Day 3 - (Almost) Live from Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav 2008

Namaskar!

 

While I knew that today's session was scheduled to start at 3:30 PM instead of 4:00 PM, I was about 20 minutes late in reaching the pandal. Hence I cannot comment on the clapping alarm. When I entered the pandal, all I heard was reaching of the first weighty sam of the vilambit khyal in Multani. As I reached the place inside the pandal where I usually sit, it was full and I had to find some other place outside the pandal.

 

Arshad Ali (Vocal)

Tabla: Bharat Kamat, Harmonium: Sudhir Nayak

 

Arshad Ali started his performance with Multani (vilambit khyal in jhumra - jago mana re, bandish in teen taal - kangan muralia mori followed by a bandish in drut ektaal - I think - so nikaso brij kunvar). I cannot comment about the aalaap as I could not hear it. His start of the vilambit khyal was weighty, full throated and very tuneful. The badhat was typical kirana style with some influence of Amir Khan. I liked the swara lagav and unhurried approach. I also enjoyed his full throated and crisp taans.  Multani was followed by Des (bandish in addha teen taal - ya ali karam karo na followed by tarana in drut jhaptaal). On a "one more" request from crowed Arshad sang a bandish in Janasammohini (teen taal - tumare karam kaise kara paaun).

 

Overall the performance was very good. A few observations - some of the fast taans (with a tendency towards gimmicks) were not as tuneful as the rest of the performance. Also the Des and Janasammohini sounded a bit stretched. He needs to pay attention to the lyrics - it was very difficult to guess the words of the bandishes (I am quite likely to be wrong about the words I have mentioned). I found the drut Jhaptaal tarana a bit unnatural. Except for one stanza of famous natyageet - surat piya ki na - saajan bina mohe, I have not found Jhaptaal being used in drut laya. In this tarana the theka sounded a bit noisy at no fault of the tabalji and the tarana lacking in structure. I think with a bit of cool headedness and maturity, Arshad Ali certainly has a potential to rise at the highest levels.

 

Sudhir Nayak's harmonium accompaniment was noteworthy. Especially his control of the weight of notes is simply superb - may be from his association with Abhishekibuwa. Bharat Kamat provided supportive tabla sangat.

 

Madhup Mudgal (Vocal)

Tabla: Bharat Kamat, Harmonium: Dr. Arvind Thatte

 

Madhupji began his concert with raga Shree (khyal in vilambit ektaal - pawa men daraa se, drut teentaal bandish - karane de re kachhu lala re followed by tarana in drut teen taal). On the background of Arshad Ali's power packed performance, Madhupji's voice sounded a mellow. However the swara lagav was good and very tuneful. The taans were measured, well planned and very well executed. The tarana was also well sung. Madhupji followed Shree with Yaman Kalyan (madhya laya teen taal - mukha tero karo) and then sang a nirguni bhajan - aun re kaise.

 

While not a blind copy, Madhupji intentionally sings Kumarji's gayaki - an extremely hard thing to do. The rendering of Kumarji's famous bandish - karane de re kachhu lala re in my opinion was the high point of his concert. It was very clear that Madhupji had put in a lot of thought and adopted it very well to suite his style and limitations while preserving the original spirit. I did not find the rendition of mukha tero karo as captivating. It felt a bit stretched and lacking in intensity of emotion - a characteristic of Kumarji's renditions.

 

On another note Bhuvanesh Komakali - Kumarji's grandson - accompanied Madhupji on taanpura and also provided vocal support. I have heard him sing well on TV. But this time I must say that his vocal support was a disaster - thankfully it was kept to a very minimum.

 

Dr. Arvind Thatte's harmonium accompaniment was sublime and subtle - enjoyable as always. Bharat Kamat provided apt tabla sangat.

 

Ganesh and Kumaresh (Carnatic violin duet)

Mridangam: Naiveli Narayanan, Ghatam: Tiruchi Krishna

(Disclaimer: My exposure to Carnatic music is limited to attending a few performances at Sawai which initially I used as socializing breaks until hearing a stunning performance by Dr. Chitti Babu in 1991 or 92)

 

Ganesh and Kumaresh started with a varnam in Carnatic raga Shree in Aaditaal. Then they played a composition by Tyagaraja in Raga Mohanam (similar to Bhup) set to Aaditaal. This was followed by a detailed ragam, tanam and pallavi (as explained by the artists themselves) in raga Dharmavati (Close to Madhuvanti - however the aroha-awaroha and chalan are different. Unlike Madhuvanti Dharmavati is treated as a sampurna sampurna raga with S R g m P D N S', S' N D P m g R S as aroha-awaroha). The song was set to Aaditaal. On a "one more" request Ganesh and Kumaresh played a folksy sounding piece in what felt like Pahadi in a garba taal.

 

Overall this was a perfect performance. Everybody (including yours truly) was completely overwhelmed. From now on if Ganesh and Kumaresh are performing anywhere nearby, I will make every effort to attend. The planning, presentation, sur, taal, coordination, the explanations to the audience, singing a few lines of the song, their attitude, even attire and smile - everything was simply flawless! Very impressive.

 

The accompaniment was outstanding! The ghatam and mridangam solo pieces were very well done without ever sounding like gimmicks.

 

Pt. Rajan and Sajan Mishra (Vocal)

Tabla: Arvindkumar Azad, Harmonium: Dr. Arvind Thatte

 

Pt. Rajan and Sajan Mishra started their concert with Bageshree (khyal in vilambit ektaal - kavan gata bhai, madhyalaya teen taal bandish - eri ai mai kaise ghara jaun mitava, tarana in rupak taal followed by bandish in drut teen taal - avan kahi gaye ajahu nahi aaye more balam eri sakhi). Both the Mishra brothers had their voices in top form and they captivated the audience right from beginning. The badhat was elaborate, beautiful and soulful - true to the nature of Bageshree. In fact this rendering gave yet another feeling of Bageshree being an athang raga that can be sung for ever. The taans were crisp, tuneful and showing a great control over power. The choice of bandishes was exquisite! Each bandish had a unique personality and was presented in a way that took the rendering of Bageshree to the next level. The attention to lyrics was very noteworthy. Bageshree was followed by Sohoni (bandish in addha teen taal - aayee ritu naveli and tarana in drut teen taal). Mishra brothers concluded the concert and day 3 proceedings with a soulful rendering of bhairavi (or mishra kirwani) bhajan by Guru Nanak - jagat men jhuthi dekhi preet).

 

Overall a great performance - absolutely making the visit to Sawai worthwhile. Some observations - rendering of Sohoni, while technically sound, did not come even close to their rendering of Bageshree. I found it repetitive and stretched. There was also the usual stuntbaaji - along with dazzling tabla. Hmmm… Is learning to put on some filters (mental and physical - earplugs do help) the only way to enjoy contemporary classical music performances?

 

Dr. Thatte and Arvindkumar Azad provided appropriate accompaniment.

See you tomorrow!

- Bansuriwala