Friends in Concert!

A team of thirteen incredibly talented musicians performed early this year under this moniker. I am shamelessly borrowing the name for a reason.

 

Three of those thirteen, T.M. Krishna, H.N. Bhaskar and B. Sivaraman are touring the US, performing all across the country. Their second concert of the tour was in Austin on the 30th of March.

The feeling I had throughout this concert was that the three artists came together to create music for themselves, and the audience just happened to be there. And that this concert was not a performance aimed to just please the audience. It felt as if three friends happened to be together and decided to have some fun.

 

Yes, it was a full house. Yes, the audience were enthralled. Yes, it was a magical performance. But none of this mattered. The three musicians were in their own world. And they created music. Each one was inspired by the other and the inspiration was evident in the reactions and responses they gave each other. Krishna, at one point, even requested the audience to refrain from applauding in the middle of a song.  And that is why I decided to call it ‘Friends in Concert’!

 

The concert started with a short but unhurried Alapanai in Shankarabharanam that set the tone for the evening. And it was followed by the composition of Thyagaraja ‘Endukku Peddala’. The camaraderie amongst the three was evident right from the start. Despite being the first song of the evening, the composition was accorded all the respect it deserved and was sung in an expansive manner with Swarams and Neraval. Bhaskar’s responses were on point and egged Krishna to delve more and more into the ragam. As Krishna explored the higher octaves, Sivaraman played softly to enhance the effect of the singing. The audience was spellbound.

 

A Mukhari Alapanai was next. After a short and sweet reply from Bhaskar, Krishna launched into the Ashtapadi ‘Vadasiyadi Kinchidapi’. I am of the opinion that Ashtapadis and many other songs which are traditionally sung at the end of concerts are very beautiful and at that time, there is not enough time to explore their musicality. Ashtapadi being the second song of the concert and in Mukhari was a musical treat for me and I lapped it up. The entire rendition was at such a leisurely pace that brought out the sublime beauty of the raga.

 

In an era when everything is fast and provided in a capsule, it took the team almost one full hour to render these two songs. It gave the audience also the space to understand and enjoy the musicality in these compositions. Krishna was so taken in by the Mukhari that he kept coming up with Mukhari phrases before he finally started ‘Makelara Vicharamu’ in Ravichandrika. The brisk Swarams sung and played for this song were mesmerizing.

Up next was a moving rendition of ‘Enneramum Undhan Sannidhiyile’ in Devagandhari that left many in the audience teary eyed. Krishna requested Bhaskar to lead the next piece and Bhaskar started with an Alapanai of mellifluous Dwijavanthi. When it was his turn, Krishna made this to be a Thanam and requested Bhaskar to change the ragam and make this a Ragamalika Thanam. The Thanam moved from Dwijavanthi to Mohanam to Mohana Kalyani before he ended it by traversing through the ragams in reverse order and finishing with Dwijavanthi.

 

A very elaborate ‘Ninnuvinaga Mari’ in Poorvi Kalyani was up next. Sivaraman got the chance to showcase his skills during this song and received thunderous applause for his efforts from the audience and from his compatriots on stage. A Kannada Shlokam (I am not sure of the lyrics and don’t want to butcher the words) in Ananda Bhairavi and Hamsadhwani, and the song “Thandhey Neevu Thaayee Neevu’ followed it.

 

He then sang ‘Nee Mattume’ in Kaapi. This is my favorite one from the Perumal Murugan and TMK partnership and every time I hear this song it just gets better. Needless to say, the crowd too lapped this one up. To conclude the concert, TMK first sang a verse by Acharya Vinoba Bhave, ‘Om Tat Sat’, a wonderful song that reinstates the existence of One God, by whatever name He is referred by. And very aptly followed it with Mahatma’s favorite poem ‘Vaishnava Janato’,  bringing the concert to a very serene finish.

 

For a moment there was complete silence before the packed hall stood up in unison and gave the artists a standing ovation. But they wanted more. As if a switch was turned on, everyone sat down again with an expectant look on their faces. Krishna was overwhelmed by the reaction and said he would sing one more short song.

 

A variety of composers were covered in the concert, but one conspicuous absence was that of my favorite, Dikshitar. He finally made a guest appearance of sorts with this bonus song. Krishna sang a Nottuswaram I had not heard before, ‘Kanchisham Ekamra Nayakam’! I wonder how a single person has managed to create such a corpus of musical wealth; I am always in awe of the man’s genius. This song had the crowd clapping in tune to the different speeds in which the song was sung.

 

Three hours flew by. Both the artists and the audience were ready for more. But the team had a flight early the next morning and hence the evening reluctantly came to an end. I know I am a fanboy but even discounting my apparent bias, this was one of the best concerts I have attended in Austin.

 

TMK’s students Tanmayee and Madhav provided support on Tampura and had the best seats to imbibe the magic that unfolded on stage. I would like to make a special mention about the trouble-free sound through the concert and appreciate the sound team at the venue for that.

 

This is the second time I am listening to TMK in Austin, in the last three years, thanks to ICMCA. My sincere thanks to them for arranging this concert. The next one in Texas is slated on April 14th in Dallas and I am looking forward to attending that. 

Insha Krishna!!

 

Link for the Dallas concert - https://www.indianoctaves.org/event-details-registration/tm-krishna-carnatic-classical