The Score Magazine - Archive January 2015 issue! | Page 41

Ananya Ashok
When singing for a 1.5, 2, and 3 hour concert time
slot, how do you structure your concert accordingly?
If you have more time, do place more emphasis on
extempore or rendering more kritis?
SS: Well, many concerts go on during season. It’s important to
sing songs that aren’t too out there yet, something that makes
you stand out. In terms of manodharma(extempo), I try to take
40 minutes for a main piece and reduce everything else. I’ve
experimented with tirupugazhs as mains and submains, which
are great for 1.5 hour slots. Sometimes I sing one kriti(piece)
and then sing a ragam thanam pallavi(RTP) in a rare raga.
I sense people want a dose of common ragas and rare ragas.
Especially when an audience comes for you, you must try to
stand out or do something different.
SN: Usually with more time, I am able to sing more krithis as well
as more raga alapanai, or maybe another song and kalpanai
swarams. I wouldn’t say I have a pre-set idea of what I will
add when given more time. For example, recently I included
several more tukkadas at the end of the concert, when I knew I
had more time. But on another day, I may decide to add an RTP,
or to elaborate the main ragam more. I think the song or form
of manodharma that I use to fill the extra time varies concert
to concert, based on audience, ambience, and my mood. The
variety of different ways to structure a concert, and to use the
time allotted, is another wonderful quality of our musical style,
and adds uniqueness to each artist’s performance.
BS: It depends on the place mood and the voice fitness. However
long the list may be, there should never be a dull moment
in the concert. We should also consider about not repeating
compositions in case we’ve sung at that specific venue before
and so, a decent memory helps! There should be a sense of
proportion in whatever we do. Not too many kritis and not too
much manodharma. It should always be spread out in the given
time frame. Extempore planning is fine for when you are really
confident and that only comes with experience.
Do you experiment with various composers or do you
stick to just Trinity? How much importance do you
place on singing new/unheard songs versus songs
everyone knows and can easily relate to?
SS: In my concerts, I make sure there are atleast two compositions
of Trinity. I definitely present one of Saint Thyagaraja’s, if
not more. I also place importance on rare kritis. As mentioned
earlier, I sing a lot of tiripugazhs that I’ve learned from my dad
(Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan). I also sing a lot of Papanasam
Sivan. I specialize in that and enjoy singing in Tamizh, as it’s
great to understand what you’re singing.
BS: I definitely don’t just stick to Trinity compositions. It’s good
when you vary composers and sing rare
songs. The only thing that matters is the
placement of the song. One shouldn’t
lose the connection with people
as it can, believe it or not make
people feel restless. So, nothing
should be done just for the
sake of doing something. At
Sandeep
the end of the day, selection
Narayan
of compositions in a concert
is an art by itself and comes
with listening and singing
experience.
SN: I definitely don’t stick to
just trinity compositions. Being
largely influenced by my guru
Sri Sanjay Subrahmanyan's
music, I have learned quite a few
Thamizh krithis of various
composers, and of course learn
a lot of krithis based on their
ragas or structures, and not
just based on composer. In
most performances, I try to
include a newer song, but
it is usually sandwiched
between at least semi-
known, or well-known
compositions. It is
important to introduce
rare krithis while
engaging the audience
and maintaining their
interest and focus through
compositions that they are more
familiar with.
Sriranjani
Santhanagopalan
Do you sing according to your
audience and environment?(Ex. If you're singing
anywhere in TN would you be more inclined to sing
Tamil pieces vs. Telugu and Sanskrit)
SS: It is a good idea to keep you’re audience in mind. Infact, if I sing
out of town I call the organization in advance to get a sense of
what they’d like to listen to. Taking that initiative shows that
you care about the audience that you’re presenting to.
BS: Yes. But, nothing against my instincts just to please others. I
definitely sing for audiences, but always within my concert
values as I’ve learned from my gurus and other stalwarts. In my
opinion, language doesn’t matter if you’re able to convey the
mood through the music. Most Vaggeyakaras (musicians who
are also composers) have given life to their lyrics through the
music. So, there must be an aesthetic connect between the lyrics
and music, which are inseparable. For that to happen, one must
first know the language and delve deep.
SN: Language is a huge part of how I choose songs for any given
concert. When singing in more remote areas of Tamil Nadu,
especially smaller towns and villages, I sing even more Thamizh
and popular kritis. Singing outside of Tamil Nadu, I sing more
songs in the local languages, or by local composers, in the
hopes that the audience will relate to them better. Recently I
finished a concert in Kerala, and although I included several
compositions of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal, and even one
krithi in Malayalam, a rasika commented that I did not include
his favorite songs… Can’t please everyone I guess!
What are the pros and cons in your opinion about
singing a 'timed slot'?
BS: In my opinion, It’s good to sing timed slots in big halls. People
come expecting you to sing for a specific duration. Singing for
un slots but mostly in chamber concerts.. Infact its better to
finish and leave ppl wanting more than sing till they are bored
SN: The idea of a “time slot” can be limiting as it sometimes makes
an artist look more at t he clock than performing a raga alapanai
or krithi more elaborately. I know there have been days where
I felt that if I had more time then I could have expanded on a
composition more, however the system is the way it is for many
reasons and I can usually work within that if I plan properly.
Time slots exist to maximize the number of performances in a
day, to try and give a stage to the growing number of artists in
South Indian classical music. Perhaps the senior artists who are
usually singing the final concert of the day should be able to sing
as long as they want, or as long as audiences want to listen.
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