S.Saketaraman @ Ramana Kendram, Chennai (17 June 2007)

ram · Post by **ram** » 18 Jun 2007, 13:52

Venue: Ramana Kendram, Alarmelmangapuram, Mylapore, Chennai

Date: 17 June 2007

Organizer: Ramana Kendram

Vocal: Vid. S. Saketaraman

Violin: Vid. Charumathi Raghuraman

Mrudangam: Vid. Trivandrum Balaji

List of songs:

1) mAl marugan (varNam) - hindOLam - Adi - tanjAvUr shankara iyer (O)

2) karuNAnidhiyE - bauLi - misra chApu - pApanAsam sivan (OS)

3) cintaya mA kanda mUlakandam - bhairavi - rUpakam - muthuswAmi dIkSitar (O)

4) kalyANa rAmA - hamsanAdam - Adi - UthukkADu venkaTasubbaiyer (ANS)

5) kanna taNDri nApai - dEvamanOhari - Adi - tyAgarAja

6) Emi jEsitE - tODi - misra chApu - tyAgarAja (ANST)

7) mAlOn maruganai manrADi maindanai & two other verses (viruttam) - sahAnA, shanmukhapriyA & behAg

muruganin marupeyar azhagu - behAg - kanDa cApu - sUrajAnandA

8 ) tAm tAm taka (tillAnA) - vAsanti - misra cApu - lAlguDi g. jayarAman

9) nI nAma rUpa mulaku (mangaLam) - saurAshTram - Adi - tyAgarAja

(Key: O=raga outline, A=raga alapana, N=neraval, S=kalpana swaram, T=taniavartanam)

"Moorthi siridhaanalum keerthi peridhu (form might be small but fame is large)". This is how the organizer introduced Vid Saketaraman. It is indeed surprising at times as to how a person with such a frail frame can produce such a strong voice !!

Vid Saketaraman started the concert with Sri Tanjavur Sankara Iyer's beautiful varNam in hindOLam "mAl marugan". Sri Papanasam Sivan's "karuNanidhiyE" was then rendered nicely with kalpanA swarams at the pallavi line. Vid Charumathi Raghuraman accompanied very well for this song playing in the lower octave for some of the lines and this I thought gelled very well with the vocal. The start of a bhairavi rAgA outline saw many people letting out loud gasps. "bhairavi for the third song itself?" seemed to be the question in everyone's minds. But many looked satisfied when Vid Saketaraman chose "cintaya mA" and were found busily scanning the pages of their raga/kriti guides, searching for the song.

After bhairavi came the hamsanAdam alapana. hamsanAdam is a raga I like a lot (the modern version; not many sing the older version) and needless to say I thoroughly enjoyed the alapana by both the vocalist and the violinist. Every time someone starts singing a hamsanAdam alapana, my mind starts speculating "kalyANa rAmA", though what ensues quite often is "baNTurIti". This time however, I was rewarded when my favorite song in this raga "kalyANa rAmA" was actually taken up. It was a very neat and impressive rendition with neraval done for "rAghava raghurAma rAmA" and kalpanA swarams put alternatively at "rAghava" and "janakajA ramaNa".

The main song was "Emi jEsitE" in tODi. Neraval was done for the anupallavi line "kAma mOha dAsulai .. " and kalpana swarams were put at "shrI rAmuni". A good taniAvartanam was played with an eDuppu of 0.5 beat before samam (for "shrI rAmuni") by Vid Trivandrum Balaji.

Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman's tillAnA in vAsanti and the traditional mangaLam brought the curtains down and saw Sri Saketaraman scurry off to catch the train back to Bangalore. His sister Vid Vishaka Hari was present listening to the entire concert. Such is the adulation audiences shower on her that most mamis present there flocked towards her after the concert got over making it a bit difficult for lesser mortals like me to find their way outside. I left thanking heavens that her presence had not been announced in the morning papers beforehand.

Source: http://ramsabode.wordpress.com/2007/06/ ... m-chennai/

bhaktha · Post by **bhaktha** » 18 Jun 2007, 14:27

@Ram,
When some artistes take up ragams like hamsanadam for elaboration, after a certain point, I usually find that they seem to be going up and down the scales singing mere notes than the ragam itself. This happens for most oudava-oudava ragams adn some not-so-commonly sung melams. Nice to know the youngster sang a good alapanai. And My!! What a pleasing voice he has!
-bhaktha

apasruthi · Post by **apasruthi** » 18 Jun 2007, 15:22

Ram:

Thanks for the double reports (including Sikkil Gurucharan's concert). I really like your systematic presentation of the venue, date, artists and the song list. It definitely has your Mudra written all over! I only wish if you could dwell more on the review part of the music in the same way, specially a bit more on the accompanists' performance...

I had really missed this opportunity - since I had covered Saketh's earlier two concerts, which were equally enjoyable, and coincidentally with the same Mrudangist , Shr. Trivandrum Balaji. Looks like there is a great chemistry working between them, and a very good understanding..

Saketh is a very promising youngster, and the one to really watch out, for making it really big. He has the right fundamentals, coming from Lalgudi school, and he is an intelligent artist (that he works for Goldman Sachs is another proof of his intelligence). I sincerely wish that his career in Goldman Sachs, does not deprive of his wonderful future ahead in CM, which would be a loss to all genuine music lovers...

For a small, sarEram (frame of body/physique), he indeed has a great sArEram..

Apasruthi

srinidhi · Post by **srinidhi** » 19 Jun 2007, 09:29

Is he also, like his sister, disciple of Sri LGJ?

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 19 Jun 2007, 09:57

srinidhi wrote:Is he also, like his sister, disciple of Sri LGJ?

yes

mridhangam · Post by **mridhangam** » 19 Jun 2007, 10:20

Yes Saketaraman is a disciple of LGJ
J.Balaji

ram · Post by **ram** » 19 Jun 2007, 10:42

apasruthi,

Will try to increase the length of my posts (They are not intended to be reviews in the strict sense as they only talk about what I enjoyed in concerts and omit the negatives, if any). Blame it a bit on laziness on my part and a lot on time crunch. Will probably reduce the number of posts and increase the content in each.

Ram

apasruthi · Post by **apasruthi** » 19 Jun 2007, 10:48

That would indeed be nice Ram, if you could do it.

Regarding the posts, I'm also not particularly looking for a technically correct review, (I myself am not an expert in that sense), but more from "rasanai" or as what you said as what you enjoyed or even observed, purely as a rasika..

Apasruthi

sankirnam · Post by **sankirnam** » 19 Jun 2007, 18:34

Thanks for the review, I wanted to attend this concert but was unable to do so..

kssuresh · Post by **kssuresh** » 19 Jun 2007, 18:44

srinidhi wrote:Is he also, like his sister, disciple of Sri LGJ?

!! Who is his sister?

kssuresh · Post by **kssuresh** » 19 Jun 2007, 18:46

Sorry, got it. Didn't read the original post fully.

rangahome · Post by **rangahome** » 19 Jun 2007, 20:03

kssuresh:

His sister is Vishaka Hari

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 20 Jun 2007, 15:04

Ram, please do not reduce the number of posts - at least some of us here really appreciate your posts for their comprehesiveness, regularity and the musical erudition they reveal. Not too many people can comphrehend and notate a complex Korvai (read his post on Sanjay's concert) even as it is being sung/played - do not deny us the privilege of such insights.

Of course, I am aware that it is not your nature to dwell on negative aspects of a concert (and it would be infinitely more interesting if you did!) but I would not complain too much even if you just stuck to the service you are rendering to this forum presently.

sbala · Post by **sbala** » 20 Jun 2007, 15:38

Ram,
I second Vijay's request. Don't deny us the privilege! Your reviews have set the bar for others in terms of technical content (including the Hindu writers) and I enjoy them thoroughly.

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 20 Jun 2007, 17:04

Ram,
Don't reduce the no of posts, you may potentially deny an oppurtunity to an upcoming artist or just skip a new song list. I usually time slice at my conveniance , perhaps you can do if you feel stretched, but I guess most of the days it is not applicable to you as u pile up quite fast(nowadays I am not piling much because of traffic jam.

)

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 20 Jun 2007, 20:11

Gentlemen, all of you!
Keep the reviews coming. They keep us current on the CM scene, give the upcoming performers a boost and above all, keeps CM spotlighted. The additional benefits, we all know about. It keeps our memory fresh about the numerous compositions, ever so often some kriti we haven't heard of before, their composers, rAgAs and tALAs. A lively excercise for all CM lovers everywhere...

coolkapali · Post by **coolkapali** » 21 Jun 2007, 23:34

Ram Ram Ram,
Carry on Ram,
Like the Tram,
In this Forum,
Music is the Charm.

Ram Ram Ram,
Ur memory is like DRAM
Ur knowledge is like a Dam, ( for want of another rhyming wrd)
Ur reviews come with a Bam.

Ram Ram Ram,
Dont give a Damn
To people's Syndrome,
But Carry on Ram,
So I say Ram.
Hare Ram Ram.
How was tat Ram.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 22 Jun 2007, 00:45

Hot hot, Kapali, hot from the rhyme machine,
Your sentiments are cool cool cool indeed!
Add to Ram's name the rest of the crew,
Rajesh, Vijay and Bharath too, and what have you,
Our gentlemen review crew, and the rest of them too!

Sathej · Post by **Sathej** » 22 Jun 2007, 08:17

That is a nice verse. Surely Ram would like that.
Sathej

ram · Post by **ram** » 22 Jun 2007, 10:21

coolkapali,

Speechless after reading your poem. You have got my name wrongly in there though. As arasi madam says, it is about all those people who are a part of this forum and make it such an interesting place.

coolkapali · Post by **coolkapali** » 22 Jun 2007, 16:45

Arey, brother.

i just felt happy abt u doing this service.......its so selfless.yet with so much dedication.....a rare quality indeed.

and hats off to the others too.

Way to go folks!!!!!!