Vibrations by Sri Thiruvarur Vaidyanathan

For a long time Mridangam professionals have been dealing with the audience walking out on them during their Thani Avardhanam, their solo part. It is a very rude behavior and actually shows the ignorance of some of the Carnatic music audience. Lately the trend has been positive in this behavior but the scar is deep. Mridangists have their own ways of coping with this. Some adapted a lot of flair and theatrics in playing keep the audience engaged. Some have taken the “Mrid” or softness out of the Mridangam to keep the audience entertained. Some have even tried admonishing the audience.

This situation may have also forced some creativity out of some mridangists. We shall call it the “reengineering” of the Carnatic musician ensemble. They are asking questions like – Why not try placing the mridangist at the center of the stage instead of being on one side? Why not start the concert with a Thani Avardhanam instead of sticking it towards the end of the main piece? Why don’t we use “konnakkol” alongside mridangam playing? And so on and so forth. By the way, Konnakkol is the language of the mridangists. Many of you will remember the song from Thiruvilaiyadal, Pattum Nane in the Ragam Gowri Manohari. Konnakkol is extensively used during the swara section (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg_hBWlR3h0). In the west the music is notated extensively but the beats are not notated. In Carnatic music it is the reverse with Mridangam strokes extensively notated. We will talk more about this “reengineering” and the Vibrations concert in a bit.

As Carnatic music fans, we owe it to ourselves to learn the basics of tala. Driving my son every Saturday morning to the mridangam class and staying behind gave me a fairly decent exposure to appreciate mridangam playing. During the weeks preceding Prem’s arangetram I was drinking from the fire hose. But in general, I think even a small amount of exposure to the mridangam basics will make Carnatic music more enjoyable. For those with an analytical or mathematical bent of mind, the “laya” part of our music will be particularly attractive.

Chaturasra Eka – 4 beat cycle

Khanda Chapu – 5 beat cycle

Rupaka – 6 beat cycle

Tisra Triputai – 7 beat cycle

Mishra Chapu – 7 beat cycle (my favorite)

Adi – 8 beat cycle (most popular)

Khanda Jathi Triputai – 9 beat cycle

And son on.

There is a lot more to the field of laya. Some songs are played in double count of the same base tala called “Rettai Kilai” or double branched. The “nadai” or the flow pattern might change. For example, a favorite of everyone, knowingly or unknowingly, is the Adi Talam in Tisra Nadai – sounds like the Western Waltz, makes you want to get up and dance. Here you stay for three counts on every beat of the Adi Talam.

It only takes minimal effort to understand the basics our tala system. Once you are able to follow along the beats of the singer or some advanced rasikas your enjoyment will double – guaranteed. But do the talam subtly until you have mastered the basics. If you place wrong talam loudly you may encounter the wrath of the fellow rasikas or even the artists. Alright, let us go to the concert.

Vibrations led by Sri Thiruvarur Vaidyanathan on the Mridangam and Konnakkol, Raghavendra Rao on the Violin, Sundar on the Tabla and Morsing, Guruprasad on the Ghatam, Vocal music by Kashyap Mahesh and Janardhan on the Guitar and Mandolin. Let us discuss this type of “reengineered” concerts as genre first before going into the specifics of this program.

In this genre of music, I think you will agree that we are at the point of departure and the point of arrival is nowhere in sight. Currently we are experimenting with both the artists and the audiences delicately positioned. The artists who are promoting this genre are either top rated in their fields or budding musicians aspiring to grow. Talent is certainly not in question. It is definitely in a novelty category given that carnatic music tradition is over several centuries. There is definite appeal to the crossover audience into this genre. Highly traditional audiences and some artists might consider this as blasphemy. And then there is a whole spectrum in between. We have a long way to go before this is time tested. Personally, I welcome experimentation like jugal bandi’s with Hindustani, fusion with Jazz and percussion centric concerts like this one.

Alright, let us talk specifically about the concert. Sri Vaidyanathan has a supreme command over the instrument and has a very rich voice suited for delivering konnakkol. Initially the singer’s voice was completely drowned by the percussionists but his later song renditions were excellent. The violinist Sri Raghavendra Rao, who I consider one of the best in the traditional concert circuit, played with flair especially in one Jazz fusion number. There were too many instruments in the concert which distracted more than add value. At times when all the percussionists were playing together it was jarring. In a percussion centric concert, I expected a variety of talas to be presented but this concert had an over emphasis on Adi talam. Overall, it is an E for effort. Let us go song by song.

Adi Tala – concert started with a Thani in Adi. When tabla joined in for a low voice rendition of Vakra Thunda Maha Kaya in Arabi, is sounded more like light music program. Konnakkol was rendered very effectively in a rich voice and the phrases were nicely replicated by the Tabla player.

Song in Nasika Bhushani/Kanda Chapu - Lyrics were barely audible

A special composition in Thilang – had no lyrics. Sounded a bit cinematic, fast paced. Konnakkol again was great.

Mana Vyala Kim in Nalina Kanthi/Adi – started with a Thani. Playing the mridangam on the Toppi side only (the side usually without the black part) was unique. The experience was like listening to a western song.

Suddha Danyasi song – great energy and good fusion.

Maya Malava Gowle song – staged some unique duos like konnakkol/morsing, guitar/table. But the hand offs were not clean.

Main piece in Saraswathi/Adi – turned Mandolin into a percussion instrument for a brief period by repeating the konnakkol phrases. Mrigandam Thani was amazing. Ghatam was played with deft. The control displayed by Morsing vidhwan was fantastic. Tabla added a nice departure from the usual routine. Clarity at high speeds was amazing. The part for singer was only the Thanam. Violinist showed amazing talent. Engaged the audience in the entire song – best song of the concert.

Keeravani – Devi Neeye Thunai/Adi – soft song, quite a contrast to the rest of the concert. Very traditional

Brahmam Okate – brisk number

Special composition in Sri Ranjani by the violinist – nicely executed

Sri Chakra Raja – for the traditional fans in the audience. Well rendered

Chinnanchiru Kiliye, Tisra Nadai Adi – Great singing

A song in Revathi and Dhaneshri Thillana – Fantastic

Abhishek Raghuram Vocal Concert

It is a good thing that Moammar Gaddafi is out of power in Libya. Ending his life in a gutter is a fitting end to this ruthless tyrant. It is hard to believe even after centuries since tyrants like Narakasura received their brutal end, we still got them ruling sections of this world. So called civilization is yet to have its complete hold when it comes to forms of government and how we accept being ruled. Anyway, for those of us celebrating Diwali to commemorate the death of Narakasura at the hands of Krishna, it got a little sweeter with the end of Gaddafi. Though I will admit it is difficult to imagine how an Indian sweet can be sweeter. Wish you all a Happy Diwali season moving right into Kanda Sashti celebrations.

Sri Abhishek Raghuram’s concert was very different from the beaten path. Not that there is anything wrong with the path we have been. I came out of the concert a bit confused. How come Hindolam did not sound like Hindolam in a few places and the same with many other songs and alapanas. I discussed with several musicians among the audience to find out about the Sruthi Bhetham or Graha Bhetham. It is a deliberate attempt on the part of the musician to go off track and come back in. It takes incredible talent to perform this feat. I understood that stalwarts do this only for a few seconds and snap right back. Also, they do it for one or two songs in a concert. But many in the audience believed that Sri Abhishek did the Shruthi Bhetam for longer and also too many times in one concert. Beauty is very subjective and in my own subjectivity this took the beauty away from the concert.

Mridangam by Sri Anantha Krishnan (aka Anand) carried the entire show. Anand and Abhishek are cousins and they are both grandsons of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sri Palghat Raghu.

Not everyone felt that way I felt. Here are the comments from a local supporter, singer Sri Prasanna Padmanabhan. Prasanna Wrote:

Abhishek Raghuram started the concert with a brisk Tyagaraja keerthana, Nadatanumanisam, in the rare ragam Chittarajnani. In a small but creative aalapanai, he was able to bring out the subtle prayogam differences with its almost identical twin Karaharapriya. This was followed by Muthuswami Dikshitar's Suryamurthe in the ragam Sourashtram (moola kriti in the Navagraha set of kritis). What better song for a Sunday afternoon in the Sunshine State (ironically, it was raining outside.. but we do need the rain here in South Florida, so I am not complaining)!

Next was an elaborate aalapanai in Hindolam which he seemed to explore in a refreshingly unconventional way (with a touch of the Hindustani Malkauns) as the basis for Tyagaraja's keertana Manasuloni. Vittal Ramamurthy on the violin responded well to Raghuram's intricate and mathematically brilliant kalpana swarams.

He then went on to Dwijavanti. For the aalapanai, he did something very creative - he used an interesting iPad/iPhone app called iTanpura (Incidentally, I had stumbled upon the same app and download the "Lite" version, just a few weeks back) which not only gave a nice dual-tanpura effect but also soothingly interspersed the aalapanai with interludes of the raag played on a santoor (or some sort of similar stringed instrument). While Dwijavanti/Jaijaivanti is originally a Hindustani raag, his aalapani was uniquely Carnatic. I felt he could have slowed down a little to bring out the essence of the Hindustani style. While the audience seemed to be holding their breath for Akhilandeshwari Rakshamaam, he pleasantly surprised us all with another genuinely Dikshitar composition - Chetasri Balakrishnam. Again, I felt with a little more slowness, he could have done better justice to the vilambit style in which the song was probably conceived by Dikshitar. However, Vittal Ramamurthy, brought out the grace of the raag through deliberate slowness in his aalapanai. So overall, the entire song was a nice treat to our ears.

For the next piece, Raghuram intelligently substitued a request from one of the audience members for Tyagaraga's Ksheera Saagara with another (perhaps less heard of but very beautiful and fast-paced) composition of Tyagaraga in the same ragam, Devagaandhari, called Koluvai Unnaade.

The main piece for the concert was Muthuswami Dikshitar's Sri Krishnam Bhaje in the raagam Thodi. After a very elaborate and somewhat complex aalapanai (whereas the violinist seemed to respond in a more traditional and simpler style), he started the song with a slight twist - starting with the anupallavi (Paakashaasanaadi vinuta charanam) and then going on to sing the Pallavi. I am not Mridagnam expert to talk about the intricacies, but for sure, Anantha Krishnan's ThaniAavardhanam kept the audience fully engaged.

The thukkada section of the concert was filled with songs like Purandara Dasar's Chandrachuda Shiva Shankara (in Darbari Kaanada - which he nicely elaborated in a short aalapanai), Manadirkku Ugandadu in Sindhu Bhairavi (there seemed to be a slight but intentional diversion to subhapantuvarali in the aalapanai.. not sure why he did that!) and Yenna Tavam Seidanai (Papanasam Sivan's masterpiece, which again, he started with anupalllavi first).

Overall the concert was a feast to everyone's ears. Although only 26, Abhishek Raghuram's brilliance and prodigy was clearly evident. He was somewhat unconventional in his style, but that made it quite refreshing. With some more clarity and crispness in his presentation style, there's no stopping him from reaching the stars.

Sikkil Gurucharan Concert

South Florida finished another fantastic Navarathri season. Every year the Navarathri activities have shown an increase. Jayanthi and I have crossed over two decades of celebrating the Navarathri here in South Florida and we wish our community all the best. It was heartening to see our children participate eagerly in this colorful tradition. Along with celebrations it is great that our culture is being preserved.Our Shiva Vishnu Temple also conducted a special function with over 101 ladies participating in a special pooja during this season. In short, this is a festival highlighting our respect for women in society, passing our tradition to our youngsters, growing our rich heritage in a variety of art forms, sharing, displaying our creativity, food (of course) and many more. Nice job by our entire community in doing our part to lift the spirits during this economy.

Apparently, I missed a great concert by Sri Sikkil Gurucharan that happened right in the middle of this Navarathri celebrations. But thanks to our resident Violin Vidhwan Sri Sanjay Chandran, we have write up on the concert. See his comments below:

Sri Sanjay Chandran wrote:

Sikkil Gurucharan treated South Florida carnatic music rasikas to a sumptuous concert on Oct 1^st, 2011 (Sun) evening. He was accompanied on the violin by H.K. Venkatram and on the mridangam by Thiruvavur Bhaktavathsalam.

Gurucharan began the concert with Sriragam varnam, Saami Ninne. He followed that with the Muthaiah Bhagavathar krithi, Bhuvaneshwariya in Ragam Mohana Kalyani and the Shyama Sastry Krithi Devi Brova Samya Midhe in Ragam Chintamani. Rounding out the 1^st half of the concert was the krithi Muruga Thirumal Maruga, a composition of Tanjavur Sankara Iyer in Ragam Harikamboji, set to Roopaka Thalam. Both the vocalist and violinist delivered elaborate alapanas in Ragam Harikamboji. Gurucharan showed his creativity in doing Neraval for Karunai Kadale (charanam). Surprisingly, there were no Kalpana Swaras for this item.

The 2^nd half of the concert started out with the popular Thyagaraja krithi Chala Melara in Ragam Marga Hindolam. Following that was the main piece Kamalamba Bajare, the Dikshitar krithi in Ragam Kalyani. All the major facets of the Ragam Kalyani were elaborated and expressed by both the vocalist and violinist. The Kalpana swaras, while mathematically complex at times, flowed nicely. The mridangist played a very energetic Thaniyavarthanam. In playing the Nadais, he showed his mastery over the thalam; in playing the Farans, he showed his skill/dexterity and in playing the Mohara and Theeramanam, he showed his mathematical creativity. After the main piece, Gurucharan sang the somewhat rare krithi, Enrikku shiva krupai varumo, composed by Neelakanta Sivan in Ragam Mukhari, set to Roopaka Thalam.

Just as Rasikas were wondering if the concert was coming to an end, Gurucharan pleasantly surprised the audience by singing a Ragam Thanam Pallavi in Ragam Lalitha in Khanda Jathi Triputa Thalam. The Kalpana Swaras had a Ragamalika component and he sang some pleasing ragams such as Ahir Bhairav. The concert ended with lighter pieces such as the popular Annamacharya krithi Ksheerabdhi Kanyakaku in Ragam Kurunji.

The violinist, H.K. Venkatram provided good support to the vocalist at all times and the mridangist, Thiruvavur Bhaktavathsalam was at his energetic best. Overall, the concert was a feast to the listeners’ ears.