Yesudas: Live in Hayward, CA

VIOLIN : S.R.Mahadeva Sarma
MRIDANGAM : Tiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam
Ghatam : Radhakrishnan
VENUE : Chabot College, Hayward, CA
Date : Sept. 13. 2003.

Educating the audience to the nuances of carnatic music by the musician is something that every concert attendee has been dreaming of for the last several decades. I hope everyone agrees with me when I say there are quite a few new-comers to every carnatic music concert hoping to understand and appreciate it better. Should not a musician at the concert attend to this duty in addition to rendering quality music ? Yesudas did exactly that ! He announced the krithi, sahityam, raaga, arohanam/avarohanam, raga prayogam, raga perspective from the vocalist and the violinist point of view. This act is commendable. Kudos to Yesudas !

He started his concert with a varnam in raaga Sarasangi. Dual salutation to Ganesha followed, probably Semmangudi influence, "Sri Gananadham" of St. Thyagaraja in Kanakangi was rendered with passion.The vivadhi raaga was rendered so well that the audience was left in a trance. "Omkara Porule" in Hamsavinodini, a derivative of Sankarabharanam, with brisk swaras breezed past. "Yenna Punniyam" of Oothukaadu in Ritigaula was a tribute the GURU.

St. Thyagaraja's "Bala kanakamaya chela" in atana was soaked with bhakti and bhava. "Samaja Varagamana" in Hindolam was rendered with a definite Yesudas signature. Lalitha Dasar's "Rakshamam Saranagatham" was set to music by Chembai Vaidhayanatha Bhagavathar in Naata. Yesudas rendering of the same displayed the penchant for rhythm. Yesudas and Bhaktavatsalam reveled in it. Though "Nagumomu" of St.Thayagaraja in Abheri was a little too fast, it was rendered with lots of emphasis on lyrics. Lyric clarity I guess is the forte of Yesudas.

RTP in Sankarabharanam was the order of the day. Yesudas has displayed excellent manodharma sangeetham on more than one occasion but sticking on to a pallavi and thalam and singing it in various raagas may exhibit his talent but does not reflect well on creative music. I have been hearing him sing the same pallavi in the same thalam for the last 10+ years. Yesudas ! you must realize there are quite a few people who are listening to you for quite sometime and repeating songs/pallavi does not please them. Nevertheless, the job per se was well done. The Pallavi was set to Four kala Khanda Jathi Triputa Thalam (36 counts).

The latter half of the concert was filled with "Alaiyapudhe Kanna" in Kanada, "Kondalalo Nelakonna" of St. Annamacharya, Traditional "Harivarasanam", and his popular film hits included "Thiru paar kadalil", "Mamangam", "Pramadhavanam Vendum", ""Aadhisaya Ragam", "Jab deep jale aana", "Shataj ne paya ye vardhan" from Tansen among other popluar hits. The concert was aptly titled a semi-classical night to accomodate his accolades from the celluloid. That was an end to yet another succesfull concert. Could the 1300+ folks who listened that evening go home more satisfied ?