Topic started by Isai Rasigai (@ columbo.lifeworks.com) on Fri Mar 17 09:51:03 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.
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Hi Everybody:
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Responses:
- Old responses
- From: IR (@ dialup-63.210.159.251.boston1.level3.net)
on: Sat Apr 8 14:40:45 EDT 2000
Rajesh - not a problem - dont feel sorry - we all have a right to our opinions :::))))
I am big time fan of TNS myself ::))
You are right about TNS toiling to make the Kamba Raamayanam songs sound musically rich/"heavy"......
- From: Rajesh (@ 98ace5f9.ipt.aol.com)
on: Sun Apr 9 22:37:14 EDT 2000
Nado, I fear that the discussion would turn from TNS to Telugu Kirthana vs Tamil isai.I am great fan of Tamil Isai. Don't call it tukkadas. I can tell lot of great examples for Tamil Isai
- From: Nadopasaka (@ akppp96.buffnet.net)
on: Mon Apr 10 00:36:02 EDT 2000
Not sure if any of Muthuswamy Dikshitars krities or Muthiah Bhagavathar or PatnamSIyer or would even classify as Slokas, much less Telugu Kirtanas ! You can check with TNS when he visits DC.
Shlokams/Viruttams/Harikatha are indeed tukkadas and are distinct from Compositions, even purely Tamil ones such as those by Papanasam Sivan.
- From: Diwakar (@ 206.175.177.136)
on: Mon Apr 10 13:25:48 EDT 2000
Nado : Why much "less" Telugu Kirtanas? Is one missing something here?
- From: Nadopasaka (@ aeppp9.buffnet.net)
on: Mon Apr 10 17:38:49 EDT 2000
Nope, nothing to it, Diwakar.
- From: Nadopasaka (@ afppp9.buffnet.net)
on: Mon Apr 10 17:58:58 EDT 2000
There is a concert by Visakha Santhanam on the kutchery website. Is this person related to the Mah. family ? Couple of Sivan pieces there.
- From: Rajesh (@ 63.66.87.2)
on: Tue Apr 11 12:15:55 EDT 2000
Nado, is he coming to DC?
- From: Nadopasaka (@ ahppp10.buffnet.net)
on: Tue Apr 11 12:30:58 EDT 2000
I think usually concerts in the Balto-Wash area are coordinated at the Lanham-Maryland (outskirts of DC) temple, but I am not sure. There is another site in Philly serving that Tri-state area. The Philly concert is for Apr. 29. The Boston one seems to get done by April 15. Probably New York gets him in that interim. He is supposed to be in Atlanta May 20. So after Philly, I suspect he will work his way down the coast. May have a detour to the SV temple in Pittsburgh. IR may have more complete info.
- From: IR (@ columbo.lifeworks.com)
on: Tue Apr 11 12:54:54 EDT 2000
Nado - I know he has Washington in his itinerary - am not sure about the date...
He would be performing in NY on April 14th (supposedly!) and Boston (confirmed) April 16th... would let you know soon
- From: Nadopasaka (@ ahppp37.buffnet.net)
on: Tue Apr 11 14:06:11 EDT 2000
Thanks Isrsgi, please post. :-))
- From: Rajesh (@ 63.66.87.2)
on: Tue Apr 11 16:32:23 EDT 2000
Thanks Nado anr IR
- From: Chandra (@ acs00asm.asm.bellsouth.net)
on: Fri Apr 21 18:27:50 EDT 2000
Dear Readers,
T.N. Seshagoplan's All-Tamil Tamil Music Concerts are scheduled as follows:
1. May 14, 2000 San Jose, CA:
Contact: manim@ix.netcom.com, President of the Bay Area Tamil Sangam
2. May 21, 2000 Atlanta, GA:
Contact: P.Chandrasekaran, President and Founder of The Pothiyil Foundation for Tamil Heritage, Atlanta, GA. perichandra@yahoo.com.
Please publicize this event as widely as possible especially among those who are not regular Tamil music listeners. A lot of effort and financial input has gone into this in the hope that this will forever change the indifferent/unfriendly view of Tamils on classical Tamil music.
Thanks
Chandra.
- From: Chandra (@ acs00asm.asm.bellsouth.net)
on: Fri Apr 21 18:28:54 EDT 2000
Oops:
Please note that the name of the Bay Area Tamil Sangam president is:
Mani M. Manivannan.
- From: Rajesh (@ abd11c9c.ipt.aol.com)
on: Sat Apr 22 13:00:27 EDT 2000
Hi
I really appreciate this Chandra
- From: nandini (@ 1cust149.tnt9.charlotte.nc.da.uu.net)
on: Sat Apr 22 22:18:10 EDT 2000
TNS is singing for CMAC Carnatic music assoc of Charlotte on the 20th of May.
- From: Nadopasaka (@ akppp91.buffnet.net)
on: Sun Apr 23 05:39:22 EDT 2000
Hi, Nandini. You may get some contact names from TNS or from his accompanists in his Charlotte concert, since they cover most of the continent.
- From: IR (@ dialup-63.210.149.42.boston1.level3.net)
on: Sun Apr 23 08:57:14 EDT 2000
Nandini, I saw your posting in another forum about concerts in INdia for people living in US... Hamsadhwani is one such Sabha that arranges concerts for NRI's... you may probably know about them....
- From: nandini (@ 1cust55.tnt9.charlotte.nc.da.uu.net)
on: Sun Apr 23 18:44:06 EDT 2000
That right IR....i do know about hamsadhwani....i'm trying to get a email/contact of them so i can apply directly!
- From: Nadopasaka (@ adppp32.buffnet.net)
on: Sat Apr 29 10:07:19 EDT 2000
I just attended TNS at the Cleveland Tyagaraja Aradhana. It is with the deepest regret that I must make the following observation.
TNS was OFF-KEY, i.e. apa-shruti every other phrase. It was unbelievable ! No amount of algorithmic swara cascades could rescue him. I was so hurt I LEFT after the first 4 pieces, Sahana varnam ... some others ( I cant even remember them, dont want to really )
What bothered me most was that an entire set of 'Groupies' has been following him around, and this may be giving him some unfortunate (positive) feedback for his errors. I hope it was just a one time event, but I have the feeling that the swara and tana type phrases, which can be very intricate leave him with some amnesia about the raga involved and basic accuracy. It was rubbing off even on the poor violinist. Man, I almost got up to tell him this. why? why?... Un**ing-believable !! TNS student (sunder) gave a recital before him and while he did not have the similar problem, I would rate him as medium. Will give further details after I decompress/debrief myself.
Passing notes, in my opinion, Rudrapatnam B were decent, SRJ was interesting, Saralaya sisters get a B+, started off a bit slowly, shashikiran was also somewhere there, fine Hemavati RTP and also Kamakshi swarajati in Yadukula K by SS among others, Nagamani Srinath (surprise Ramanad Krishnan's student ! ) Jayantis veena was excellent-A+medium. will give raga details later.
I could not attend the concerts by Nedunuri, KVN, Sowmya etc. But I am profoundly disturbed by TNS' performance.
- From: nandini (@ 1cust250.tnt9.charlotte.nc.da.uu.net)
on: Sat Apr 29 17:50:13 EDT 2000
Nado> Regarding TNS and his groupies...i recently spoke to my dad in india & the latest info on TNS is that he has come out with a 4volume tape recording of himself with a really large group of his students and his son.
I've also noticed in concerts in madras where there's a huge following behind him on the stage......I had no idea they follow him here too!!! Well.....i'll get to see this when they come to charlotte!!!
- From: nandini (@ 1cust250.tnt9.charlotte.nc.da.uu.net)
on: Sat Apr 29 17:51:45 EDT 2000
I would have loved to hear your comments on Sowmya!!! Surprised to note your B+ for Saralaya Ss........
- From: Nadopasaka (@ aappp48.buffnet.net)
on: Sat Apr 29 22:02:44 EDT 2000
Duets and chorus groups attempting to find unison in manodharma ( apart from well-rehearsed kritis and raga phrases ) take a little getting used to, for me at least. It seems the S-Strs have learnt from BMK !, among others. The 'shorter' (Kavita or Triveni ?? ) one can probably go it alone, from what I heard. I was a little taken aback when they tried to sell me and others their tapes/CDs at a kiosk outside the venue. It was my first experience with musicians 'hawking' their own wares directly. But it is only their first trip to the States, so they may have felt compelled to get more personal.
- From: Radha Bhaskar,Chennai (@ 203.197.135.142)
on: Sun Apr 30 03:49:01 EDT 2000
As a musician, research scholar, music critic and organiser, I have had the opportunity to listen to almost every artist of the past and present. In the process, I feel that TNS is one of the few musicians who have made an indelible mark , specially in the area of manodharma which is the core of our music.I do agree that there may have been a few instances where TNS has been off-key and I do accept that such allowance cannot be given to a reputed artist of his callibre but that cannot become a yardstick to determine an artist’s worth.As for TNS, I would like to touch upon a few points on what makes his music outstanding -
1) Unbound creativity - To TNS, sky seems the limit when it comes to handling manodharma.Immediate examples which come to my mind are his concerts at Mudhra’s festivals - (a) One raga- one kriti concert in Dec.97 where he handled Kamboji raga and a single composition (Sri subramanyaya) for 2 1/2 hours (b) 4 hour concert in Dec.’98 where he presented a remarkable Pallavi in Ranjani (c) a special two- fold thematic concert this December - 1st half featuring one raga where he elaborated only Karaharapriya & Chakkaniraja for over 3 hours followed by a tukkada session for 1 1/2 hours. It was indeed amazing to see how TNS could make even the lay rasika sit through spellbound while elaborating a single piece for so long - a point worth noting in today’s kriti oriented scenario where manodharma has been taking a backseat.
Understanding the intricacies of TNS’s concert demands a high level of intellect. It is definitely not the kind of junk fast food that is prepared in a jiffy and does more harm than good to us. TNS offers rich material, keeping in mind at every stage the quality of the end product.
2) Concert planning - Nowadays, most concerts have become a standard package and one can anticipate at every stage what is to come next. TNS is an exception ( not that he is unconventional). When you think he is going to settle into elaborating a ghana raga, he will surprise you by just singing a kriti in it and then go off into an expansive treatment of a meagre raga like Brindavani Saranga or Sindubhairavi and keep you amazed about the extensive possiblities and scope of it.
3) Kalpana svaras - His svara singing has a lot of vyavaharam and definitely not within the understanding of the ordinary rasika but that does not mean he lacks stuff. It is like closing one’s eyes and saying that the world is dark ! His music bears testimony to the fact that he aspires to elevate the rasikas’
taste and expose them to the intricate technicalities of our music. A point worth adding here is his handling of ragamalika svaras to pallavis where even a ‘gnana shoonya’ reaches a state of ecstasy !
4) Kriti rendition - TNS uses the kriti effectively as a tool to excercise his manodharama . As a result, the same kriti when sung by him each time gains a new and fresh dimension, though he does take care to retain intact its core structure.
5)Voice facility - He is one of the few musicians to have a clean range of 3 octaves and his fluency in singing brigas and continous chains of phrases with enormous breath control is indeed a rare feat!
6) Unique style - What TNS sings is a distinct bani evolved through his own research and thinking. Even to reproduce it is a Herculean task as it has so much of intricate material packed in it. High asthetic taste makes every concert of his a unique and memorable presentation.
Artists like TNS need to be really applauded for their capablity to draw a large audience without diluting musical standards. It is the strong conviction of such artists in traditionalism and their ability to finely blend it with innovation and changing trends that has made Carnatic music thrive successfully at the global level and maintain its dignity and glory amidst several odds.
- From: Nadopasaka (@ adppp40.buffnet.net)
on: Sun Apr 30 08:29:35 EDT 2000
RadhaB of Chennai, writes >>> I do agree that there may have been a few instances where TNS has been off-key and I do accept that such allowance cannot be given to a reputed artist of his callibre but that cannot become a yardstick to determine an artist’s worth <<<
All technical brilliance, which TNS has in abundance, is a house of cards that collapses each time the untruth of an apa-shruti is produced. Like a woman who cannot be a part-time virgin, the raga development must have this basic purity. ( no escape via the sruti-bhedam route either ).
I agree that one inadequate concert should not determine the measure of any artist. It is possible the acoustics of the amphitheatre shaped hall used ( the audience rises all around the artiste and stage ) may have given TNS some incorrect feedback. The amplification levels used were incredibly high and may have competed against the sound-sensitive construction of the recital hall with rear, top and side reflection panels etc.
I hope the organizers give TNS tapes of the concert he rendered in Cleveland. The fact, however, that TNS' key has been in question on more than one continent and more than one occasion , gives me, a reasonably objective admirer of TNS, significant pause. The arguments for globalization and the need to draw larger and larger audiences can also be debated. I understand, for example, that SemmangudiSI does not travel.
Since you are an organizer, RadhaB, maybe you can comment on the use of amplification and the kind of halls you provide our professional musicians in Chennai. The great vaggeyakaras and wandering minstrels of the past had no access to this. Maybe we should have a few kutcheries without any 'mikes'.
It is always interesting to me that the Muthiah Bhagavatar school could produce someone like MaduraiMani Iyer and also TNS, whose styles, especially voice facility, are in stark contrast.
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