Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Review the latest concerts you have listened to.
Post Reply
shriram.krishnan72
Posts: 52
Joined: 14 May 2017, 13:28

Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by shriram.krishnan72 »

M Vijay - Violin
Neyveli Venkatesh - Mridangam
Swarna Rethos - Vocal Support

It was an enthralling concert with the generous dose of adrenaline and creativity. This was a concert dominated by a lot of ragam singing. The concert was received with equal enthusiasm by the audience. I am sure it would have been a long time before the organisers would have seen their venue garner these many listeners. A welcome sight.

Highlights of the concert:

A soulful and relaxed Varali alapana by Sanjay led to the evergreen composition Eti Janma

After a lilting Yadukulakamboji alapana which is rarely explored these days it was the even rarer Nee Dayache filled with wholesome swarams by both Sanjay and the youngster on the violin

Karaharapriya is Sanjay's forte in my opinion and his ragam exploration of this over the years has always left me the most satisfied. This day was no different and he did complete justice to its grandeur and scope. Rama Nee Samanamevaru was the chosen Krithi and it was good to see the camaraderie between Sanjay and his disciple when he was given opportunities to partake in the manodharma sections surround Paluku Paluku immortalised by the legend Semmangudi

It was another Thodi in this series and it was exemplary but a more modern interpretation as compared to the one sung in the earlier days at the same venue by Santhanagopalan. I need more time to get used to the new age sangatis and maybe familiarity and exposure will do the trick. On the fence presently. The lesser heard Needayaravale was the song and Neyveli Venkatesh followed this up with a thani avarthanam full of rhythmic patterns

I find ending a concert with Suruti very pleasant and the composition was Verevvare by Thyagaraja. This was the first time I heard this song and I wonder why more people dont sing this.

Negatives:

Negatives were a few and far but a few words also about the modern day audience. There was constant disturbances with people fidgeting on their phones. This is something I am noticing in all concerts these days where people are becoming inseparable from their devices. It would do a lot more respect for the artists if we gave them our full attention.

This phenomenon of incessant clapping can sometimes be annoying. At many junctures during the thodi alapana as Sanjay was developing and delving deep I felt the need was more to show this appreciation by the audience than to enjoy. 5 applauses before concluding one alapana felt extreme. Just an observation

Sanjays voice was in fine fettle but at times I felt it was too harsh the way he sang certain things especially on the top octave with a lot of unnecessary force and volume. Maybe easing that down might have a better impact. This is a personal discomfort

The overall sound quality at the sabha was below average but I did not expect anything better after listening to concerts in the earlier days. Maybe that is something which can be worked on to bring more people for a more pleasurable listening experience


It was notable that one of Sanjay's regular violinist S Varadarajan's disciple Vijay accompanied Sanjay for this concert. It was a lovely opportunity for the youngster to showcase his talent and he did complete justice to the grand stage provided to him. Vijay had a good tone and tried to match Sanjay. At times he may have got carried away and meandered a bit but with age he should mature. A good effort nonetheless

Neyveli Venkatesh was his usual self and was assured of what he was playing given his long association and familiarity with Sanjay and his music. However I did feel the mridangam tuning was off at certain points in the concert. He managed to keep the momentum and energy levels high and succeeded in winning the audience with his thani avarthanam.

Looking forward to more such musical treats from Sanjay. Kudos

- SK72

sureshvv
Posts: 5523
Joined: 05 Jul 2007, 18:17

Re: Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by sureshvv »

Nice balanced review. Need more of these here ;)

No belly aching or chest beating about his unconventional vocalizations like tu tu tu? :)

Was that because they were absent or you found them quite palatable in the flow of things?

melam72
Posts: 494
Joined: 02 Nov 2016, 16:12

Re: Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by melam72 »

sureshvv wrote: 17 May 2017, 12:32 unconventional vocalizations like tu tu tu? :)
It has become like the polluted Cooum - it is there, you wrinkle your nose when you near it, but that doesn't mean you don't visit Annalakshmi on General Patters road ;)

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by arasi »

Subbudu's centenary, and inspired :o (as if it's needed), we have plenty of mELa tALam in the review threads of late...

sureshvv
Posts: 5523
Joined: 05 Jul 2007, 18:17

Re: Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by sureshvv »

melam72 wrote: 17 May 2017, 15:16
It has become like the polluted Cooum - it is there, you wrinkle your nose when you near it, but that doesn't mean you don't visit Annalakshmi on General Patters road ;)
Good. You seemed to have enjoyed the drink. :|

K Nagarajan
Posts: 138
Joined: 09 Jul 2015, 22:19

Re: Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by K Nagarajan »

@ Shriram.krishnan72
Please also mention the date on which the concert was held.

shriram.krishnan72
Posts: 52
Joined: 14 May 2017, 13:28

Re: Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by shriram.krishnan72 »

Thank you for your feedback K Nagarajan. Will mention it henceforth.

@sureshvv Happy you like the review. About your question the vocalization was there but I am okay with it. Musicians have their own quirks and I am okay looking past it. What I need to get used to is however the unpalatable comparisons to Cooum when it concerns a senior musician.

- SK72

kvchellappa
Posts: 3598
Joined: 04 Aug 2011, 13:54

Re: Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by kvchellappa »

That cooum stuff is common from that 'medhavi' and you must close your nose and look the other way.

kvchellappa
Posts: 3598
Joined: 04 Aug 2011, 13:54

Re: Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by kvchellappa »

Arasi,
I doubt if Subbudu stooped that low.

Vocalist
Posts: 1030
Joined: 19 Feb 2006, 18:53

Re: Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by Vocalist »

sureshvv wrote: 17 May 2017, 12:32 his unconventional vocalizations like tu tu tu? :)
I still don't understand what is meant by that; could I have an audio sample please?

yeshprabhu
Posts: 39
Joined: 04 Apr 2017, 04:26

Re: Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by yeshprabhu »

shriram.krishnan72 wrote: 17 May 2017, 12:29 M Vijay - Violin
Neyveli Venkatesh - Mridangam
Swarna Rethos - Vocal Support


Negatives:
There was constant disturbances with people fidgeting on their phones. This is something I am noticing in all concerts these days where people are becoming inseparable from their devices. It would do a lot more respect for the artists if we gave them our full attention.

Sanjays voice was in fine fettle but at times I felt it was too harsh the way he sang certain things especially on the top octave with a lot of unnecessary force and volume. Maybe easing that down might have a better impact. This is a personal discomfort


- SK72

The concert was held on May 4, 2017, at 6.30 pm, at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam, Mylapore (Sriram Krishnan72 wished to know when the concert was held). The Krithis sung were:

1. Shree Ganapathini sevimparare, Sowrashtra raga
2. Bhavanutha naa hridayamuna, Mohana raga
3. Eti Janma , Varali raga
4. Nee Dayache Rama, Yadukulakambodhi raga
5. Rama nee samanamevaru, Kharaharapriya raga
6. Vinarada na manavi, Devagandhari raga
7. Nee daya ravalegaaka ne, Thodi raga
8. Vidhi sakraadulaku dorakuna, Yamunakalyani raga
9. Veda mulake (veravvare) neeve gati, Suruti raga
10. Pavamana (Prahllada Naradadi) Sowrashtra raga

You seem to have enjoyed the concert, but you also observed,"Sanjays voice was in fine fettle but at times I felt it was too harsh the way he sang certain things especially on the top octave with a lot of unnecessary force and volume." You made a good observation, and I remember asking myself, "Why is he shouting?" at least on five occasions. I looked at the notes I took at the sabha, and saw that he had shouted the most when he sang Bhavanutha in Mohana raga. Even his Thodi alapana was not spared: I felt that he was shouting needlessly. My Sangeetha Acharya, Sri T N Bala once told me, when I told him the krithis Sri Sanjay sang at a concert arranged by Sruthi organization, Pennsylvania, that "Sanjay sings at times like a bellow. Have you seen iron smiths using bellow to make the coal red hot? Air rushing out in bursts, initially under high pressure, then slowing down, and repeating this in cycles? He should stop trying to impress the audience, and just sing in an even tone. He should also avoid shouting." Of course I had observed that at all his concerts, and I, too, had wondered why was he singing like that? More than two decades ago, Sri Sanjay Subramanyan had shown the rasikas that he is an excellent singer with extraordinary "manodharma", and so he should not feel the need to prove his musical prowess. I have a list of some forty krithis sung by various vocalists that I have titled, "The all time great Carnatic music I have heard in my life": The list includes three krithis sung by Sri Sanjay: Sri Gopalakrishna Bharathis' Sabhapathikku neramillai, in Abhogi raga (My heart melted when I heard it!), Sivaloka Nathanai Kandu, Sri Gopalakrishna Bharathi's composition, in Mayamalavagowla raga (I experienced bliss when I heard it, and I still do feel it when I listen to it even now), and Shree Deekshitar's Neerajakshi Kamakshi in Hindola raga, that he sang at Vani Mahal, several years ago. When he is capable of singing like that, with great bhaava, touching the listeners' hearts, why does he sing like this, I wondered as I sat and listened to him shouting. Also, while singing swaras for the Yadukulakambodhi krithi, I was astonished that he used the swaras "sa ri ma, ga ma pa" on two occasions: But Yadukulakambodhi has no gandhara in arohana. He probably meant to sing "sa ri ma, ri ma pa". I was quite impressed with the violinist, Sri M Vijay, however. He is a shishya of violinist Sri Varadarajan, I was told. There was a huge crowd at the sabha, and many in the audience seemed to enjoy the concert, unlike me, and gave him enthusiastic applause. And I noticed also that several rasikas showed signs of distress when they heard him shouting. Regarding the constant ringing of the cell phones, and the rasikas answering their phones and talking loudly, I think the organizers of the concerts must ask the rasikas, before the concert starts, to shut off their cell phones. This is a common practice at all the sabhas in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and rasikas abide by the request, and turn off their cell phones. Why can they not do the same here in Chennai?

I have attended at least 30 concerts of Sri Sanjay Subramanyan. And, unlike TMK's, his style of singing has neither changed, nor evolved much; there is some change, of course; that is inevitable. TMK seems to present to us "A new and improved version of himself" at each successive concert. That is what I have observed.
Yesh Prabhu, Mylapore, Chennai

narayara000
Posts: 308
Joined: 13 Jul 2015, 06:59

Re: Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by narayara000 »

"I was astonished that he used the swaras "sa ri ma, ga ma pa" on two occasions: But Yadukulakambodhi has no gandhara in arohana. He probably meant to sing "sa ri ma, ri ma pa"

Sa ri ma, ga ma pa, is a common phrase in Yadhukula Kambhoji. It is seen in Syama Sastri's swarajathi, in the last charanam: S R M M, G M P P. Yadhukula kambhoji is a phrase oriented raga that cannot be constrained to an arohanam/avarohanam.

devan
Posts: 165
Joined: 17 Feb 2010, 04:37

Re: Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by devan »

Yeah Prabhu, If you like TMk. Music fine. But don't deride Sanjay's music. He is an outstanding musician and mentally stable unlike the blabourer.

melam72
Posts: 494
Joined: 02 Nov 2016, 16:12

Re: Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by melam72 »

devan wrote: 19 May 2017, 06:54 blabourer.
According to most people, more like blaBOUrer :lol:

But mark my words: he is one of the most intellectually refreshing minds in the Carnatic Music arena today, unlike the Cowherdesses who repeat Abhangs in Cow-kauns to make a quick buck.

melam72
Posts: 494
Joined: 02 Nov 2016, 16:12

Re: Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by melam72 »

narayara000 wrote: 19 May 2017, 02:43 "sa ri ma, ri ma pa"
That makes it Sama, and causes Sa(m)ma Confusion :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: !

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by arasi »

semmai prejudice ummil--
simmering sAmbAr pOlavE--
summA viDuvIrO swAmi,
sAmAvO, illaiyenRAlumE :(

"oru kalakku kalakkinAl enna?
viru viruppu sErkumE en sol?
pazhaiya pallaviai pADinAl enna?
pazhiyAi kAthirindu kETpOriDam?

puLikkap puLikkach cholluvEn
iLicha vAygaL ivargaLellAm!"
enRu nIr gOpuramERik kUvinAlum
inRum nalla isai uNDu, uNDu :)
Last edited by arasi on 20 May 2017, 18:08, edited 1 time in total.

melam72
Posts: 494
Joined: 02 Nov 2016, 16:12

Re: Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by melam72 »

Isaiarasiye...

Prejudice undu- seriyaaka paadaathor meethum
Alavukku meeriya banthaa ullavargal meethum
Prejudice undu.
Yarukku thaan illai intha prejudice?

Vidwaangalum Vidushigalum
Ulagam Suttralam.
Aanaal theriyatha makkalai ivvaru avamathithaal
athu nyayama? allathu tharmamaa?

ilicha vaaygal kathinaal enakku enna?
avargal katthinaalum onnu, kathaamalum onnu
avargal ini ivvaaru veri piditha vidwaangalidam
sikkaamal irukkanum.
itharkaakave naan seyyum pothu pani!


Ungal pathil aval ;)

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by arasi »

isaiarasi enum peyar eppaDi enakkup porundum? Flattering though it sounds...:)
isaiarasi-s of merit are going to frown--your prejudice will show even more...:(

Politics there is in music, we agree. But trickery? Really!
Social service (podup paNi), nyAyAa and dhrama that you speak of--against possessed (veRi piDitha) musicians is all a bit surrealistic...

Well, isaiarasi I am not, but isaivarasi is what I strive to be (isaivu=accord, harmony). I better stop, for that very reason...Om SAnti...

Vocalist
Posts: 1030
Joined: 19 Feb 2006, 18:53

Re: Sanjay Subrahmanyam at Thyagaraja Vidwath Samajam

Post by Vocalist »

arasi did not have anything to say on yeshprabhu's post?

Post Reply