Saying Farewell in a Rush of Witty Ragas
John Thomas
By JON PARELES
Ravi Shankar, 81, looked frail as he walked onstage on Sunday night for
what was billed as his final Carnegie Hall concert and last full-scale
tour. His daughter and musical disciple, Anoushka Shankar, had, as
planned, played the first half without him. But once Ravi Shankar picked
up his sitar, there was nothing hesitant or autumnal about the music.
In slow, introspective passages and fast flashy ones, he improvised with
aggression and wit. After one burst of speed that finished with a
syncopated twist, Anoushka Shankar, accompanying her father, doubled
over with delighted laughter.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/24/arts/music/24RAVI.html?todaysheadlines
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--
-Regards,
John Thomas
jwth...@sonic.net
Ajay Nerurkar
> Saying Farewell in a Rush of Witty Ragas
>
> By JON PARELES
> http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/24/arts/music/24RAVI.html?todaysheadlines
A content-free review. Mr. Pareles did not even take the effort to find out
what raag he played, calling it 'a Punjabi raga with an unusual rhythmic cycle'
and then going on to say that Mr. Shankar's next selection was "a thumri, a
less formal garland (or medley) of ragas". Is it so difficult for the New York
Times to find someone a little less ignorant to review Indian music concerts?
Does anyone know what this "Punjabi raga" was and in what "unusual rhythmic
cycle" it was presented?
Ajay
--
Posted from [65.184.4.149]
via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG
Daniel Fuchs
Any views?
Daniel
John Thomas
<dfu...@stud.uni-goettingen.de> wrote:
> Well, that brings up the subject of competence in ICM reviews again...
>
> Any views?
I've never seen a knowledgeable review of an ICM concert or recording
in any American media outlet. I haven't read "India Today" for several
years, but I don't recall seeing any even there.
The problem is that to review ICM properly one would have to use and
then explain all the relevant technical terms, presumably in every
review; the critic would always have to assume he might have a first-time
reader who knew nothing about ICM and would have to have every technical
term explained.
Interestingly enough, the hard-core WCM and jazz audience is not much
bigger than that for ICM in the US, but reviews of Western music
normally use terms understood only by the cognoscenti.
The media remain unaware of the existence of an ICM audience. Even
here in the San Francisco Bay Area, home to one of the largest, if not
*the* largest populations of Indian immigrants in the US, the situation
remains no different from that in New York. Perhaps the only source for
competent ICM criticism in the US and Europe would be a web page devoted
to just this purpose, with extensive CD reviews and concert reports from
competent critics based around the major concert venues. Anyone ready
to start (and finance) such a venture?
--
-Regards,
John Thomas
jwth...@sonic.net
Biz
> "John Thomas" <no-...@sonic.net> wrote:
>
> > Saying Farewell in a Rush of Witty Ragas
> >
> > By JON PARELES
>
> > http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/24/arts/music/24RAVI.html?todaysheadlines
>
>
> A content-free review. Mr. Pareles did not even take the effort to find out
> what raag he played, calling it 'a Punjabi raga with an unusual rhythmic cycle'
> and then going on to say that Mr. Shankar's next selection was "a thumri, a
> less formal garland (or medley) of ragas". Is it so difficult for the New York
> Times to find someone a little less ignorant to review Indian music concerts?
>
> Does anyone know what this "Punjabi raga" was and in what "unusual rhythmic
> cycle" it was presented?
>
>
> Ajay
The "Punjabi" raga was actually "South Indian", Khamboji Kanhra in
Champaktaal (15 beats). I was sitting all the way back in the cheap
seats, but I clearly heard what Raviji announced. (Maybe the Times
should give their reviewers a map of the subcontinent and a copy of
the Raga Guide for reference ;)
His second selection of the evening was in Sindhi Bhairavi in a
dhun/thumri style, touching on several other ragas. I wasn't
expecting that much from the concert, but I have to admit, the old man
still had flashes of brilliance throughout the program, with a
surprising amount of speed and precision in his hands. A fond
farewell indeed.
Biz
Anon
What did his daughter play?
Bon
James Pokorny
>I've never seen a knowledgeable review of an ICM concert or recording
>in any American media outlet.
>The problem is that to review ICM properly one would have to use and
>then explain all the relevant technical terms, presumably in every
>review; the critic would always have to assume he might have a first-time
>reader who knew nothing about ICM and would have to have every technical
>term explained.
> Interestingly enough, the hard-core WCM and jazz audience is not much
>bigger than that for ICM in the US, but reviews of Western music
>normally use terms understood only by the cognoscenti.
It is rather pathetic that after reviewing ICM concerts for years the New
York Times still has such a cookie-cutter approach. It's also sad to see
that for the most part only Hindustani instrumental music is deemed
newsworthy. Every review I've seen for the last 10 years or so is basically
the same: it describes ICM in general instead of offering any criticism or
interpretation of the individual performance. The reviewers assigned to ICM
are generally the same critics who review pop or jazz. I don't understand
why a knowledgeable outside reviewer could not be brought in for the rare
occasions when ICM reviews are published. No one would stand for a WCM
review that said: "There were more people with instruments on stage than
you could shake a stick at. Then one guy came out and started shaking a
stick at them. First some of the instruments played and some didn't. Then
they all played together and it was loud and fast. Then the brass stopped
playing and it got slow again. Then everyone joined in for a rousing
finale. After the intermission they did the same thing all over again."
I imagine that the NYT style book might have a small section dedicated to
ICM reviews that looks something like this:
[performer's name] gave a recital of Indian classical music on [day of week]
at [venue]. Mr. [performer] a master of the [instrument], an Indian lute,
was accompanied on the tabla drums by [accompanist]. Mr. [performer] began
his performance with a slow raga accompanied only by a droning tanpura.
(Describe slow part in two sentences using at least one of these terms:
[sinuous], [meditative], [austere], [leisurely], [sparkling]). After
concluding the alap, Mr. [performer] was joined by Mr. [accompanist] on
tabla. Together they played compositions and variations in the same raga.
Mr. [accompanist] began by merely marking out the rhythm, but soon displayed
fiery outbursts of impassioned response to Mr. [performer's] improvisations.
(Describe the fast section in two sentences using at least one of the
following: [increased in intensity], [gradually became faster and more
complex], [churned with mathematical precision], [skittered playfully to a
conclusion], [raced to a thundering climax]). The audience cheered wildly.
After the intermission Mr. [performer] and Mr. [accompanist] performed a
lighter raga, based on folk melodies. (Describe the second melody in one
sentence using all of the following: [graceful], [lilting], [romantic],
[sensual], [playful], [joyous], [yearning], [songlike]). A final piece was
played in a devotional mood.
Isn't it time we moved beyond this?
Ashok
j.po...@worldnet.att.net says...
>
>"There were more people with instruments on stage than
>you could shake a stick at. Then one guy came out and started shaking a
>stick at them. First some of the instruments played and some didn't. Then
>they all played together and it was loud and fast. Then the brass stopped
>playing and it got slow again. Then everyone joined in for a rousing
>finale. After the intermission they did the same thing all over again."
James, that's hilarious! Thanks.
Ashok
Daniel Fuchs
now that's the kind of posting I wanted to see when I first brought up
the issue in an earlier thread (instead everybody accused me of being
unfair towards the reviewer, who had posted a link to his review).
Your mock WCM review describes perfectly what happens to ICM. I'V even
read in a record review that finally at the end of a sitar performance,
in the jhala (don't remember if the term was used), the tanpura also got
a bit of a solo part.... Ouch. In another field I once read a review
that stated the women in a bulgarian choir couldn't sing properly... The
"reviewer" was expecting choir to sound quite different, and it never
even occured to him that this music maybe was *meant* to sound like it
does...
It also surprises me that reviewers still write about the "exotic"
qualities of ICM...
But the phenomenon is commom I guess... A reviewer in Delhi was
obviously very confused by the way a hungarian gypsy band treated their
instruments (one man actually *stood* on his double bass, touching it
with his feet and all...) and in what bad shape these instruments were.
He gave those musicians a severe thrashing in his review...
I'd like to take a look into Raghav Menon's (TOI) style book... He must
own the largest collection of flowery adjectives in the world... ;-)
Daniel
Biz
Anoushka began the concert. Her first piece was in Yaman Kalyan in
teentaal. I can't remember if there was a second gat in ektaal.
Anyway, I'd seen her earlier in Philadelphia in October, and she was
doing the 10 ragas at 10 minutes a piece, in 2 hours deal there, but
thankfully she stretched out for a good 30 minutes and did decent
justice to the raga. I was actually able to sing the bandish along to
her playing. I'm still not a fan, but she IS getting better. Her
second selection was a South Indian raga...not one that I was familiar
with. I tuned out at that point, frustrated in having to wait til
after intermission to hear the Maestro.
Biz
By the way, Father, daughter, Tanmoyda, and their saheb tanpura player
were on Conan O'Brien last Thursday night. Not often that you get to
see ICM on "primetime", so it was pretty neat. Caught the performance
halfway thru so I wasn't sure which raga they were playing in. Not
sure if Conan had removed his shoes when walking onto the carpet
afterwards to shake their hands ;P
"Anon" <no...@nospam.com> wrote in message news:<MyBM7.24730$Y11.7...@typhoon.columbus.rr.com>...
Todd Michel McComb
Daniel Fuchs <dfu...@stud.uni-goettingen.de> wrote:
>Your mock WCM review describes perfectly what happens to ICM.
I don't understand why anyone cares what ignorant but well-meaning
newspaper writers have to say about music they know nothing about.
I certainly do not. For that matter, my interest in what they have
to say about Western music is nil too. They're newspaper writers.
Todd McComb
mcc...@medieval.org
A Pavan
> were on Conan O'Brien last Thursday night. Not often that you get to
> see ICM on "primetime", so it was pretty neat. Caught the performance
> halfway thru so I wasn't sure which raga they were playing in. Not
> sure if Conan had removed his shoes when walking onto the carpet
> afterwards to shake their hands ;P
Yes, they were on CO'Brien show on 11/20 - The performance was OK -
they played a Dhun in Keharwa Taal with a little Raga-Malika thrown in.
It was so so ... The total playing time was about 5-7 minutes.
Conan didn't interview them but walked on to the performing arena (as
far as I remember, with his shoes on).
Pavan