concert reviewof TNSeshagopalan

Salutations to a great Maestro

8-12-2005 - Kartik finearts at Narada gana sabha
TNS started the concert with 'Sadhinchane' in Arabhi. followed by ' Etulabrothuvo in Chakravakam. The alapana was of usual standard and the kalpna swara was at 'ekantharamayya which was quaint and interesting. Next came 'yojana' in Durbar which was cyclonic. The main peace was 'Meenakshi me mudam' in Poorvi kalyani , the alapana which precededthe krithi was simply superb and the swaraprasthara had all its usual splendour, with Krishna joining in. After the thani avarthanam TNS sang 'Ivnaaro' in Kamboji which was expressive of the ardour contained in the sahithya, followed by the ashtapadi 'Sancharadhadhara' in syamkalyan, which was sweet as usual. Surprisingly the concert came to a close with that.

6-12-2005 at Meenakshi College

The concert started with 'O Jagadamba' followed by ' Telisi rama ' in the usual gusto with a delightful swaraprasthara. Next was the suruti krithi 'amngarakam as it could be very well expected the day being Tuesday. But what came as a surprise was the elaborate alapana of suruti and the kalpana swara that came later.
The alapana was picturesque and TNS presented the raga with masterful strokes so that we can actually see suruti emerging in all its splendour as a portrait from the brush of the brilliant artist(e). The swaraprasthara was at 'Deenarakshakam' and it was mellifluous and melodic with the usual tempo. .The swaras came out in rings and waves , 'surul surulaaga', which rolled up (suruttivittadhu) the rasikas into a spiral of joy. This was followed by ''Manavyalakim ' which was beautiful.

Then came the main course of the feast. TNS started the alapana of charukesi which was a winner of the hearts from the first stroke. I have never heard such a charukesi in my whole life. With deft stroke s charukesi became alive as areal charu kesi , delicate and splendid. Charu means beautiful and kesi means tresses. TNS singing charukesi brought the vision of Lord Rama, because something told me that it will only be 'aadamodi ', with His beautiful tresses of hair flowing and TNS decorated it into attractive coils only to place a crown on it later.
The alapana proved that the depiction of bhava does not require words. It was bhava laden and captivating. You could have a vision of the Lord even in the alapana without knowing what song is to follow. That is divine music and that is present only when TNS sings.
The swara that followed was was a display of rhythm and skill. It was verily a bharatham, with bha- bhava, ra-raga and tha -thala.
The kalpana swara was at 'madaladamodi' with the intricacies of rhythm woven into it as in an embroidered silk cloth. It was a decoration of Rama padhaadhi-kesaantham and crowning him in the end when we can see the shower of flowers from above in the form of swaras. It was indeed a divine experience.
The whole audience was thrilled and exclaiming 'what a charukesi!' The charukesi proved its name by being all pervasive. (kesa means ray and hrishikesa is said to denote the all pervasive quality of the Lord.) Inthis sense it was not only charukesi but also a hrishikesi, pervading all the indhriyas apart from the ears alone (hrshika means indhriyas)

After the 'Thani ' ,TNS sang ' kaaneere ' in kamas which was a real kamas , full of joy .' Kam ' means sukham. It was followed by 'Haribolo' in dwijavanthi and ashtapadi ' pravisa radhe in sivaranjani, rendered with the usual charm. Then came a viruththam and 'mavoorvalam' in sindhubairavi.
The concert ended with thiruppugaz even which was full of skill with grahabedha and rhythmic fireworks.


22-11-2005 at Carnatica.com - Naradaganasabha
TNS was accompanied by M.chandrasekharan and Umayalpuram Sivaraman and it was as grand a concert as to be expected. In fact it was the concert of the year or of a millenium! The theme was given as Krishnaganam and it was Krishnaganam indeed. The concert started with varnam in suruti followed by nan enna thavam seidheno , a uthukkadu composition. Other masterpieces like 'Sarasaaksha' in Panthuvarali and 'Chethasri' in Dvijavanthi with exquisite deliniation of the corresponding ragas followed. The concert reached a crescendo in BalaGopala in Bhairavi only to rise to a greter height later when. at around 9pm there came a surprising Shanmukhapriya RTP that chained tha rasikas, who thought of leaving, to their seats. TNS Krishna excelled in his vocal support to his father and stole the applause. Umayal puram Sivaraman with his masterly strokes provided the icing to the cake which was rich as usual, oozing butter. ( After all it was Krishnaganam!.) TNS was at his best with such an accompaniment and as the compere said they were three giants on the stage vying each other for excellence. The feeling of joy overflowed from the heart of every rasika. What an experience! Surely sky is the limit for the soaring music of TNS. We left with a feeling reflecting the song he sang, Naan enna thavam seitdheno to hear such a concert.

21-11-2005 at sivagami pethachi auditorium (vijay TV)
The programme started one hour late because the TV people could not set the stage earlier. But everyone waited patiently to hear the Maestro. He could start only at 7-45pm and finished at 9-15pm It was worth waiting for (we went at 5-30pm as it was on first come first served basis) and TNS gave a full 3 hours concert in a capsule form, that is to say, it was as satisfying as a full three hour concert. All the songs were in Tamil except the one of Muthiah Bhagavathar,'Giripriyam' in Kathanakuthoohalam. TNS started with the composition of Bharathi 'Ganapathi thalai' and followed it with other compositons from Kambhan, Papanaasam Sivan ending with the pasurams in ragamalika and Tirupathi venkataramana in Hamsanandi. All the usual delicacies were served to the rasikas like grahabhedham within the short time. All the ragas were delightful and the varali piece, 'Kaa vaa vaa' was the dessert of the feast with the delicious svaraprasthara. The audience who would not have missed the concert in spite of the heavy rain went away fully satisfied