayana Iyengar, Mudicondan Venkatarama Iyer, Mysore Vasudevachar, Chembai, Tiger and others) that Shri T N Krishnan would endure the longest as a solo violin vidwan. Shri Chowdiah saw this more than 40-50 years ago, listening to Prof. TNK accompanying as a young artist Ariyakudi and others. Infact Shri Ravikiran remembered and reminded me of the same comment from Shri Chowdiah recently.

I am sure we will many more years of wonderful and soul stirring music from Shri TNK, and I am particularly looking forward to his 90th birthday celebrations.

[arasi]

Birthday wishes to a great musician ! Many more healthy, happy years to him and to his music...

[bilahari]

Sanjay has dedicated a podcast to violin accompaniment on his blog, and we've discussed this before I think. He mentions how, (a) just humming along with the voice like S. Varadarajan does creates a nice effect, and I would say probably helps reinforce the shruti as well, (b) reproducing the alapana phrases exactly, like what Nagai Muralidharan does, facilitates the vocalist's singing of brigha sangathis, and (c) adding an independent phrase or two at the end of the violin "chipping in," helps maintain the mood of the raga being sung. Of course, all vocalists share a special understanding with their stock accompanists (those lucky enough to have stock accompanists!), so usually I don't think there is a great degree of irritation or misunderstanding between the two...

Also, whenever the artiste is in the midst of a vigorous neraval or thanam sequence, I have rarely heard the violinist do much except play the sa or pa and play the last few notes here and there... Generally, as a rasika, I don't find violin accompaniment obtrusive at all but imagine several people might!

Also, srikant1987, your reference to total silence is very appropriate in a thread about a musician who so ably demonstrates the music of silence when he plays!

[lakshmanan]

Ramaparasad’s observations are true and honest. Despite walking
difficulties I managed to attend the concert from Connecticut where I am
visiting. TNK represents the select group of vidwans of classicism and
melody. He takes you back to the golden era of Carnatic music. Moden day
artists are like unpolished gems, more glamour than glitter. No doubt
they have the vidwat and training but they have no originality nor
depth. I can think of Ravikiran as one exception. The choice of songs by
TNK was straight out of a Semmangudi concert and the Amba Kamakshi made
all of us shed a drop of tears. No wonder, he was also touched bit
having immersed fully in it.
And what a majestic support by the young mridangist Rohan Krishnamuthy.
I heard him play for Ravikiran also some time back. He adjusts the style
so well to suit the artist. For most songs like Marupalga and madhava
mamava as well as Amba Kamakshi, the accompaniment of Rohan deserves no
less a comparison with a Plaghat Ragu, Vellore, or a Trichy Shankaran.
The thani brought individuality and demonstrated how he is developing
his own style. I bless him to reach great heights in the coming years.
His mridangam though sounded as good as any, looked different in design.
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