Milind Raikar (Violin)

Attended a concert of Milind Raikar (Violin) accompanied by Bhushan Rao (Tabla) & Yadnesh Raikar (Violin) organized by Anubhooti at ISC, Abu Dhabi, on 23rd Apr 2016. Attendance to the concert was @65.

Milind Raikar is disciple of Pt. D. K. Datar and Gaansaraswati Kishori Amonkar. Yadnesh is his 15 year old son and disciple.

Raag of the concert was Raag Puriya Dhanashri (पूरिया धनश्री). First he played aalap followed by madhyalay and drut compositions.

Then he presented bandish 'Payaliya zankar (पायलिया झंकार) in same Raag. At times when he wanted to play delicate notes he asked Bhushan to play soft tabla. He and Yadnesh played extremely well. Audience gave them a very long and big applause.

Then he presented a Bandish of his Guru, Kishori Amonkar, 'Sahela re (सहेला रे)' in Raag Bhoop (भूप). It was a treat. Both the violinists were applauded multiple times.

Then Milindji gave audience a choice of either Thumri or Natyageet. Greedy audience (that included me too) demanded both. Milind ji complied.

He presented the immortal Thumri of Bade Gulam Ali Khan 'Yaad piya ki aye (याद पियाकी आए)' in Raag Bhinna Shadja (भिन्न षड्ज). Milindji commented that the bandish he played was the original one without deviation as told by his Guru however what Yadnesh played was the version influenced by Kaushiki Chakraborty, which deviated from the original. Generation gap!

Then Milindji presented Marathi Natyageet 'Yuvati mana zale (युवती मना झाले)'. Audience who knew the song loved it and who did not know liked it nevertheless.

He then presented famous bhajan of Kishori Amonkar 'Mharo pranam (म्हारो प्रणाम)' in Raag Yaman Kalyan (यमन कल्याण). This too was liked by audience.

Concert concluded with 'Bhairavi (भैरवी)'. He played Bhairavi without Tabla. Without Tabla it was much more effective. It created a completely different kind of effect. It gave goose bumps to the audience. Mesmerizing!

Milindji's Violin literally sang. He played slow, delicate, fast. Everything was perfect. He extracted numerous applauses. His rendition touched the heart.

Yadnesh is a very good violinist. His understanding of music is beyond his age. Doubtless, he has a bright future.

The father son duo was a classic example. Father is a perfectionist and traditionalist whereas son is a talented rebel with great respect for father. However both share a great rapport. To top it up humility is in their nature.

Bhushan played Tabla as a pure accompanist. He was very true to lay (लय) and concentrated on basics rather than trying to be flashy. Very good.

There was some trouble with sound system and microphone adjustment, but it was sorted out.

Milindji especially mentioned that he liked idea of children presenting flowers to the performers and introducing artists. He encouraged the anchor, Mihika, by inviting her back on stage and presenting her a flower. He again appreciated Anubhooti for giving opportunity to children after concert.

All in all it was a fabulous concert. The audience was spellbound.

Entertainment rating 9.5/10.

Disclosure: I am a founder member of Anubhooti.

Sangeeta Shankar (Violin)

Attended concert of Sangeeta Shankar (Violin) accompanied by Nandini (Violin), her daughter & Ajit Pathak (Tabla) on 11th Apr 2015 in NCPA, Mumbai with Ravi. This concert was part of 'Saz-e-bahar', a festival specially conceived to provide a window into the range of instruments that adorn the repertoire of Indian classical music.

Organizers informed that violin was brought  to India in 1790 by British. Balusamy Dixitar (brother of Muttusamy Dixitar) introduced violin in Indian classical music.

In first half of the concert Sangeeta presented evening Raag Gorakh Kalyan (गोरख कल्याण). She presented a composition in Tritaal that she dubbed 'beautiful melody'. Solo piece lasted only a couple minutes before Tabla was introduced. She was about supported by her daughter.

In the second half she presented a very traditional Thumri from city of Banaras called 'Bandish ki Thumri (बंदिश की ठुमरी)' in Raag Desh and Taal Keherwa. It was the first time I heard Bandish ki Thumri.

After Thumri she concluded the concert but audience was not satisfied and she was requested to play Bhairavi. So Sangeeta obliged the audience with a composition in Bhairavi (भैरवी) in Taal Dadra.

Sangeetaji is an excellent violinist. She has the finesse. She plays violin with attention to minute detailing. She plays delicately with great detail and plays effortlessly. Unbelievable. Sangeetaji demonstrated why she was nominated for Grammy award.

Young Nandini is also tomorrow's star. She is ready for stage. Her young age, expressive face and skills with violin drew applause and encouragement from audience.

Tabalji was OK. Sangeetaji had to signal him more than once about the requisite speed (लय) and when the Tabla needed tuning. It was just not his day.

This was first time I watched a Hindustani Violin concert. And I would like to hear more. Special mention of audience. Since Sangeetaji was playing delicate and minute notes, audience did not drown the music in clasps but  applauded the artists with wah-wah.

A WOW concert. Entertainment rating 9.25/10.

Satish Krishnamurthy (Carnatic percussion)

Attended concert of Shri. Satish Krishnamurthy (Carnatic percussion) accompanied by Shivkumar (Violin) on 5th Apr 2015 in Chembur, Mumbai. I attended the concert with Ravi. This concert was part of 'Sangeet Samrat Alladiya Khan music festival 2015'.

Concert started with a shlokam composed by the great Vikku Vinayakram, followed by a poem for Mridangam, followed by very famous 'Maha Ganapati' composed by Muttuswami Dixitar in Aaditalam.

Then they presented a Kriti by Saint Tyagraja in Raagam Kapi (Hindustani equivalent Kafi)

Then he played Shiva panchakshar stuti (शिव पंचाक्षर स्तुती) by Adi Shankaracharya. He played it in 5 jatis (जाती) and then improvised.

Then they played Raaga-Thanam-Pallavi (RTP), the centerpiece of Carnatic music concert,  in Raagam Shanmugapriya. This RTP was composed by the violinist Shivkumar. Pallavi was in Aadi taalam and they also presented Raagmala and Sawal-Jawab.

Concert ended with two solo pieces. First was a Ghatam solo and last was a Mridangam solo. Artists received biggest applause of the festival at the end.

Satish played Mridangam, Ghatam, Kanjira. However he did not play them one after another. He played them together deftly switching from one instrument to another without breaking the rhythm. Though Mridangam was the principal percussion instrument of the concert, he played all of them with equal authority. He is versatile. Shivkumar also plays very good violin. Not only that, he also is a composer.

The duration of concert was about 1.5 hr. Since the concert was scheduled on a Sunday at 8.45 am, the attendance was on lower side of @ 75 in the beginning but increased to full house later on. There was a gaffe by organizers as the concert was advertised as Ghatam concert.

An innovative and excellent concert. Entertainment rating 9/10.

Ganesh (Violin) & Kumaresh (Violin)

Attended concert titled "Aalap-5". This was the concert of famous violinist duo Ganesh (Violin) & Kumaresh (Violin) accompanied by Sankaranarayan (Mridangam) & Trichi Krishnaswamy (Ghatam). This program was organized by India Social and Cultural Center in its facility. I attended the program with Nandu, Jayant, little Gargi & Prakash.

They told a story, which was the theme of the concert, of a student who is attracted to Carnatic music and wants to know what is Carnatic music. He is then introduced to it by the musician. The concert was the journey of this student. An innovative and interesting idea.

Concert started with a short varnam that lasted about 7 minutes. This set the mood of the concert. Second song presented by them was a Tyagaraja Kriti 'Brobaparama'.

Then they played the first Ragam. It was, not often heard, Ragam Nasikabhushani also known as Nasamani. It was followed by Raga pravaham, a wordless composition.

They asked five persons to choose five swars (They fixed Sa and Pa). Audience chose Sa, R2, G2, M2, P, D2, N3 thus creating the notes of Ragam Dharmavati. They then asked if the audience wants Kriti or Ragam Thanam Pallavi (RTP). RTP was the choice of audience. After playing Ragam and Thanam they asked the audience to give them five words and used these words as lyrics to play Pallavi.

Then Ganesh presented a vocal composition "Adi vadi kanna"

Concert ended with grand finale 'Bhagyada Lakshami'

Ganesh & Kumaresh mesmerized the audience. They have awesome command over violin, be it soft or forte. They demonstrated individual, synchronized and sawal jawab violin playing to the satisfaction of audience.

Sankaranarayan's Mridangam was excellent. Trichi Krishnaswamy played very well. But his mike should have had more gain. Both of them drew applause from audience.

The sound system was flawless. Audience was able to clearly hear the soft notes distinctly.

Audience today was very learned. They recognized ragam and compositions without fail. Kumaresh also repraminded some one in audience for talking while artists were playing thereby disturbing them.

A very innovative way of presenting the concert that demonstrates the command and innovation of Ganesh- Kumaresh. It was mind blowing.

Entertainment rating 9.75/10.

Kum. B. Lakshmi Surya Teja (Vocal)

Attended Carnatic Vocal concert of Kum. B. Lakshmi Surya Teja (Vocal) accompanied by Smt. Sita Raghu (Violin) and Shree. Skanda Kumar (Mridangam) organized by India social and cultural center at ISC Auditorium, Abu Dhabi on 20th Sep 2014 with Jayant, Sameer and Raju.

This was my first time to attend Carnatic vocal concert. The vocalist is pursuing her masters degree in music and has won many awards. She hails from Vishakhapattanam and this is her first international tour.

The concert started with a varnam in Ragam Saweri. This was followed by famous composition 'Maha Ganapati manasa smarami'.

She then presented a composition by Nallacharavartulu Krishnammacharulu in Raga Basant followed by another composition '...mahishasur...' In Raga Kanada.

Next was Raga alapana in Amritvarshini. Here she asked the audience to observe their breath in and breath out. Then the violinist played a solo piece. This was followed by a composition 'Sudhamayi'. Skanda did well in this composition. 'Shri Rama pada...' was next.

Kailas Radhenam by Mutthuswami Dikshitar in Raga Kambhoji in Tisrajathi Triputa talam, the main item of the concert. Here she showed a lot of variations and her range. This was undoubtedly the best of the concert. However in this phase of the concert her good voice decided to abandon her. When it threatened to become a spoil sport, she recovered. All three of them were at their best in this section.

Then there was a section of short compositions. It started with 'Tamburi mitti...' of Purandardas in Sind Bhairavi followed by 'Kamal mukha Rama bhajan...' followed by Kabir's  'khaya piya sukhse soya...' followed by 'Govind Hari Govind...' then one more and finally 'Shubha mangalam....'

Peculiar thing was that the artist did not use tanpura, conventional or electronic. Her voice did not appear to be at its best, had some difficulty in higher octaves. Coughing was evident.

The hall chosen for the concert was too big with seating capacity of more than 500 but the attendance was about 50. Smaller hall is more suitable for such concerts.

Entertainment rating 6.5/10.

Mysore brothers (Violin duet)

Attended grand violin concert in Indian Embassy, Abu Dhabi by Mysore brothers. Mysore Sri Nagraj & Mysore Sri Manjunath on violin. Accompanied by Padma Vibhushan Umayalpuram Sri K. Sivaraman on Mridangam and Sri Giridhar Udupa on Ghatam.

It was first time I watched synchronized violin. Fabulous. Who says violin is not an Indian instrument?

K.Sivaraman and Giridhar Udupa played excellant solo mudangam and Ghatam pieces.Mridangam and Ghatam jugalbandi stole the show.

2.5 huors flew by.However the concert did not end with a creshendo.

All in all a very good one.

Dr. L. Subramaniam (Violin)

Attended Indian classical music concert of Dr. L. Subramaniam (VIOLIN- He needs no introduction) and his son Ambi (violin-like father like son) accompanied by TSR Murthy on mridangam, Radhakrishnan on ghatam &  Satyasai on morsing, in Dubai on 3rd May 2013 with Jayant, Amit & Kumar.

Mehfil started with Krithi of Tyagraja. Never heard such a sweet violin. Father & son had very good understanding.

As per tradition each purcussionist played solo and jugalbandi before intermission. Ghatam stole this section.

Suresh Wadkar attended 2nd half where they played ragam tanam pallavi, chandrapriya and ragamalika.

Mehfil ended with a bang.       
Overall it was an enchanting evening.