Sept 4 2008- Satya Sai Center at Tustin:We started our North American Fall Tour of 2008 on a very special note, with a concert for the Satya Sai Center. This was not the usual carnatic concert, formatted in the usual pattern of starting with varnam and going on to the classical pieces and ending with tukkadas. Rather, it was a celebration- of melody and pure bhakti, the spirit of devotion. Starting with Shri Mahaganapatim Bhajeham in Atana, we went on to Rangapuravihara and weaving in bhajans, a tamil virutham, and also one or two heavy compositions of the Trinity.
The atmosphere was truly magical- charged with positive vibrations, lit with the lamp that was placed near the portrait of Swami Sri Satya Sai and alive with the shared emotions of the musicians and the audience. As we sang the concluding pieces- a Marathi Abhang in Rag Bhatiyar and a bhajan by Khalas, we could feel the divine presence and a bliss that comes with the blending of melody and bhakti. The feeling is all the more heightened when the music is received by the listener in the same spirit that it issues forth from the musician. It was truly an extraordinarily beautiful experience.
What a lovely way to start our concert tour!
Sept 5 2008 – Fine Arts Association of Arizona, Phoenix
We frequently talk of how carnatic music halls are filled with senior citizens, and that there are hardly any young people listening to carnatic music. Well, welcome to Phoenix! Here is an organization which keeps bringing in young people in droves. With every subsequent visit, we see new faces, young people full of energy and fresh ideas. We are so happy to see young people in charge of organising the events to the finest details. It was a rejuvenating experience to sing before this audience.
An interesting part of the concert was an short interactive session that we had with the audience, where the listener could pose any music-related question to the musicians on stage. The questions ranged from technical questions on Ragam-Thanam-Pallavi to questions on concert planning and voice culture. But the best and sweetest question came from a seven year old child who asked us earnestly, “ How many hours should I practise?!!”As always, Kalyan and Chitra, our hosts made our Phoenix stay so comfortable and memorable with their warmth, care and affection.
Sept 6 2008- Bharathi Kalai Manram, Houston, Texas.
The concert was held in a newly built hall at Baptist University. It was a very unique auditorium encircled by huge transparent glass doors letting the sunshine stream in, giving the place a very sunny bright look. The acoustics were superb and made our concert experience all the more special.
On request, we sang a Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi in Nalinakanthi. A few years back, we would dismiss Nalinakanthi as a minor raga with not too much possibility. But when we decided to sing a RTP in that raga for the first time at our concert for Narada Gana Sabha during the last December music Season in Chennai, we were struck by the possibilities that the raga had. Just makes you realize that any raga is beautiful in its own way- it is just a question of discovering its innate and special charm. Somehow we actually rediscovered Nalinakanthi when we sang it in Houston. The raga has such a lilting charm and delightful grace. The ragam and thanam suite lasted for over twenty minutes.
Dallas, Sept 12 2008Though we have been to Dallas thrice before, this time around, it felt so different, and so heartwarming! Here, there is a big community of people who are passionately interested in Carnatic music. They meet, listen to recordings, discuss, sing and exchange musical ideas to create a wonderful atmosphere of music-filled camaraderie. From budding music enthusiasts to accomplished artistes- they are all here- all filled with a uniform love for music. It reminded us of our childhood, when we had impromptu musical sessions with our friends – Sanjay Subramaniam, Ashok Ramani, Arunprakash, Narayan Rangaraj to name a few with whom we have spent many a happy hour exploring different ragas, songs…..
When the screen went up in the Plaza Theatre, we were greeted with a houseful, nay, overflowing auditorium. The concert lasted for over three and a half hours, and nearly all the audience stayed till the mangalam was sung, even those with young children. Considering that the concert lasted till 11 PM, this was indeed amazing. Young children must indeed be encouraged to attend carnatic music concerts, never mind the little noises or sounds they may make in the course of the concert. When we were young ourselves, our father used to escort us to most concerts, though we must admit we weren’t on our best behavior exactly! Is not listening the best way to imbibe music and its subtle nuances?
Detroit, Sept 13 2008Concert tours of USA can get really exhausting. It is not the back-to-back singing that is difficult; rather it is the travel that can get really tiring. Getting up at 4 am in the morning after retiring at 1.30 AM after a late Friday evening concert, standing in queue at the airport check-in, not to mention the elaborate security checks at every point…by the time one reaches the final destination, it is time just to change and leave for the concert venue.
Well, to cut a long story short, when we finally made it to the concert hall, we were tired out. But, somehow all that vanished into nothingness when we started singing. That day, it was RTP in Kapi- Kanna vaa manivanna vaa, kamala padam vaitthu viraindhodi”. From then on, it was Lord Krishna all the way- though we certainly did not plan it, it just happened! With a virutham on Krishna, a Devarnama, Bhaavayaami Gopalabalam and a Marathi abhang- it recalled the Janmashtami mood!
Siva Vishnu Temple, Lanham, Maryland, Sept 14 2008Another wonderful venue to sing in! It was the fourth time we were performing at SSVT, and performing in front of the audience here is more like a homecoming! The rasikas here are no different than the Chennai rasikas- informed, knowledgable and inspirational. May their tribe increase!
Shruti Laya, New York, Sept 19 2008Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam, Sept 20 2008CMANA& IACRF Inc, New Jersey, Sept 21 2008This was the big weekend- New York, Chicago and NJ all in a row.Audiences like the ones at Chicago and New Jersey remind me of Orwell's famous line " All things are equal, some are more equal"! All audiences are special- but audiences like these are indeed more special! When you have rasikas so receptive, so finely tuned, performing becomes such a joy!
Our concert at New York was organized by “Sruthi Laya”, an organization which has been recently formed by a sincere, committed group of carnatic music enthusiasts. The sound system here deserves special mention. We wish them all the very best and several years of great concerts ahead!
At the Rama Temple Auditorium, where the CTU (Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam) generally organize the concerts, the atmosphere was so wonderful- the festival feel was in the air, the anticipation building up nicely, people exchanging notes and so on... The music competitions that were held in the earlier part of the day added to the color and bustling activity. As always, Mr.Raghavan and other members of the organization did an exemplary job of organizing the concert, taking care of every detail to perfection.
Coming to New Jersey, ah, what can one say! We felt much like, say, Sachin Tendulkar would feel after hitting a century in the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai!! Here you can just sing to your heart’s content, soak in the warmth and enthusiasm of the audience, which indeed takes the music and the experience to a new high! From the pacy Entharanee in Harikamboji to the sedate, majestic Raksha Bettare in Bhairavi and the feisty Ragam Thanam Pallavi in Ranjani, it was an exciting three and half hours. Kudos to CMANA and IACRF Inc. who jointly organized this concert. Singing here and interacting with all the people here, makes one feel truly rejuvenated.
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