Review of Sudha Raghunathan Concert NY
vi...@ibm.net
Raman on the Mohrsinh. The concert sounded like one of Amutham’s CDs.
‘Nuff said?
How does one sing thirteen songs, including a Raagam Taanam Pallavi in 3
½ hours? No problem at all, if you are Sudha Raghunathan. At the
recent concert in New York, the songs flowed from her in easy abandon.
It was delightful fare for those among the audience who were there to
listen to her terrific Saareeram and her appealing singing style. But
for some of us, it was no more than a blur of Thukkada items. Organized
by Amutham, perhaps the concert was intended to be like this.
But perhaps I judge too harshly. Should we lower our expectations at
these concerts to nothing more than music that follows certain formulas?
Are we asking for too much when we expect a detailed exposition of
Raagams like Todi and Kalyani? This particular concert, in my mind,
further blurred the line between formal Carnatic Music singing and light
classical with an orchestra. For example, the song, Unmugam Kaanavum,
actually had the violinist lead off the various paragraphs, much like
the ‘devotional records’. This concert was all about managing
expectations. The conclusion I came to was that I had set my
expectation too high.
In the eyes of the public at large, this artiste seems to be the heir
apparent to MS Subbulakshmi. The references were all there this day.
Speaker after speaker got up on the stage to extol her popularity and
how the mantle of ‘Queen of Carnatic Music’ is hers for the taking. To
borrow a phrase from the notorious Vice Presidential debate, ‘I know
MS, I am honored to say that MS is a friend of mine (and our family).
With all due respects, Sudha Raghunathan is no MS’.
Sudha did sing ‘Kaatrinile Varum Geetham’ and ‘Kurai Onrum Illai’. They
were beautifully sung and a pleasure to hear. But they did not move me
to tears as MS did every time she sang either song. There are several
things that must change before this rasika will compare the two. MS
never had to look at a book for the words to her songs. She never cared
about what the audience might want to hear, she was too lost in her own
Bhakti. But I digress.
Sudha has tremendous energy and talent. She is enthusiastic. She has
learned from one of the greatest singers , MLV. I have heard her at
concerts where she has captivated the audience with her depth of
knowledge of specific Raagams. Unfortunately, this was not one of those
concerts. Today, the kalpana swarams were good, but not the brilliant
ones that make you want to hum them on the way home. One Rasika
remarked on the Thaanam: ‘Why does it sound like an Enfield Bullet?’
Oh, and what was with the pallavi? The words were ‘Inbam tharum tamizhil
anbu pirandhathundu thunbam ini undoh?’ I know that pallavis are not
the greatest of poetic compositions, but this is ridiculous!
Great musicians help their audience develop good taste. They sing and
perform to raise the level of their audience’s appreciation of music. I
consider each concert I attend as an opportunity to learn more about the
greatness of carnatic music. A concert like this one leaves me feeling
empty.
I will content myself by listening to a recording of Sudha’s first ever
concert in the US, in a small temple at Wappingers Falls, to the beauty
of the Hamsanandi and the brilliant Kirvaani.
Play List
VaaranaMukhavaaThunai Hamsadwani
MaalmarugaShanmuga Vasantha
VandaadumSolai Harikambodi
Alaipayuthe Kaanada
Sinamadayathe Bahudaari
InbamTharum.. Shanmukhapriya (RTP)
PanniruKangalil Tilang
KuraiOnrumIllai Raagamaalika
EllamInbamayam
KandenNaan
KaatrinileVarumGeetham
UnmugamKaanavum Raagamaalika
Thillana Revati
VaazhiyaSenthamizh Madyamavati
nikhilr
god...@aol.com
>vi...@ibm.net
>MS never had to look at a book for the words to her songs. She never cared
>about what the audience might want to hear, she was too lost in her own
>Bhakti.
You are rubbing the MS v. her too much with the above lines. She is a light
singer (S.Janaki is a good match up) as you said earlier in the post. Looking
into books/pages is a normal thing to do for perfectionists.
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ravi
Ragunathan's concert (by Ms.Shanta Krishnamurthy) where the reviewer seemed
happy that all the compositions were in Tamil. I happened to attend a
concert of Smt.Sudha in Bangalore where all the compositions were based on
one language. I am not in any way commenting on the lyrical or musical value
of the compositions rendered. But then, a concert without a single
composition by the Trinity doesn't seem balanced. I seek the opinion of
knowledgeable people of this group in this regard.
Also, to compare Smt.Sudha with MS sounds like a joke: After a concert by
MS, the audience comes away pleased, not appeased.
With regards
Ravi Chandra
vi...@ibm.net wrote:
> This concert was all about managing expectations.
>
> (MS) never cared about what the audience might want to hear, she was too
> lost in her own
> Bhakti.
>
AVITHA KADIYALA
the Trinity should be included as they are the time tested.I've often observed
the Tamil speaking people in Hyderabad delighted when they heard the performer
perform any time tested Tamil pieces like "Kaana kankoti vendum" or "Devi neeye
thunai".More than the language bias, I used to feel that even the audience enjoy
variety-as they enjoyed even padams-which were in Telugu, equally .Speaking of
Sudha's concert, I feel that any artist should take adequate care to represent a
variety -of ragas, taala-s rasa-s languages and composers-in his/her concert. I
think that this is the idea behind the notion of cacheri paddathi which our
great stalwarts have talked about. Just imagine a concert full of pieces in a
single raga like punnagavarali. I would never ever listen to punnagavarali
after listening to such a concert.
In this connection I remember a concert by Dr. Balamuralikrishna in Hyderabad
,which was filled with all of his own compositions -all in tamil. My father who
was an ardent fan of Dr. MBK,could not sit through the concert.The only factor
that kept him through the concert was the hope that atleast the next kriti would
be different.
Waiting for more food for thought on this subject
Savitha
ravi wrote:
--
Student in Computer Lab, Georgia State University
Vijay Ganesh Hariharan
Although I agree that in general concerts should be balanced, there are certain
occasions when only subject can be dealt with. Example, you don't expect any
or only a few non-thyagarAja songs in concerts during the Thygaraja festival!
And during the tamizh isai concerts, only tamizh songs. But I am curious about
the 'time-tested' songs! Even among the trinity, only a small percentage of the
songs are sung often and that too only mostly ThyagarAja compositions. A lot
of Shyama Sasthri songs are unsung. My opinion is, it all goes by what the
crowd wants to listen to.
Personally, I do NOT mind listening to a full tamizh compositions concert since
I understand most of the lyrics, which are important in contributing towards my
enjoyment of a concert. And yes, I do prefer vocal over instrumental concerts!
My 2 cents...
Vijay
On Mon, 2 Nov 1998, AVITHA KADIYALA wrote:
> Date: Mon, 02 Nov 1998 10:48:50 -0500
> From: AVITHA KADIYALA <GS1...@panther.gsu.edu>
> Newsgroups: rec.music.indian.classical
> Subject: Re: Review of Sudha Raghunathan Concert NY
-----------------
"A truly happy person doesn't expect much from life" - who else but me!
-----------------
Vijay G Hariharan
vha...@umbc.edu
Rms2020
I have been following the postings regarding Smt. Sudha Raghunathan's concerts
in the last few months. One thing that amused me was the messages about
"final farewell" concerts - sounds rather morbid!
But to come to the music: I have not attended Sudha's concerts during the last
two years, so I am not going to be very specific, nor can I speak with
authority on her recent concerts, as that would not be fair. However, my
assessment of her during ONE concert of hers that I attended over two years
back, was that she was very superficial in her treatment of Raagas, very
audience-conscious - delivering to the lowest common denominator. The Raaga
Aalaapanaas were not methodically handled, with Sudha going in every direction
and trying hard to find her way back.
Although I try to attend a majority of the concerts in the central Ohio area, I
did not see myself making much of a special effort to attend hers after this
initial experience, which was perhaps unfair as well.
From reading the recent postings, I can say one thing with certainty:-
Concerts are generally satisfying only if there is a good admixture of
compositions in Composers, Languages, Raagas (varying Prati Madhyamam and
Suddha Madhyamam, Ghana and Light), Taalas, Tempo, short vs. long, subject
matter of the compositions. A concert with everything in one language, all
fast tempo or all slow tempo, basically without variety, is comparable to
eating a huge mound of one type of food for the entire meal, with no variety or
balance. A concert on the occasion of the Thyagaraja Aaradhana is not a good
comparison, because that is exactly that - an aaraadhana, where there is no
need to sing pieces by other composers for audience satisfaction.
Referring to books during the concert is definitely a "no-no", according to
most esteemed Gurus of old. But if the present day artistes refer to books,
which many of them do, then they naturally will not train their Shishyas to
sing without reference.
I believe most musicians develop a good balance with maturity, although some
are naturally talented in that respect. This is why in olden days, young
artists were encouraged to refrain from entering the concert circuit on a solo
basis before they were fully groomed.
As for comparing Sudha to M.S., I completely agree with one person who posted:
"To borrow a phrase from the notorious Vice Presidential debate, 'I know MS, I
am honored to say that MS is a friend of mine (and our family). With all due
respects, Sudha Raghunathan is no MS'."
Meena Shanker
sur...@ibm.net
compositions in various raagams that a concert can still be very balanced. At
the risk of sounding parochial, I will point to some superb concerts during the
annual music season at Tamil Isai Sangam. I would object just as much if a
concert had a series of small pieces of songs by the Trinity.
IMHO, balance in a concert is achieved not from the compositions themseleves,
but by the selection and ordering of Raagas. How good will a concert be if the
main raagam is Shanmukhapriya immediately followed by Simmendra Madhyamam? Or
have Pantuvarali and Poorvikalyani immediately after each other?
There is a lot to be said for the traditional ordering of concerts: varnam -
couple of short pieces - medium alaapanai followed by a song - couple of short
pieces - main raagam - short pieces with raagam - raagam thaanam pallavi -
thukkadas - thillana - mangalam. The artiste excels in the selection of raagams
for the various components of the concert.
I like to think of a concert as a tree, with the main raagam as the root, Raagam
thanam pallavi as the trunk and the various branches, large and small as
individual pieces. Any concert without a main raagam or a RTP is no more than a
bush, pretty but short lived in memory.
suresh
sur...@ibm.net
Suresh
nara...@post.drexel.edu
sur...@ibm.net wrote:
> I am not sure I would agree with that particular sentiment... There are enough
> compositions in various raagams that a concert can still be very balanced. At
> the risk of sounding parochial, I will point to some superb concerts during
the
> annual music season at Tamil Isai Sangam. I would object just as much if a
> concert had a series of small pieces of songs by the Trinity.
In principle, yes. A concert need not be 'unbalanced' just because it does
not include any composition from the trinity, or because it is entirely in
Tamil. After all, the over all concert structure has to fit in with
aesthetics - though individual tastes may differ, there could be a general
agreement on what makes a good concert, and I think that's how the present
day format evolved.
The point of contention in this case, according to my perception, is about the
practicality of 'only Tamil compositions' concert in the USA. Has it been
advertised as such? When I bought the Amudam CD by Sudha, I did so knowing
that it is all Tamil - Have the prospective non-Tamil audience for the
concert been warned to enter at their own choice? I can understand such a
concert happening without a special prior announcement in Tamil Nadu, but not
outside, definitely not in the USA, even if the program is arranged by a Tamil
sangam, and however small percent the non-Tamil audience may be.
Regards,
Nasy
Rms2020
The postings started out first as reviews of Smt. Sudha Raghunathan's N.Y.
Concert, followed by comments of agreement and rebuttal. Many participants
have since digressed from the original point which was that all the songs in
the N.Y. concert were in Tami. Instead it has now become more a discussion of
what constitutes a good concert format. This is in a sense good, because this
is as good an opportunity as any to explore that aspect rather than do a
dissection of a particular concert by a particular artist. However, some
people seem to have missed the "point" somewhere along the way. The people
who have expressed dissatisfaction over the exclusive Tamil renderings are,
from what I understand, not doing so because such a concert would in itself be
dissatisfying under any and all circumstances. People have asked for
"balance", inclusion of compositions of the Trinity, and some have countered by
saying "balance is not reached by singing only from the Trinity". A few
points:
¨ Tamil only compositions are fine if they are publicized as such, and perhaps
under the auspices of Tamil Sangams - a la Tamil Isai Sangam concerts In
Madras.
¨ Language specific or Composer specific concerts are great, as long as people
know that is what to expect prior to deciding to attend. No one would object
to all Purandara Daasa's songs on Purandara Daasa Aaradhana Day, complain that
the songs were all in Kannada, or expect to hear Tamil or Telugu songs!
Likewise Thyagaraaja Aaraadhanaa or Dikshitar Day etc. One person has
commented that there should be a variation of Raagaas and that Simhendra
Madhyamam should not be followed by Shanmukha Priya. Of course; this is such a
rudimentary principle that it is superfluous to voice it. No Rasika would
expect it, or accept it, nor would any artist worth his/her salt do it. Taking
it a step further, the Raagaas should be selected with care so that they do not
follow one after another with the same Gaandharam, same Dhaivatam, same
Nishaadam.
¨ In a concert, there is certainly no need to restrict one-self to the Trinity,
nor is that desirable or interesting. The artists of today, as compared to
those of 50 plus years back, have the added advantage of being exposed to more
and more contemporary composers, and some very excellent ones at that. It is
refreshing to add these composers interspersed with the old gold. After all,
the Trnity began with small beginnings until people popularized them.
¨ However, thrusting an all-one-language concert on an unprepared (and
unsuspecting) audience would no doubt leave them feeling somewhat disappointed
and cheated, which is the point many have tried to emphasize.
Meena Shanker.
srin...@my-dejanews.com
>From: rms...@aol.com (Rms2020)
>¨ In a concert, there is certainly no need to restrict one-self to the Trinity,
>nor is that desirable or interesting. The artists of today, as compared to
>those of 50 plus years back, have the added advantage of being exposed to more
>and more contemporary composers, and some very excellent ones at that.
This kind of "necessary but not sufficient" logic doesn't hold water
in ICM concerts. A concert exclusively for the Trinity is as good
as solid gold.
> It is
>refreshing to add these composers interspersed with the old gold. After all,
>the Trnity began with small beginnings until people popularized them.
True but doesn't tell the whole story. If one has to choose
Tyagaraja over Annamayya (not in the Trinity) for a particular
audience (not gathered for aradhana) without language bias, there
is a good rationale.
>¨ However, thrusting an all-one-language concert on an unprepared (and
>unsuspecting) audience would no doubt leave them feeling somewhat disappointed
>and cheated, which is the point many have tried to emphasize.
The exception is Sanskrit compositions. The point of an ICM concert
is not always national integration, ethnic celebration or some other
political statement.