Venue: Vidya Bharati, Bheemasena Garden St., Mylapore, Chennai
Date: 25 Dec 2006
Organizer: Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha
Vocal: Sri T.M. Krishna (TMK)
Violin: Sri R.K. Sriramkumar (RKS)
Mridangam: Sri Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman (UKS)
Khanjira: Sri B. Sree Sundar Kumar
List of songs:
1) dEva dEva - mAyAmALavagowLa - rUpakam - swAti tiruNAL (NS)
2) samugAna - kOkilavarALi - Adi - thyAgarAja (S)
3) janani ninnuvinA - rItigowLa - misra chApu - subbarAya sAstri (A)
4) sarasa sAma dAna - kApinArAyaNi - Adi - thyAgarAja
5) nAdOpAsanA - bEgaDa - Adi - (ANST)
6) rAgam tAnam pallavi - kApi - tisra tripuTa (2 kaLai)
pallavi wordings: "jagadIsha pArthasArathE, karuNA payOnidhE"
kalpanA swaram in kApi, pUrvikalyANi, kuntalavarALi & garuDadwani
7) jAnarO I mOgamu (jAvaLi) - khamAs - rUpakam - rAmanAtapuram srInivAsa iyengAr
8 ) sApashyat - jOnpuri - Adi - tirupazhanam panchApakEsar
9) tAm tAm tAm udanitOm (tillAnA) - khamAs - Adi - paTTaNam subramaNya iyer
10) pavamAna (mangaLam) - sowrAshTram - Adi - thyAgarAja
(Key: O=raga outline, A=raga alapana, N=neraval, S=kalpana swaram, T=taniavartanam)
TMK is a machine that belts out hit concerts one after the other and today was no exception. He began in true "Sri Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer (SSI)" style with "dEva dEva" in mAyAmALavagowLa. UKS was in top form and played some awesome accompaniment for this first song itself. He must himself have been reminded of the days when he had played for SSI.
The first alapana of the day was that of rItigowLa. Yesterday, Sathyam Cinemas that screened "ArAr AsaippadAr", the documentary on Sri Sanjay Subramaniam, had played the song" janani ninnuvinA" in rItigowLa as sung by Sri Sanjay before the movie began. My friend and I were immediately wondering how some of the phrases in the song would sound if sung by TMK. When TMK began the rItigowLa alapana today, I just wished he sang "janani ninnuvina" and guess what - my wish had been granted !! It was a very moving rendition with a lot of azhutham where required. The fillers which UKS played during the silent portions of the song were simply brilliant.
The main song for the day - "nAdOpAsanA" was preceded by an elaborate bEgaDA alapana which was very well executed by both TMK and RKS. It was a very satisfying alapana for me especially after hearing a much lighter bEgaDA of different style from Malladi Brothers yesterday. When the song began, there was suddenly a reduction in the sound level in the hall, as though one of the speakers had been cut off. The sound levels never improved after that till the very end.
The taniavartanam played by Sri UKS and Sri Sundar Kumar was an excellent one too. It is unbelievable that at such an old age, UKS manages to play for two 3-hour concerts in a single day and contributes his best to both.
Finally, a few things that Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha could work on to give a better concert experience to both the performers as well as the audience:
* There is minimal air circulation on the podium in which the performers sit. The ceiling height there is pretty low and it is terribly hot. I just wonder how TNS yesterday and TMK today managed to give such great performances despite the poor conditions. The sabha needs to do something to improve this
* The wooden flooring makes an awful lot of noise when anyone starts walking. When a group of people moves, it gives the effect of a series of earthquakes.
* There is an evacuation that happens once the 4PM concert ends and the audience for the 6:30PM concert is let in after that. The exit and the entrance are the same and it leads to a lot of pushing and shoving. In the midst of this, there are 2-3 people standing to check if tickets have been bought and they simply can't do their job given the mad rush.
Source: http://ramsabode.wordpress.com/2006/12/ ... a-chennai/
T.M.Krishna @ Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, Chennai (25 Dec
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ram
- Posts: 705
- Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:48
I couldn't resist the TMK+UKS combo. Just had to go there.
Heard about TNS Kalanidhi concert. I think he strained himself a bit too much the previous day in Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha. But then that is TNS for me ..... he is not selective over where to perform and where not to and tries to give his best everywhere. I just wish God had given him a stable and more attractive voice.
Heard about TNS Kalanidhi concert. I think he strained himself a bit too much the previous day in Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha. But then that is TNS for me ..... he is not selective over where to perform and where not to and tries to give his best everywhere. I just wish God had given him a stable and more attractive voice.
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hindolam
- Posts: 87
- Joined: 04 Oct 2006, 12:39
From sify
Krishna Does A Richards
By Mukund
Wednesday, 27 December , 2006, 11:22
Head held high, his eyes saw straight. He hardly looked down. Extremely relaxed, he sat ever so comfortably on the dais. The body spoke a nonchalant language. The atmosphere on stage and the crowd around did not bother him a bit. He was in command. And, he displayed it in full measure.
He transmitted a sense of `don’t care attitude’. One was reminded of the dare-devilry exploits of former skipper of the West Indies King Vivian Richards on the Cricket field as vocalist T.M. Krishan set Sri Parthasarathy Sabha on fire during his three-hour concert on the evening of Christmas.
Krishna was at his entertaining best. As his wont, he was in a demonstrative mode. The audience had no complaint. In fact, it enjoyed every bit of what Krishna served that evening. Not to be outdone, veteran mridangist Umayalpuram Sivaraman created opportunities to match the showmanship of Krishna, producing some extraordinary beats with the flick of his right fingers. Sitting at the background, kanjira artiste B. Sri Sundra Kumar came upfront during thani, matching the guile of Sivaraman in his own assertive and yet quiet style. Violinist R.K.Sriram Kumar did well to measure up to Krishna’s creativity and showmanship.
Did Krishna play to the galleries? Yes and No. Krishna does it like that. And, he is well known for it. One has to give him his due, however. There was variety in terms of ragas, kritis and composers. There were ragas such as Mayamalavagaula, Ritigaula, Kapi Narayani, Begada, Kokila Varali and what not. These don’t really fit into the popular category of ragas. There were kritis of composers such as Swathi Tirunal, Thyagaraja and Subbaraya Shastri. Krishna was within the realm of tradition on this day.
Yet, he had managed to hold a complete sway over the audience, comprising rasikas of assorted sorts. There was something unique about his Swara build-ups, which were simple, racy and electrifying. Krishna’s uncanny ability to innovate during his extravagant tours on the upper octaves showed up the classy artiste in him.
Coming events cast their shadow before them, they say. ``Devadeva…’’ in Mayamalavagaula at the start did prove a pointer to what was coming later in the evening. He surprised the audience with a Kokila Varali piece. `Janani Ninu Vina…’ in Ritigaula; `Sarasa samadana bheda dana catura…’ in Kapi Narayani; and `Nadopasana…’ in Begada – all saw Krishna at his demonstrative best. There was something racy about his style. The way he brought his swara excursions to end was unique in the sense that he did not follow the beaten track. He delayed RTP (ragam, thanam and pallavi). Yet, when he went into the RTP mode, the indefatigable Krishna recharged the audience with some scintillating maneuvers, especially at tara sthayi. As he shifted gears, Kapi, Garudathwani, Kunthalavarali et al flowed. As the atmosphere reached a crescendo during the RTP phase, fireworks were aplenty as Krishna eased into different ragas with felicity and produced some exhilarating swara formations. He brought tranquility when he sang ``Callare…’’ The penultimate piece calmed not just the charged up Krishna but also the ambience.
Krishna Does A Richards
By Mukund
Wednesday, 27 December , 2006, 11:22
Head held high, his eyes saw straight. He hardly looked down. Extremely relaxed, he sat ever so comfortably on the dais. The body spoke a nonchalant language. The atmosphere on stage and the crowd around did not bother him a bit. He was in command. And, he displayed it in full measure.
He transmitted a sense of `don’t care attitude’. One was reminded of the dare-devilry exploits of former skipper of the West Indies King Vivian Richards on the Cricket field as vocalist T.M. Krishan set Sri Parthasarathy Sabha on fire during his three-hour concert on the evening of Christmas.
Krishna was at his entertaining best. As his wont, he was in a demonstrative mode. The audience had no complaint. In fact, it enjoyed every bit of what Krishna served that evening. Not to be outdone, veteran mridangist Umayalpuram Sivaraman created opportunities to match the showmanship of Krishna, producing some extraordinary beats with the flick of his right fingers. Sitting at the background, kanjira artiste B. Sri Sundra Kumar came upfront during thani, matching the guile of Sivaraman in his own assertive and yet quiet style. Violinist R.K.Sriram Kumar did well to measure up to Krishna’s creativity and showmanship.
Did Krishna play to the galleries? Yes and No. Krishna does it like that. And, he is well known for it. One has to give him his due, however. There was variety in terms of ragas, kritis and composers. There were ragas such as Mayamalavagaula, Ritigaula, Kapi Narayani, Begada, Kokila Varali and what not. These don’t really fit into the popular category of ragas. There were kritis of composers such as Swathi Tirunal, Thyagaraja and Subbaraya Shastri. Krishna was within the realm of tradition on this day.
Yet, he had managed to hold a complete sway over the audience, comprising rasikas of assorted sorts. There was something unique about his Swara build-ups, which were simple, racy and electrifying. Krishna’s uncanny ability to innovate during his extravagant tours on the upper octaves showed up the classy artiste in him.
Coming events cast their shadow before them, they say. ``Devadeva…’’ in Mayamalavagaula at the start did prove a pointer to what was coming later in the evening. He surprised the audience with a Kokila Varali piece. `Janani Ninu Vina…’ in Ritigaula; `Sarasa samadana bheda dana catura…’ in Kapi Narayani; and `Nadopasana…’ in Begada – all saw Krishna at his demonstrative best. There was something racy about his style. The way he brought his swara excursions to end was unique in the sense that he did not follow the beaten track. He delayed RTP (ragam, thanam and pallavi). Yet, when he went into the RTP mode, the indefatigable Krishna recharged the audience with some scintillating maneuvers, especially at tara sthayi. As he shifted gears, Kapi, Garudathwani, Kunthalavarali et al flowed. As the atmosphere reached a crescendo during the RTP phase, fireworks were aplenty as Krishna eased into different ragas with felicity and produced some exhilarating swara formations. He brought tranquility when he sang ``Callare…’’ The penultimate piece calmed not just the charged up Krishna but also the ambience.
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s_bala
- Posts: 2
- Joined: 13 Oct 2006, 08:27
Hi this is Bala (based in Singapore). One of the few concerts I attended this year. TMK at Partha was a great for a couple of reasons - he excelled despite singing a standard menu - goes to show that timetested kritis have a knack of lifting the concert - perhaps a point to ponder for those who experiment too much with untested new kritis. (Semmangudi Mama once said that the cream floats to the top and frowned upon the neo kritis) The second aspect was his first kalam swaram singing in Begada. I noticed that he brought out the varied facets of each swaram, especially Ma, Ni etc which are the beauty of the raga. Krishna seems to follow a new formula of a long 10-15 avarthanam essay either in the first kalam neraval or in the first kalam swaram - gives him ample scope to sketch the vast possiblities of the raga and of course, in his climactic style. Shriram Kumar played a good foil in all the Manodharma segments. TMK is one of the few keeping the fidelity of traditions. I listened to his Narada Gana next day and was equally spellbound, this time by his Yadukula Kamboji (GNB's Paramakripa) and Kaligiyunte (Kiravani) - listen to the neraval if you can.