RadhA venkatAchalam@Music Connoisseur Trust on Dec 11th,2010

[rajeshnat]

RadhA venkatAchalam@Music Conoisseurs Trust on Dec 11th,2010,Saturday
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Vocal : Dr RadhA venkatAchalam (prime disciple of Prof TRS)
Violin : M Rajeev
Mrudangam : papanAsam kumAr
Place : Sri Parvathi, alwarpet

Concert duration : 2 Hrs and 10 mins(6:10 to 8:20 pm)

1. varnam "kalaimagaLe" - manirangu - TRS
2. kumAraswaminam(S) - asAveri - MD
5 mins swaras
3. karpagAmbikE(R S) - bilahari - PS
7 mins alApana and 4 mins violin return
7 mins swaras

4. payO rAsi bAlE (S)- dwijAvanti - kalyAni varadarAjan??
5. kaikooda vEndumE (R N S) - lathAngi - KI
10 mins alapanai 4 mins violin return
neraval in "lathAngi meenAnga nayani bAla" for 6 mins
swaras for 5 mins

6A. RTP in kharaharapriyA
11 mins alApana , 5 mins violin return
6 mins tAnam
pallavi in mishra triputa talam
pallavi line was "nArAyani paradevatE pari pAhimAm namAmi santhatam"
pallavi was for 13 mins with trikAlam
swaras in kharaharapriyA 6 mins
6B.tani for 5 mins

7. Eley Manave – Revathi – Adi – Vijayavittaladasa
8. subha mangalam - shuruTTi


I wanted to hear this disciple of jAmbhavan TRS for a very very long time , did not get a chance till yesterday.The concert was advertised to start at 6 pm , i went 10 mins before to find a banner "Canara Bank Welcomes you all".The mridangist was seated in the first row and after seeing the banner , my mind raced to this word you which is used as both singular and plural. For the next 10 mins it was singular you .

Prof TRS ,his daughter and Dr rAdha venkatachalam(Let me call her Rave , as already a vidushi is there with RV initials) arrived with the violinist also being there near the same time. Just when rave was seated in the dias with her two accompanist, I went forward (this hall is just having capacity of just 25 seats)and wished prof TRS. I told Rave "Madam, I am a big fan of your guru and I am hearing you for the first time , can you please sing a pallavi". Rave said yes but with the singular You (that is me), TRS and his daughter , I thought she will not sing it, as there were just 3 rasikas and 3 artists.

The concert started with an alapana of maNirangu , a rare start more in line with her guru. As i heard her sing the varnam ,she was continously referring the diary and with it went the music . From asaveri she was in the zone of kalpana atleast for some moments for every song. As she started with the MD's asaveri her gnanam oozed, more than her song I liked her swara kalpana in asaveri, it was a lift from karaikurichi or TNR. The alapana of bilahari was done well though for lot of sangathis his cousin mohanakalyAni showed the head. The TRS style kanakku took over bilahari and she came up with lovely swara patterns.

She moved to a really touching dwijAvanthi , payorAsi bAle, I have a recording of her guru and it is really a beautiful number ,the kalpana quotient of swaras was very well done. I think the composer of the song is smt kalyAni varadharAjan??, a really lovely hindustanized dwijAvanthi .The main was lathAngi with a nice rAga alapana infact it was the best alapana of the day. A rare KI composition unfolded , I could notice that Rave was bit struggling with the neraval but she managed well towards the end , in lathangi the swaras were not as great as other numbers before

The pallavi was grand, for atleast one main reason the rAga chosen was grander kharaharapriyA. Her voice settled beautifully. This vidushi has got a solid gnanam and more importantly very strong voice to give intense classicalness. tAnam was well done and she bought in really lovely embellishments. Pallavi was well done a bit drag towards the end but nevertheless clean with trikalam. Her swaras were well done . She signalled to her guru that she will sing one more number, I asked a ugabhooga of TRS in revati and anandhabhairavi . TRS suggested eley maname a brilliant and really superb no in revati and when she sang that elay manamE , I was thinking that it was an apt tribute to karni(thimmA) and Delhi muthukumar, as they both are karana karthas for me to appreciate vidwan prof TRS .

papanAsam kumar provided great support though the hall being small the sound was slightly high, his tani was well done. Rajeev's violin was really good. As I walked out I asked rave if TRS also sings this pallavi in the same rAga.She said this is my pallavi that I planned to sing today and I composed it today. Also at the end of first varnam she said I am dedicating this manirangu to my guru . In short a really wonderful sishya who immensely respects her guru and also creates something on her own too.

Overall a very good to excellent concert

[mankuthimma]

http://www.mediafire.com/?p1op7hb60nqtjw6

Eley maname

Nothing describes TRS more eloquently than this track ....
The care he takes with languages other than his mother tongue ,
his handling of the Ugabhoga , time and again ,
and his approach to the melody .
Slicing like a Rampuri knife through our consciousness .
He brings together , more dimensions to this art called Carnatic music , than any other legend , Living or Dead -- in my books .

[narayan]

rajeshnat's review proves a point that you need just one serious listener for good music, even in the sense of a performing art (singing for one's immortal soul and all that is of course all very well).
But it also highlights that the art neets patronage, not just sponsorship. Which is what one of the theatre persons in Mumbai has also said today in some interview. Which is why I'm not too concerned about the 'paying' customer. It is the serious and interested rasika who is missing most often. Money comes somehow or not, and is often not the bottleneck. After all, I do patronize Canara Bank, which can sponsor a few events. But finding time for leisurely listening of live music is much harder to achieve.
Again I am reminded of that upanishadic image about the two birds on the branch, one eating the fruit and the other 'merely' watching. It appears that the watcher is equally important, although seemingly passive.

[Lakshman]

payOrasi bAlE is by Kalyani Varadarajan.

[ganeshkant]

Once in 1983 when I was traveling to Delhi Rave was my co-traveler in GT.Unfortunately I didn't know anything in music then.I was more interested in film music.But after reaching Delhi I came to know from my elder brother about her credentials.Heard her concert in TTD channel sometime back.

Also the review reminds of a concert of late Sandhyavandhanam Sreenivasa Rao in 1993 in NGS(mini).We were totally 10 including his son.The veteran came and counted heads and told " 2 digit figure;big croed" and smiled at us.

Now many morning concerts in the season will have mostly family members.What to do ? That is the status.