sawai gandharva music festival

yatrayatra · Jul 1st, 2006, 11:45

Hi

Has anyone heard of this music festival in Pune ? Is it good ?

How would you rank the music festivals that you have visited ?

Thanks

Nick-H · Jul 1st, 2006, 12:25

I know I'm biased, but Chennai surely has to be top of music festival leaugue, possible world-wide...

A whole month with thousands of concerts!

BenV · Jul 1st, 2006, 17:01

For those interested, here is the URL to the official festival site:

http://www.sawaigandharvamusicfestiv.../linkpage.html

The festival is located in Pune (Maharashtra) nearby Mumbai.

yatrayatra · Jul 1st, 2006, 22:14

Nicky

Compare the number of living legends in Hindustani music who appear at Sawai Gandharva versus the ones at Chennai.

greenchutney · Jul 2nd, 2006, 00:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by yatrayatra

Nicky

Compare the number of living legends in Hindustani music who appear at Sawai Gandharva versus the ones at Chennai.

there is very less comparision to the month long chennai music season in the world..1000s of concerts and all the legends are there. early morning to evening concerts, the jasmines, the sarees, the fresh coffee, the beats of talams from the audience..and the critics, the reviews, gossip and the slaughter, the drama that goes along with that...add to this the margazhi festival, pongal coming immediately after ending with their own thyagaraja festivals..in a two-three month time frame..its a happening time and place.

there seems to be a carnatic revival at the moment unlike hindustani which seems to be struggling for new talent. ...the sawai-gandharva's, the tansens and other hindustani's fests are 3 or 7 day festivals at the max...however you can make the case for the salzburg music festival or maybe maybe the new orleans jazzfest to be somewhat comparable to the chennai music season.

yatrayatra · Jul 2nd, 2006, 10:08

greenchutney,

In Chennai I would probably attend only Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan - Sudha etc are not impressive enough.

yes, U Rajesh and Srinivas and Vikku Vinayak when he graces... but that is about all.

The late revered MS is no more and sadly Balamuraliji does not perform anymore.

However, your point about the overall mood and season is noted. For those who do it every year , your sentiments will echo.
Hindustani as against this has Shivji, Amjadji, Hariji, Ashwini Bhide , Kishori Amonkarji, Dhrupad etc.. etc.. what a range of people who are really excellent !

Hmm Salzburg - can you give me a link to read about it ?

Thanks so much for sharing your views.

greenchutney · Jul 2nd, 2006, 10:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by yatrayatra

greenchutney,
In Chennai I would probably attend only Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan - Sudha etc are not impressive enough.
yes, U Rajesh and Srinivas and Vikku Vinayak when he graces... but that is about all.
The late revered MS is no more and sadly Balamuraliji does not perform anymore.
Hindustani as against this has Shivji, Amjadji, Hariji, Ashwini Bhide , Kishori Amonkarji, Dhrupad etc.. etc.. what a range of people who are really excellent !

here's are some others that you havent mentioned...that are rocking in carnatic genre at the moment...

sanjay subramaniam [vocalist]
t n seshagopalan [senior vocalist]
ganesh kumaresh [violin duo]
aruna sairam [vocalist]
malladi brothers [vocalists]
omana kutty [vocalist]
t m krishna [vocalist]
bombay jayashree [vocalist]
nityashree mahadevan [vocalist]
unnikrishnan [vocalist]
yesudas [vocalist]
l subramanium. [violin]
sikkil sisters [flute]

sudha raghunathan..saw her 3 times this year..and it was hard to tickets for each of them. she is awesome. so is TNS.. i am glad balamurali doesnt perform. EEEEK! personally i cant stand him..we all have our tastes..but to say there is very few in the carnatic genre is absolutely sacrilegious..

i like hindustani too [jasraj, veena, ajoy chakraborthy, suresh wadkar, sanjeev abhyankar, buddhaditya mukherjee]..and i think there should be no comparision between the genres...its like apples to oranges. we thought that carnatic music was on the downslide..but surprisingly there has been a big revival and i am so happy about it....inspite of all the drama, egotists, the purists, the banter, music academy and aradhana politics.

Quote:

Originally Posted by yatrayatra

Hmm Salzburg - can you give me a link to read about it ?

the main home page of the salzburg music festival [click here] is absolutely scattered. there doesnt seem to be a single comprehensive schedule listing..atleast the english one i checked. mmmmmmmm.. would like to go one day..it is very impressive.

yatrayatra · Jul 3rd, 2006, 18:33

greenchutney,

I have heard most of those who you have mentioned.

I think I mentioned "living legends" and from your list I would not put down anyone as a legend.

Trust even the Hindu to agree with that !

I love my Carnatic music and yes, it was heaven to watch MS etc... but eeks ,Aruna Sairam just does not compare - so little time on earth ; might as well watch the best.

Vanakkam !

greenchutney · Jul 3rd, 2006, 20:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by yatrayatra

I have heard most of those who you have mentioned.
I think I mentioned "living legends" and from your list I would not put down anyone as a legend.
Trust even the Hindu to agree with that !

why give labels out>?..is there a certification course to become a 'living legend'? is the Hindu newspaper a criteria? and if i have to extend your criteria...if l subramaniam or tn seshagopalan [both from my list above], didnt make this..i really wonder....labels be damned.

Quote:

Originally Posted by yatrayatra

yes, it was heaven to watch MS etc... but eeks ,Aruna Sairam just does not compare

MS is gone, dead..and she left a great legacy. Cant keep wallowing in the past or be drowned by nostalgia to not see whats there in the present. why compare aruna sairam with her?. they all have their own styles, their own interpretations and what not. i may not like aruna sairam but there are others who do...the same with balamurali krishna.

Quote:

Originally Posted by yatrayatra

so little time on earth ; might as well watch the best.

i agree..except that i rather scout for talent and their art than the 'best' whatever that means...no i dont go by top 40 lists...... it all the way my neurons react, that personal connection between me and the artist and his/her music, the renditions and 99.9% of the artists i listed, provide that to me.

yatrayatra · Jul 11th, 2006, 11:43

Fair enough.

We all do have our preferences !

The Chennai season is great though and incomparable in India for length ,breadth and depth - something on offer to everyone ; in my case, though, not many musicians I would like to listen.

However, an institution does throw up choices and with time I certainly hope so !

Nick-H · Jul 11th, 2006, 12:37

To say that you love carnatic music, but there are not many musicians yo want to listen to in the Chennai festival seems like a contradiction in terms, unless it is only dead artists you like.

But, we do have our choices and priorities, and I wouldn't travel to the other end of the country for a Hindustani festival!

As for the titles, I'm not sure who loves them the best: the concert presenters, the CD publishers or the artists. Many of the artists are not exactly short on ego

!

yatrayatra · Jul 13th, 2006, 18:15

True - as I said today I would only go for a Kunnakudy concert or U Rajesh/Srinivas.

Let me also clarify - I have watched classical music live since 1986 or thereabouts. Thus, I have truly many memorable experiences to go by and yes, like with books one just cannot read an average book or attend an average concert.

Some of the greats I have heard live - Shiv Kumar Sharma, Amjad Ali Khan, Zakir Hussain, Gangubai Hangal, Dagar Bros. , Begum Parveen Sultana, Vilayat Khan, Bhimsen Joshi,Ashwini Bhide Deshpande ( yes, new but great in my opinion)....

In Carnatic - M S Subbulaxmi, N Ravi, Kunnakudy Vaidyanathan, Balamurali Krishnan, Vikku Vinayakram...

Then there are others.

Thus, really my plate is full as far as high quality concerts go and it is indeed difficult to sit through an average ....

I do watch a lot of Hindustani even now and yes, the occasional Carnatic !

mountainman · Oct 1st, 2006, 00:06

hey, its a great concert that happens in pune every year,,, its mostly classical Music from north, though some times thay have some good artists from the south perform too... I havebeen there myself a few times. If u like north indian classical then its a very goodone. I think its at par with some of the good concerts happen in mumbai. But tickets are also as difficult to find. If you are a concert freak try Drupad/dhamar concert that happens in varanasi every year in Feb/March.

Cheers

yatrayatra · Oct 6th, 2006, 11:34

Dhrupad is also available in plentiful in Pune - the Dagar brothers live in Pune !

Jul 1st, 2006, 11:45	#1
yatrayatra Account Closed Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: india Posts: 118	sawai gandharva music festival Hi Has anyone heard of this music festival in Pune ? Is it good ? How would you rank the music festivals that you have visited ? Thanks

Jul 1st, 2006, 12:25	#2
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 28,420	I know I'm biased, but Chennai surely has to be top of music festival leaugue, possible world-wide... A whole month with thousands of concerts! __________________ . Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

Jul 13th, 2006, 18:15	#12
yatrayatra Account Closed Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: india Posts: 118	True - as I said today I would only go for a Kunnakudy concert or U Rajesh/Srinivas. Let me also clarify - I have watched classical music live since 1986 or thereabouts. Thus, I have truly many memorable experiences to go by and yes, like with books one just cannot read an average book or attend an average concert. Some of the greats I have heard live - Shiv Kumar Sharma, Amjad Ali Khan, Zakir Hussain, Gangubai Hangal, Dagar Bros. , Begum Parveen Sultana, Vilayat Khan, Bhimsen Joshi,Ashwini Bhide Deshpande ( yes, new but great in my opinion).... In Carnatic - M S Subbulaxmi, N Ravi, Kunnakudy Vaidyanathan, Balamurali Krishnan, Vikku Vinayakram... Then there are others. Thus, really my plate is full as far as high quality concerts go and it is indeed difficult to sit through an average .... I do watch a lot of Hindustani even now and yes, the occasional Carnatic ! Last edited by yatrayatra : Aug 14th, 2006 at 18:47.

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Jul 1st, 2006, 17:01	#3
BenV Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Netherlands Posts: 137	For those interested, here is the URL to the official festival site: http://www.sawaigandharvamusicfestiv.../linkpage.html The festival is located in Pune (Maharashtra) nearby Mumbai.

Jul 1st, 2006, 22:14	#4
yatrayatra Account Closed Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: india Posts: 118	Nicky Compare the number of living legends in Hindustani music who appear at Sawai Gandharva versus the ones at Chennai.

Jul 2nd, 2006, 10:08	#6
yatrayatra Account Closed Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: india Posts: 118	greenchutney, In Chennai I would probably attend only Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan - Sudha etc are not impressive enough. yes, U Rajesh and Srinivas and Vikku Vinayak when he graces... but that is about all. The late revered MS is no more and sadly Balamuraliji does not perform anymore. However, your point about the overall mood and season is noted. For those who do it every year , your sentiments will echo. Hindustani as against this has Shivji, Amjadji, Hariji, Ashwini Bhide , Kishori Amonkarji, Dhrupad etc.. etc.. what a range of people who are really excellent ! Hmm Salzburg - can you give me a link to read about it ? Thanks so much for sharing your views.

Jul 3rd, 2006, 18:33	#8
yatrayatra Account Closed Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: india Posts: 118	greenchutney, I have heard most of those who you have mentioned. I think I mentioned "living legends" and from your list I would not put down anyone as a legend. Trust even the Hindu to agree with that ! I love my Carnatic music and yes, it was heaven to watch MS etc... but eeks ,Aruna Sairam just does not compare - so little time on earth ; might as well watch the best. Vanakkam !

Jul 11th, 2006, 11:43	#10
yatrayatra Account Closed Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: india Posts: 118	Fair enough. We all do have our preferences ! The Chennai season is great though and incomparable in India for length ,breadth and depth - something on offer to everyone ; in my case, though, not many musicians I would like to listen. However, an institution does throw up choices and with time I certainly hope so !

Jul 11th, 2006, 12:37	#11
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 28,420	To say that you love carnatic music, but there are not many musicians yo want to listen to in the Chennai festival seems like a contradiction in terms, unless it is only dead artists you like. But, we do have our choices and priorities, and I wouldn't travel to the other end of the country for a Hindustani festival! As for the titles, I'm not sure who loves them the best: the concert presenters, the CD publishers or the artists. Many of the artists are not exactly short on ego !

Oct 1st, 2006, 00:06	#13
mountainman Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 13	hey, its a great concert that happens in pune every year,,, its mostly classical Music from north, though some times thay have some good artists from the south perform too... I havebeen there myself a few times. If u like north indian classical then its a very goodone. I think its at par with some of the good concerts happen in mumbai. But tickets are also as difficult to find. If you are a concert freak try Drupad/dhamar concert that happens in varanasi every year in Feb/March. Cheers

Oct 6th, 2006, 11:34	#14
yatrayatra Account Closed Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: india Posts: 118	Dhrupad is also available in plentiful in Pune - the Dagar brothers live in Pune !

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