Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

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

Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by kvchellappa »

Sanjay sang with his usual team and Guruprasanna on kanjira for Nadasurabhi.
The threatened rain held back thankfully, but the promised music shower poured delectably.
It was start on the dot, credit to the organisers who put music ahead of empty talk, and Sanjay who is a stickler. Time management is his forte, whether when he is by himself (how do I know? His personality and musical virtuosity are the pointers) or when with an audience, or about the order, intensity, and mix of rendering.
He started with an ata tala varnam in what Mudaliar would describe as Sanju Kambodhi. Words could not be captured by my partial ears, but did not seem to matter. (Talam name courtesy my wife).
He then rendered a measured Kari kalabha mukham in Saveri with a round of swaras for kari kalabha. Sa ri kari kalabha still resonates in the ears.
Sri Parvathi Parameswara came to bles next in Sri. I had not heard it before.
He sang alapana and krithi Kanden Kanden (but not Seethaiyai) and the raga is at the back of my mind and when someone reveals it, I would know.
Entha vedu Kondhu Raghava flowed in beautiful kala pramanam not like bullet train or passenger train. It was mesmerizing with mind-boggling variations of neraval at chintha theercchuda. Swaras were sung briefly.
Then came a majestic, moving Bhairavi. With Sanjay all guesses are likely to go awry – ‘bulb’ as Mudaliyar characterizes the surprise. Thaye ezhaipal was the song chosen and he did full justice to the raga and its pathos. Neraval was at ennaatha ennamellaam.. followed by swaras and thani.
The way the percussion duo supported Sanjay was an object lesson to anyone who wants to enhance the effect of the mood a singer wants to create. Even some seniors can learn. The thani was a veritable treat and engaged the audience. It came midway and that does not permit someone to leave!
Sanjay brought a lullaby-like filler Anandavalli in Nilambari by Swathi Thirunal. Yes, Rama Varma and Amritha Venkatesh were in the first row. The piece was a pure bliss.
That the violin accompaniment was excellent goes without saying.
I was not lucky to be able to continue longer and left at this as he was starting on RTP.
Last edited by kvchellappa on 02 Nov 2017, 10:48, edited 1 time in total.

braindrain
Posts: 587
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 09:25

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by braindrain »

After you left,

RTP in cHAyA ranjani
mannipugazh kOsalai tAn - rAgamAlika
ghaNTAmaNi ADudu - kAnaDa
viruttam ( vizhikku tuNai) in sahAna,behAg,jOnpuri followed by muruganai bhaji manamE in jOnpuri
mangaLam

kunthalavarali
Posts: 425
Joined: 03 Mar 2010, 01:30

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by kunthalavarali »

Here is the full list
1. Varnam_Kambodhi_Ata_PGI
2. Karikalaba Mukham_Saveri_Jampa_MD
3. Sri Parvathi paramadvaitha_Sri_Ata_Kunrakkudi Krishna Iyer
4. Kande kande swamy_Kannada_M Chapu_PD
5. Entha vedukondu O raghava_Saraswathi Manohari_Adi_T
6. Amba Thaye Ezhai_Bhairavi_Adi_PS
7. Anandavalli kuru mudama_Nilambari_Adi_ST
8. RTP_Chaya ranjani Pallavi_engal kulathamudhE sri rAma thAlelo(sounded like a variation of a line from kulasekara azhwar's pasuram, என்னுடைய இன்னமுதே ராகவனே தாலேலோ (?)) Swaragamalikai: sankarabharanam, salakabhairavi and hamsanandhi
8. Mannu pugazh kosalai_Ragamalikai_Rupakam_Kulasekara Azhwar
9. Ghanta mani adudhu_Kanada_Adi_GKB
10. Viruttam_Vizhikku thunai_Ragamalikai_Kanthar alangaram; Mohanam, sahana, behag and jonpuri
11. Muruganai bhaji maname_Jonpuri_Adi_PS
12. Mangalam
Last edited by kunthalavarali on 02 Nov 2017, 16:58, edited 3 times in total.

hnbhagavan
Posts: 1655
Joined: 21 Jun 2008, 22:06

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by hnbhagavan »

Dear chellappa,
Excellent concert.I too could not stay for RTP.I left after the Bhairavi main and tani.
The men in white dress were a treat to watch.The disciplined approach is something worthy of emulation by professionals in any area.
Distinguished guests Price Rama Varma,Amrita Venkatesh and Music critic Mysore V Subramanya were present.
I wonder Sanjay does not even drink water or coffee offered by organizers during his concert.Thanks to Sri Kuntalavarali
for clear cut posting of song list.

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by rajeshnat »

Chayaranjani RTP , we discussed many years back , I think sanjay sang in skgs . Vidushi D Vardhini has also sung a pallavi on this raga , possibly she rolled it as the first time RTP. Nice song list and kudos to sanjay and team

Rsachi
Posts: 5039
Joined: 31 Aug 2009, 13:54

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by Rsachi »

Gents,
Thank you for sharing your reports on what seems to have been another impeccable concert.
Well, well, never too late to learn for me.
I discovered Sanjay's own blog post on Chayaranjani:
http://sanjaysub.blogspot.in/2012/06/ch ... i.html?m=1

Chayaranjani is an interesting name. Chaya is not just a shadow, but has several meanings including likeness, complexion, demeanour, trace, etc.
Would have loved to find out why Sri. GNB gave that name.

hnbhagavan
Posts: 1655
Joined: 21 Jun 2008, 22:06

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by hnbhagavan »

My friend rasika Sri Vijaya Kumar pointed out that in the Purandardasa Kriti Kande Kande Swamy - the Last Caranam was omitted where his signature or Ankitanama Appears.Is it a lapse to omit the important Caranam in whicjh PD signature appears?
I request more knowledgeable rasikas K V Chellappa,KP Jayan ,RSAchi or others to throw light on this aspect.

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

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by melam72 »

Imagine you were singing a nursery rhyme like 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'.

Imagine that, as a musician, you decide to omit 'Up above the world so high' since the varnamettu is the same.

Would any listener accept it? No, because the meaning is altered!

This is the case with omitting charanams.

When you omit a charanam in a 'Palinchu Kamakshi' or a 'Darini Telusukonti' because it has the same mettu, you are omitting poetic expression of the composer. Each charanam is equally important, and the time limits of the concert prevent this singing of the song in whole.

It is thus heart-warming when a Balamurali Krishna (of the Mangalampalli and not the Kunnakudi breed) or a Vijay Siva sing all the charanams of Ela Nee Daya Radu or Palinchu Kamakshi Pavani.

hnbhagavan
Posts: 1655
Joined: 21 Jun 2008, 22:06

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by hnbhagavan »

Dear melam72
There are 4 Caranams in the song.Only the first was sung.The signature appears in the last one in kande kande swamy. I have observed sometimes first and last are rendered.Rendering the last one in the above case would have consumed may be 2-3 minutes.An alapana preceded the song.Time was not an issue as this was the 4th Song.

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

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by arasi »

Sri Venugopala Swamy and Nada Surabhi have distanced their concerts of Sanjay for me, scheduling them before December these days.That too, when it's a three+ Guru ensemble...
The men dress'ed' in white :), as a team are something.

Chellappa, loved your review, though you didn't stay till the end. Here's something for you:
பல்பு இல்லைன்னுட்டாரு கடைக்காரரு--
அரவிந்து வந்தாரு, அள்ளிட்டுப் போனாரு
பாட்டுக் கச்சேரியிலே, பல்பு குடுக்கணுமாம்
பாட்டுண்ணா, பதினாயிரத்துலே ஏதோ ஒண்ணாம்--
இன்னதுன்னு தெரியலேண்ணா, பிடி ஒண்ணாம்!

balbu illainnuTAru kaDekkAraru
aravindu vandAru, aLLiTTup pOnaru
PATTtuk kachEriyilE balbu kuDukkaNumAm
pATTunnA, pathinAyirathilE EdO oNNAm--
innathunnu theriyalennA piDi oNNAm!

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

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by arasi »

KuntalavarALi,
Thanks for the complete list.
Yes, Bhagwan and co. If a song has a mudrA, the verse with it needs to be sung--to acknowledge? to label?

On singing entire songs: in a concert, it's not possible with all songs, may not work for several reasons. Time constraint, in balancing the items, some verses not having the same impact and so on. In a bhajana setting, yes...
Last edited by arasi on 02 Nov 2017, 22:06, edited 1 time in total.

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

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by kvchellappa »

There does not appear to be any rule as to how many stanzas must be sung or whether the mudra stanza must be covered. But, the convention has been to sing the one with mudra. I do not know whether Sanjay deliberately chose a stanza for any musical or reason.
(I answered just like that not in acknowledgement of being knowledgeable).

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

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by arasi »

Ah, with the presence of Rama Varma, had he sung the rAgA or sketch, I would've thought--mAmava jagadISvarA which I have heard Sanjay sing. EntvEDukontu would have been a pleasant surprise :)

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

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by kvchellappa »

It was, and the way he sung it has Sanjay stamp.

braindrain
Posts: 587
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 09:25

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by braindrain »

hnbhagavan wrote: 02 Nov 2017, 18:58 My friend rasika Sri Vijaya Kumar pointed out that in the Purandardasa Kriti Kande Kande Swamy - the Last Caranam was omitted where his signature or Ankitanama Appears.
Here is the complete lyrics. http://myalltimefavouritesongs.blogspot ... amiya.html

It is a pretty long one and not sure if he or anyone could have sung the entire kriti. Now the question of omiting charanam, I am definitely not in favour of it. But again, musically if they have no variety to offer and is a repeat of the same bhava/prayoga in all, then is there a point in singing all the charanams ? Also, if one has to select charanam to sing, which one do you choose, the most lyrical one or most musically appealing one or the one that contains the 'mudra' ?

Few days back R Suryaprakash sang 'nimma bhAgya doDDadO, namma bhAgya doDDadO' at SRLKM concert. Even there, he sang only the first and last (5th ) charanam. ( http://www.karnatik.com/c5307.shtml )

Rsachi
Posts: 5039
Joined: 31 Aug 2009, 13:54

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by Rsachi »

KPJ,
Murder most foul :shock: in the lyric in that blog you cited:
uradi shrI dEviyi yaLa kaNdenu
unnata data kaustubhava kaNdenu
garuDa kinnarA nAra Dadi
gandharvara eDa baladalli kaNDenu
tara taradi bhaktarige varagaLa
karedu koDuvuda nirata kaNDenu
sharadhi shayana shESa giriya
varada purandara viTTalanan ghriya

what makes sense and is given by Sri. araLumallige pArthasArathi:

uradi zrIdEviyiralu kanDenu unnatada kaustubhava kanDenu |
garuDa gandharva kinnarAdigaLiralu eDabaladalli kanDenu ||
tarataradi bhaktarige varagaLa karedu koDuvuda nAnu kanDenu|
zaradhizayana zrIzESagiriya varada purandaraviTThalananghriya ||

I have highlighted the wrong words in red, even after discounting version issues.

Now I am no expert, but this stanza makes sense to me as it describes what Purandara Dasa saw in Tirupati, and describes the fame of the Lord there as having Janaakarshana and as the bountiful giver. I would have preferred that the singer sang this stanza. However, as I said, I am a layman.

keentolearn
Posts: 44
Joined: 09 Oct 2017, 12:45

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by keentolearn »

Must the mudra part be sung for us to know who composed this well-known song? And isn't singing it with care, good acknowledgement? What Rsachi said, makes so much sense: rather the most lyrical parts, the parts that hold the essence of vision than the token mudra part.

hnbhagavan
Posts: 1655
Joined: 21 Jun 2008, 22:06

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by hnbhagavan »

Very rarely Purandara Dasa's Kritis are sung in Chennai Music Academy.If the Kritis are not popular then the musicians from Karnataka are also responsible.Some of the Kritis can be sung as Main item.
I know a record was released of Live concert by Maharajapuram santhanam in 1988/89 in which he rendered Narayana ninna namada smarane...as the main item with Tani.
When the Mudra part is sung for Tyagaraja compositions,it must be sung for others also.
It is another matter to say that Musical part is most important and not Mudra part.

keentolearn
Posts: 44
Joined: 09 Oct 2017, 12:45

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by keentolearn »

@hnbhagavan " When the Mudra part is sung for Tyagaraja compositions, it must be sung for others also." That logic, I can understand; I stand corrected.
But why is Purandaradasa not popular among musicians? Is it his song lyrics, or their musicality?

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

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by kvchellappa »

I think we must move away from language or region to music. For a long time, it was taboo in TN to sing Tamih songs as main items or opening items. There was no logic for that. Even today, non-Tamizh songs are sung predominantly. Sanjay has a soft corner for Tamizh and that cannot be resented. Non-Tamizh singers sing Tamizh songs sparingly. That cannot be resented either. If a Kannada singer sings predominantly dasar padams, that is also in order. Let us enjoy music.

hnbhagavan
Posts: 1655
Joined: 21 Jun 2008, 22:06

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by hnbhagavan »

Sri Chellappa,
Sure Let us enjoy music and musicians are at liberty to sing songs in all languages.All composers can be covered.Tamil songs are well received in Bangalore.

Rsachi
Posts: 5039
Joined: 31 Aug 2009, 13:54

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by Rsachi »

KVC,
It's not about language or competency. We know how much hard work Sanjay puts in.

It is a value. We should try and sing the charanam with the mudra. Every song has to be sung with the idea that the composer is listening. We owe it to her.

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

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by kvchellappa »

Sir,
I have no control over Sanjay.
I was only responding to the suggestion about language chosen for the lyrics.

hnbhagavan
Posts: 1655
Joined: 21 Jun 2008, 22:06

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by hnbhagavan »

Dear Rsachi,
As u have put it there is no doubt about Sanjay's ability and it was only an observation.I recall a similar event in a MANarasimhachar foundation concert by Sanjay.But i do not recall the song.Must be available in rasikas.
I feel that Musicians think they must sing PD Kriti in Karnataka even if they do not master it.However it is a great thing to learn and sing PD kritis,but the conventions must be observed however great the artist is.

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

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by sureshvv »

The artiste should also hold the palms of his hands together and raise them over his forehead as he sings the name of the composer as part of paying his respects. I have seen this "convention" in practice many times. May be we can all create a petition. :D

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

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by arasi »

Petition, pet attrition? :)

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

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by kvchellappa »

MS sings the first charanam here and does not appear to sing the last one containing 'thyagaraja':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73Zj_VCguLs

hnbhagavan
Posts: 1655
Joined: 21 Jun 2008, 22:06

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by hnbhagavan »

Hello chellappa,
I too did not hear the signature line sung.

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

Re: Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

Post by kvchellappa »

While predominantly the mudra stanza is sung, there is perhaps no hard and fast rule. Smt. DKP once said that singers should sing the charanams in rotation instead of singing the same charanam over and over. That would imply that mudra charanam may be given a skip. What I mean to say is that there may be no such requirement. To me, the fact that a singer works on a composition and renders it well is a great tribute to the composer. He would not take it up without admiring its value. Skipping the mudra stanza may not be an issue at all. Of course, we can have different views.

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