On Flute Shashank's performance

On 25th April (07), We attended a concert by famous flautist Master Shashank. Reached the venue with Great expectations as it has been good listening to Shashank live. The concert began almost 30 minutes behind schedule which is a rarity at Rama Bhajana Seva Mandali. Shashank began with an Ata Tala Kanada Varnam (after providing the audience with a Hobson's Choice of the same). The Latangi he played after that was very elaborate. He was alternately brilliant and lack lusture. The Saramati that followed was equally detailed and he managed to put a few people in the audience to sleep (saw a couple of them seated in the same row as us itself.) The Hindustani influence of Pandit Jasraj with whom Shashank is learning now became highly evident. I have nothing against Hindustani music or Panditji but when people begin to mix both styles, the end effect somehow doesn't sound appealing. I've heard violin maestro N. Rajamji play both styles; but when she plays Raga Bageshri it is purely in the Hindustani style of late Pandit Omkarnath Thakur and when she plays Thodi the influence of her father Veena Narayana Iyer and other stalwarts like Musiri is clearly discernable. The same hold true with Violin maestro Sangita Kalanidhi MS Gopalakrishnan. Shashank ought to take a few tips from these great people. I guess I have been too scathing in my review and it could have been just one of those days when he was not upto the mark. I have listened to Shashank earlier and have plenty of his recordings. I sincerely hope he gets to back to playing as he used to in days of yore.

I also picked up a 3 CD concert of Ariyakudi Ramanujam Iyergar (with TNK amd PMI) from the stall near the main gate at the venue. Yet to listen to the same; will blog about that later.