Sanjay Subrahmanyan - Livermore Temple, California, Sept 28

[mahavishnu]

Sanjay Subrahmanyan- vocal
S Varadarajan - violin
Neyveli B Venkatesh -mridangam

Livermore Siva-Vishnu temple (New auditorium inauguration).

1. inta chAlamu - bEgaDA varNam - vIna kuppayyar
2. sree gaNapathini - sowrAshtra - T
3. appA nAn - pUrvikalyANi - Ramalinga aDigaL (ANS)
4. vandE sadA padmanAbham - navarasa kannada - ST
5. mahA Tripura sundari manOnmani - bhairavi - Pallavi Gopala iyer (AS)
6. nanda gOpAla - Yamuna kalyani - MD
7. saraguNa pAlimpa - kEdara gowLa - poochi (AST)
8. ozhukkam uyirum Ombappadum - kuntala varALi - VaLLuvar
9. RTP charukesi - "ellAm sivan seyal enDrE kavalayindri iruppAi, manamE" - misra chApu (rAga mAlika neraval in pairs: kalyAni, nalinakAnti; varALi, sahAna; hamsAnandi, reethigowLa).
10. shrutva GuNan (slokam) followed by - sri gOpeesa pranayasulabha - rAgamAlikA (chalanAtta, kIravANi, saraswati, ananda bhairavi) - composer: Sanjay's sister (as a Sanskrit grad student).
11. lAlisadaLu maganE yashodE - desh, jOnpuri
12. mAlOn maruganai - short viruttam - solla solla varmam Enaiyya - bEhAg - doraiswAmi kavi
13. emandunE muddu bAlamani - saindhavi - dharmapuri subbarayar
14. ninnayE rathi endru - bagEsri - Subramanya bhArati
15. chidambaram pOgamal iruppEnO - senjurutti - GKB
16. kunDRin mEdhu ninru kandEn - khamAs - bhArati dAsan
17. Kalilo hari smaraNamokaTiyE - kApi - HMB
18. tillAna - sindhu bhairavi - SKR
19. nI nAma rupamulaku - sowrashtram - mangalam - T

It is often said that people wear their personalities on their sleeve and this is reflected in and shapes just about everything they do. This is especially true in the case of Sanjay, whom I have had the pleasure of knowing and following for almost three decades now (since our school days). Everything Sanjay does on stage is a reflection of the colorful person that he is. His musical expressions on stage appear to be continuous with who he is and everything he does. And in doing so, he achieves an authenticity that most musicians struggle to find.

Sanjay's personality can be defined by his sharp Thanjavoorian rhetoric and sensibilities, his Mylaporean quick wit, his confidence which has no shade of arrogance and his irreverence while remaining an apparent traditionalist (who else could sing Bharathidasan at a temple concert and get away with it). His music has all the elements of his personality.

More importantly, he has the ability to mirror and absorb both style and substance from around him, critical in establishing him as the strong communicator that he is. There are elements of GNB/SKR, MDR, Semmangudi and even the odd TNS in his music, but his expression is always refreshingly original.

Sanjay's music has an intrepid spontaneity and he is always in control of the delivery and pace of the performance. He owns the stage and the space around him, leaving the audience in the comfort of their own inertia whilst keeping them constantly guessing what his next move would be.

Sanjay strides over the Carnatic stage like a colossus. The 1000 people that were gathered to listen to him in Livermore yesterday are further testimony to his special place on the scene today. And regale us he did. For almost four hours, showing no signs of fatigue till the very end.

Sanjay's voice settled into its comfort zone by the third piece and his pUrvikalyANi was supremely soulful. He excelled in the delivery of the aruTpA, with perfect sensitivity to both the diction and the musical sentiment he was trying to convey.

The bhairavi was beautiful, but Sanjay really came to his element during the nanda gOpala piece. This is a very unique Dikshitar composition in Yamuna kalyani. It has such a different flavor compared to jambupathE. While the latter is standard pAdam in the DKJ school, nanda gOpala was a staple of Maharajapuram Santhanam. I still remember seeing a very young Sanjay (circa 1986/87) sitting in the last row of RR Sabha hall in Mylapore listening to Santhanam and mentally rehearsing his piDis, hand gestures and all. Just how far he has come since all that!

The kEdaragowla was a work of art. There were times when he was weaving patterns in it and his hand gestures were involuntarily following the contours of the rAga swaroopam he was trying to conjure. And just like that there was magic.

There was so much sAhitya suddham in his rendering of SaraguNA pAlimpa, replete with the image of the elephant in need of salvation as he sang: "shatadhruti pUjita gajarAjuni moraliDagA anughrahinca lEdA?" What a great composition! I was hoping he would sing tuLasi bilva, given some MDR-esque moments in his alapanai. But in retrospect, I am glad he chose this one. The song is still ringing in my ears.

The RTP was interesting; the tAnam was spectacular. Although, on occasion it felt like Varadarajan was able to capture chArukEsi better with his ideation. Perhaps because the more scalar prayOgams that Sanjay was trying seemed more natural on the violin. Sanjay presented rAgamAlika neravals in pairs. Not sure if there was any particular reason for the pairings, but the varALi-sahAna duo was incredible.

The nicest surprise was the Sanskrit piece that he sang in #10. He announced that a Sanskrit graduate student composed these verses around 15 years ago. And just as the audience went "!!!???!!", he revealed the composer as his (younger) sister, who was at the concert yesterday. Apparently she had just moved to the bay area recently and was blissfully unaware that he was going to debut her composition here!

Varadarajan was simply amazing! He followed Sanjay's music every step of the way, but that is not news to many of you. Although he is quite different from Sanjay in terms of stage presence and personality, he manages to lock into his music like no other. Varadu excelled today, inspiring Sanjay to push himself even further. Some of his returns were even more nuanced than Sanjay and in doing so managed to convert some of Sanjay's merely suggestive ideas into his own flourishes.

Neyveli Venkatesh, like Varadu, considers playing with Sanjay at his peak as one of the highlights of his career. He followed not only Sanjay's rhythms, but hung on to every musical feature even when he was just listening. The concentrated insight that he has into Sanjay's music serves his craft very well as he accompanies this unique team.

I always wondered why Sanjay prefers these two accompanists to others and I think I may have found the reason why. They both give him 110%. Venkatesh played an excellent tani with a three-speed kOrvai being the highlight. True to his guru Kandasamy Pillai and in the PSP tradition, he has excellent use of the outer perimeter of the valanthalai with good complimentary use of the thoppi.

Overall, a top-class concert of the kind we have come to expect from Sanjay. I am amazed by his indefatigable energy; brighas were flowing from him even as he was close to ending the fourth hour of his performance. If, as the bard says, all the world is a CM stage, then Sanjay is its most prominent thespian.

And finally, a special word of congratulations to the Livermore Siva-Vishnu temple for building this auditorium. Look forward to many years of blissful listening here, fortunately it is right up the street from me and I don't have to battle any traffic to get there! They still have a ways to go to optimize the acoustics and make it the perfect hall, but I am sure they will get there soon enough.

I had a great Saturday. How was yours?

[arunsri]

mahAtripurasundari is by pallavi gOpAliyEr

[arasi]

Mahavishnu,

If a thousand filled the temple's brand new hall to hear Sanjay yesterday, I wonder how many on the forum have been waiting to read your review about this concert!

Thank you for an excellent, one of a kind review (may I say, Boswellian in its depth, but not in blind admiration, scientist?!!) An authentic review, well-detailed, capturing the spirit of the concert all along. You weave in personal history, which adds to the study of the progression of the serious musician that Sanjay is.

The first review too, on a concert held in the temple's brand-new hall!

We take it for granted that a Sanjay song list is solid and varied. Something new is derived every time, even with an often heard song--in the way in which he adds newness to the familiar with the singing of the rAGA, neravals and so on. Some major songs, even those that are structured meticulously, get malleable when he voices them.

An artiste makes an impression on us, and with his works, makes us see his merit. Every time we see a work of his in a museum, our appreciation for him/her grows. We go through the artiste's creative development by going back to his early paintings (as you have so keenly done with your looking back at this artiste's progress with authenticity).

An artiste's paintings speak for him. Great movie actors' work (one time work in both cases) are testimonies for their art. We extoll them for their one time performance.

Not so with performing musicians and actors on stage. They have to prove their mettle over and over again. Easy for rasikAs to criticize, not easy for the musicians to be a winner every time!

Coming to the concert, with V&V by his side, Sanjay aced again, with a near-four hour concert--and he has a concert to sing this evening too!

I have heard Sanjay singing nanda gOpAla, and it had an unforgettable stamp. I had heard Santhanam singing it once in the US, and that's all (we were famished for concerts then, not going to India that often). Santhanam made me love the song, but Sanjay gave it a whole new dimension, I thought. Had I heard him yesterday, I would have seen another dimension to it!

A pleasant surprise, Sanjay debuting his sister's sanskrit rAga mAlikA. Congratulations to her!

[rshankar]

Ramesh...a lyrical review...thank you so much! I've been to the temple before..hope to get a chance to visit the auditorium too.
I assume the SlOka that preceded his sister's composition was the message that rukmiNi sent kRshNa...is that case, I think it should be SRtvA guNAn (bhuvana sundara).

[arasi]

Yes, and lAlisidaLu magana...

[vasanthakokilam]

Awesome review, Mahavishnu. 1000 people! Wow!! Bay area is the CM capital of North America, I suppose. Looking at the list of composers, I guess this mini tour can be termed the 'All Composers' tour!

[arasi]

Not all

Your review from Chicago was impressive too--and Kedharam's . Hope today's concert is also going to be reviewed.

[kunthalavarali]

#8: Ozhukkam Uyirinum Ombappadum (ஒழுக்கம் உயிரினும் ஓம்பப்படும் ) is from Thirukural

[rajeshnat]

mahavishnu
Lovely review , I was awaiting for your review . Could you add sanjay's sisters name who composed the sanskrit song. 4 hours concert with the temple being siva and vishnu kind of surely pleases all of the rasikas.

[arasi]

Thanks, kunthalavarali. I missed mentioning it. In the tamizh script in your post, both 'o' and 'u' in ozhukkam and uyir are elongated.

Rajesh,
I know, you're missing your favored 'four hour' concerts! You complain Chennai doesn't offer that many. Bengaluru isn't bad (3 1/2 hrs), but four hour concerts are something I too haven't heard in a lo...ng while.

[annamalai]

I had a great Saturday. How was yours?

Saturday was an auspicious day in India - Purattasi sani vara; special pooja samaradhana to Varaguna Seshadri Varada Venkateswara.
Special samaradhana food and resulting in food coma like python. Navarathri concerts starting soon.

[mahavishnu]

Arasi, Ravi, VK: thank you for your kind words.

Arasi: Yes, Sanjay certainly adds a special touch to nanda gOpala. There is something about the higher reaches of the scale of yamuna Kalyani (@ pItAmbara dhara) that Dikshitar brings out that sends a tickle down my spine each time.
As you say, great artistes have periods in their life and a complete cataloging of their life's work requires seeing this artistic evolution in context.

Rajesh: Unfortunately, I did not get to meet Sanjay's sister or learn her good name. I will try to find out more about this composition.

Ravi, arunsri, kunthalavarali, Arasi: I have made those edits now.

Purattasi sani vara; special pooja samaradhana to Varaguna Seshadri Varada Venkateswara. Special samaradhana food and resulting in food coma like python. Navarathri concerts starting soon.

Annamalai: Very pleased to hear of your special purattasi saturday. My periappa whose name is Venkatesan was very musically referred to by my grand-uncle as "Varaguna Seshadri varada venkateswara" using his limited approximation of kedaragowla. For several decades now, we have an entire flock of relatives who refer to him as Seshadri mama/peripa/chittapa/athimber, even though that is not his name! He even used to get wedding invitations under that name, and we have the great Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar to thank for that.

Co-incidentally, my perippa turned 80 just this last saturday and how appropriate that it was on a purattasi sani! Sri Venkatesan was instrumental in taking me to many many concerts when I was a child, especially when my father was too busy and I am eternally grateful to him that. Now, my father used to call him "Cheenu" because of his fondness of Semmangudi, but that is a story for another time just as purattasi is for perumAL.

And finally a shout out to Mani Subramaniyan and others at Sankritilaya. Hats off to you guys for organizing such a mammoth event. The free dinner offered to 1000 guests is certainly worth an additional thank you.

[arasi]

Annamalai,
Your post was a welcome addition. VENDum varam tharum venkaTESan vEN pongalODu virundum aLippAn...

Mahavishnu,
Glad to hear that a thousand rasikAs were fed at the Livermore temple also. The Cleveland festival is the one that set an example for annual mass feeding of this kind here in the US!

Made my morning to hear about the 'vara guNa sE...shAdri' of your family!

Mani Subramaniyan,
How about the iSai virundu (musical feast)? Are any of the four concerts of this lightening tour available on CDs?

[Rsachi]

Mahavishnu,
A delectable review, expressing your deep enjoyment of a grand concert Ina new temple auditorium that's come up next to your new home! Many layers of joy there.

How was my Saturday!? I was at a heavenly garden-landscaped gated community in north Bangalore called Utopia, in the most beautiful home I have ever been in, named "Arunachala", with a friend and a host in a perfect setting for our game plan: the 'home' concerts we have been plotting in our pursuit of Rasaanveshanam!!!

[Lakshman]

# 11 is by Purandaradasa.

[manisubramaniyan]

And finally a shout out to Mani Subramaniyan and others at Sankritilaya. Hats off to you guys for organizing such a mammoth event. The free dinner offered to 1000 guests is certainly worth an additional thank you.

On behalf of all the volunteers of Sankritilaya, thank you so much Mahavishnu for the compliments. In truth, most of the work is done by the team of Viji Mani and Mahalingam Mani; the rest of us pitch in where needed.

And thanks for a wonderful review as well.

As for the free dinner, full credit goes to the Livermore temple (and the committees) for their generous gesture.

Arasi, yes, we got a recording of the concert and have Sanjay's permission, but are in the process of making sure it is recorded properly. Once we check it out, we will make it available on mp3 CDS through Sankritilaya website (in about a week or so).

Next year tours for Sanjay are also going to be short tours (due to time constraints etc), but we are covering different cities/regions of the US in each tour.

[kittappa]

Sanjay's sister's name is Aarati. His wife's name is also Aarati. This info was told to me by RaviSri who is a friend of the Sanjay family for many years.

[rhonep2]

Here is the lyrics (along with meanin) to the song that Sanjay's sister wrote

http://samskrute.blogspot.com/search/label/premasvarupa

[rshankar]

Thank you for that link - it a beautiful composition that describes various aspects of kRshNa's love - his love for kucEla, his love for the nAgapatnis as he forgave kALiya, his love for arjuna, for akrUra, for the gOpIs, and for rAdhA. I assume it was tuned by Sri Sanjay...

[arasi]

Rhonep2,
Thanks, and welcome to Rasikas.org.

To Arathi,
Wow!
With the translations, I could appreciate your verses even more. Thanks.

Let there be no end to your creativity. May it continue to flow

[mahavishnu]

Thank you, Rhonep2. Interesting site too.
Ravi, yes I would safely assume that it was tuned by Sanjay!

[MV]

What a list! What a review! And what responses from forumites like Arasi. Just reading it has charged me up for this weekend. I hope a recording is going to come out-for sale even. Will be happy to pay for it. Thanks Mahavishnu