SANJAY SUBRAHMANYAN at KGS, 5th Sep 2009

Jigyaasa · Post by **Jigyaasa** » 05 Sep 2009, 23:23

Accompanists:
Violin - Sri Varadarajan
Mri - Neyveli Venkatesh
Ghatam - Sri Govindarajan

Song list

1)evvarEmi bOdhana (sahAnA varNam, khaNDa aTa tALam)

2)sivalOkanAdanai (mAyAmAlavagowla, rUpakam) (N, S at alpasugattai ninaindOm)

3)vandE sadA padmanAbham (A) (navarasa kannaDa)

4)kANa kaNNAyiram vENDum (nIlAmbari, Adi, Anai ayya)

5)endukO nI manasu kalyANi (A, N, S, T at sharaNAgatavatsala nammiti)

6)vA vElavA (tAnarUpi)

7)manasulOni in hindOLam (S at pallavi)

8)RTP - rAgEshrI
lyric - varada vEnkaTashaila gOvinda
tALa - mishra cApu
rAgamAlikA Anandabhairavi, bEgaDa, husEni flows into

9)eppaDi manam tuNindadO (husEni)

Had to leave at this point... To be honest, I found all of the violinist's AlApanas better than the vocalist's... Crisper, less "eccentric" (meaning no jarring jArus) and definitively sweeter...

Was really hoping for an RTP in a non-hindustani-import (and even in that case, ANYTHING but rAgEshri!)...

Maybe the best thing is to not hope for anything at all

And oh yes! can't avoid a word on the mridangist. This might be a cliche but I really pity that instrument. Got such a HITTING today! For a second I thought I even heard it wailing in the midst of all the "noise"...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 06 Sep 2009, 03:03

Jigyaasa,
sahAna, mayA mAlava gowLa, nIlAmbari, kalyANi, hindOlam, Anandabhairavi, bEgaDa, husEni...he sang enough of the traditional rAgams for those who don't much care for the hindustAni ones, I would think. May be one or two more after you left. A SuruTTi, perhaps? Then there are those who do not like an RTP (I love them). A rare rAgam would keep their interest as tukkaDas do.
I guess rAgESri is not a favorite of yours.
I like RTPs in traditional rAgams. There are many vocalists who sing them, so, no problem. I like to hear new (to me) rAgams too, and only a few vocalists sing them.
Our fellow rasikA Suryaprakash ventures into them too. Of course, TNS, TVS and a few others have sung the unheard melodies.

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 06 Sep 2009, 06:43

Oh, but Neyveli Venkatesh played so sensitively for Sanjay last year in San Diego. Was the mic arrangement to blame, perhaps?
I can definitely understand your wanting a non-Hindustani RTP, but Sanjay's RTPs are always thorough and he sings thanam excellently, so I look forward to an RTP in any raga in his concerts!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 06 Sep 2009, 08:33

Bilahari,
Yes, whichever rAgam Sanjay chooses to sing, traditional or HM, his tAnams sparkle.
Interesting thread by vainika in the Raga and AlApanA thread: he suggests a Save the Raga campaign to bring the old forgotten rAGams back in circulation. A very good idea. Others have named some of the rAgAs. nArAyaNi, nArAyaNa gowLa, sarasvati manOhari and so on. I have either heard Sanjay sing them or have seen several forgotten rAgams in his concert song lists. That makes him a revivalist too.

My view about a good concert, no matter who the singer is: I walk out of the hall feeling as if I had a generous helping of good music. Not a monotonous fare or 'this will do' kind of skimping from the artiste. In a good concert, there is something old, something new. Old things are revisited with renewed interest by the musician and the listeners get to glimpse unknown territories in known rAgams and also gain new perspectives in the unfamiliar ones. I have heard our own vidyaarthi (NSG) sing the same kruti in three concerts. Yet, each time it was a different and enriching experience. Another hallmark of a good concert is that you are moved and perhaps feel elevated. It could be Ravikiran or Parasalla Ponnammal or Srikantan.
'vanjanai illAmal vazhangudal' in tamizh roughly translates to sharing without holding back. That is the kind of music which pleases me. The musicians may be as diverse as they come, but in the end, I walk out of such concerts feeling well-fed with music.

Getting back to the concert, nAn oru viLaiyATTu bommaiyA? has been heard countless times in concerts. VandE sadA padmanAbham? No.
How many vocalists sing husEni? Again, an old rAgam is revived here.

As for Neyveli Venkatesh, he is a lively but not a loud mrudangam( and yes, kanjira) player.
Varadarajan's staid playing is a good foil for Sanjay's flights of fancy. He follows Sanjay as a shadow too.

jukebox · Post by **jukebox** » 06 Sep 2009, 10:26

Why this need to run to Sanjay's defense? Surely a rasika can express his disappointment about a concert or the item selections? Even that of Sanjay's? Often there are posts in this forum about how each concert needs to be judged on its own merit. Here is someone who actually did that without simply going into raptures about everything that (the very falliable) Sanjay does! It isn't hard to predict what Jigyaasa has to face next - he will be verbally hacked to death!

saianamika · Post by **saianamika** » 06 Sep 2009, 13:52

I totally agree that whatever Sanjay does, he does with intense passion and usually is very enjoyable. But, in my opinion RTP in Rakeshri 3 times in 6 months looks a bit too much.
I did not attend any of those concerts (thankfully!) as my travels took me away from the venues where it was sung . I only heard the download from Sangeethapriya and I wasnt happy. Of course, unto each his own, I'm sure there are others who would have enjoyed it thoroughly.
I guess it is just that I expect more and more from Sanjay and I get disappointed when he sings a hindustani raga RTP and that too Rakeshri!

Jigyaasa · Post by **Jigyaasa** » 06 Sep 2009, 18:17

arasi wrote:Jigyaasa,
sahAna, mayA mAlava gowLa, nIlAmbari, kalyANi, hindOlam, Anandabhairavi, bEgaDa, husEni...he sang enough of the traditional rAgams for those who don't much care for the hindustAni ones, I would think.

I don't buy this. It's a carnatic concert. Just because some of the ragas taken up are carnatic ones does not mean all of them don't have to be. But my bad, knowing that Sanjay has made singing these a personal style statement.

arasi wrote: Then there are those who do not like an RTP (I love them). A rare rAgam would keep their interest as tukkaDas do.
I guess rAgESri is not a favorite of yours.

I LOVE RTPs! It's just that I've heard his rAgEshri RTP elsewhere lots of times from a recording of some other concert. I mean for the appeal of novelty that it had... So having to hear it again live was overkill. Bad luck...

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 06 Sep 2009, 19:09

Some photos of the concert at http://thetraces.aminus3.com/image/2009-09-06.html

Jigyaasa · Post by **Jigyaasa** » 06 Sep 2009, 20:50

Funny that Srikantan should be mentioned... In this interview, http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/09/04/stor ... 990100.htm he says that "singing RTP in Sindubhairavi, Hamir Kalyani, Jonpuri and Tilang is not a healthy approach"... rAgEshri also falling into the same category of course!
And as for jukebox,

jukebox wrote:It isn't hard to predict what Jigyaasa has to face next - he will be verbally hacked to death!

LOL! How sweet of u to worry abt my "predicament"... Thanx a lot but I don't give a hoot either way... It's been established far too often on this forum that everyone is entitled to an opinion of their own and any negative comments will most DEFINITELY not affect me. Plus, everyone so far has only stated what they feel... Nothing against ME I guess

laks1972 · Post by **laks1972** » 07 Sep 2009, 00:29

Jigyaasa wrote:And oh yes! can't avoid a word on the mridangist. This might be a cliche but I really pity that instrument. Got such a HITTING today! For a second I thought I even heard it wailing in the midst of all the "noise"...

Dont know about this concert, however it has now become common that "good mrudangam playing" is synonymous with power strokes , loudness and ruthless hitting of the instrument.

The balance between stroke play and soft strokes is lost. Pause and silence while accompanying are all gone.

Now accompanying means non stop hitting of the mrudangam

And when it comes to thani, the power play will be such that , as Jigyaasa rightly said, mrudangam will wail, if it has a mouth.

Amongst this insane trend, very few mrudangists like Arun Prakash , Ganapathiraman etc are defying the trend and playing mrudangam as it used to be / should be played. Let the tribe grow.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 07 Sep 2009, 00:50

He sang "Ninnaye Rathi endru" in Patdeep after Husseini. Never heard the raga or kriti sung in a such a deliberate soulful fashion. The rendition was so beautiful that it may have even stopped some of us from wondering if the poem was addressing a North Indian or a South Indian woman.

bassethound · Post by **bassethound** » 07 Sep 2009, 07:49

The mridangam of Neyveli Venkatesh took the cake. Hitting like a drums player for 'Neelambari' was ultimate with the sudden outbursts of the Ghatam vidwan, Sri Govindarajan. Irony, Sanjay enjoying the outright noise pollution of the percussionists!! Poor Vaeadarajan was drowned in the caucophony!!! May be T'Nagar had its influence on the artists!!!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 07 Sep 2009, 08:22

Jigyaasa,
No, I did not think that you do not like RTPs. I merely meant that those who mostly like tukkaDAs might also like these rAgams, that's all. Isn't that why movie songs are popular--because they do not sound like a solid bhairavi or tODi?
Yes, I did read about RKS's view on singing rAgams outside the mainstream ones. While I think very highly of his singing and of his vidvat, it does not mean that I have to agree with everything that he says.
For that matter, we have enough out of the ordinary ragams in CM. A gAnamUrthy or bahudhari can sound to some as out of the way rAgams and didn't old masters sing them? Even before them, Tyagaraja and MD composed many songs in such rAgams and in HM rAgams too.

Juke box,
As for defending any musician--I don't go for it. Yet, I am given to appreciating the good parts in anyone's music--amateur or pro. The reason? Beginners need encouragement. Youngsters too (CM's future is in their hands) and the pros too can do with some positive reponses.
Now, let me really get defensive! Read my posts on any performer. You will find that I speak about what appealed to me in a concert, and the positive elements that I found in one.
Even with my favorites (after all, tastes do differ), I know they are not perfect and would like to see them work on doing away with a few of their flaws.

Saianamika,
If you 'totally agree' (??)with Sanjay, why would you not agree with his decision to sing Rageshri for the third time in six months? Just kidding!

Suresh,
mahAkavi bArati sang 'ninnaiyE rati enRu' about both the northern and southern krisNA (kaNNammma)

saianamika · Post by **saianamika** » 07 Sep 2009, 09:28

Arasi,
It is possibly because I think Sanjay with his genius is above the ordinary and can sing other hindustani (or out of the way) ragas too, if he chose to.
Maybe it is expectation and disappointment.
I love CM and enjoy it. No criticsm intended.
On another note, I have liked your posts (in the short time I have been here in the forum) and would definitely like to meet you when you come for the season. I dont post much, but an avid reader of these forums.

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 07 Sep 2009, 10:06

Oh no, bassethound, don't blame my favorite part of Chennai for this

basukrish · Post by **basukrish** » 07 Sep 2009, 15:35

Everything is music. its the listener's mental setup that makes him/ her like or dislike a piece or a raagam. This is not a debating forum . just VIEWS VIEWS AND VIEWS alone..

basukrish · Post by **basukrish** » 07 Sep 2009, 15:37

I like to go to a concert and listen to music and not CARNATIC music. [:P].. this is my view .VIEW

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 07 Sep 2009, 19:46

VKokilam,
Possible that T. Nagar, my childhood beat and what seems to be your favorite place in Chennai isn't hip enough for canines of a particular kind--all in jest, bassethound!

I agree. If the drum roll bit is overdone, it can cancel out the subtle play parts employed in the rest of the concert.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 07 Sep 2009, 21:05

I don't think anybody mentioned this but the pallavi line was a play on the names of the accompanists of the day. As Sanjay began and meandered his way thru the pallavi, he pointed to the accompanists one by one and this elicited a hearty chuckle from the audience.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 07 Sep 2009, 21:11

saianamika wrote:But, in my opinion RTP in Rakeshri 3 times in 6 months looks a bit too much.

Oh please! The typical fare is Upacharamulu in Bhairavi for the main piece over 3 consecutive concerts in the same week!

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 07 Sep 2009, 21:15

arasi wrote:
Getting back to the concert, nAn oru viLaiyATTu bommaiyA? has been heard countless times in concerts. VandE sadA padmanAbham? No.

And following an elaborate alapana, no less!

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 07 Sep 2009, 21:20

saianamika wrote: Maybe it is expectation and disappointment.

Yep! Nothing like over arching expectation to dampen the kuchery experience. Seems to be the case with the OP also. As coolji might say, one sometimes forgets how miraculous it is for an artiste to hold the attention of hundereds of rasikas for a period of 3 hours.

karthit · Post by **karthit** » 07 Sep 2009, 22:29

Singing such elaborate alapanas in Navarasa Kaanada and Rageshri requires such extensive imagination and thats what makes Sanjay stand out! The concert was so pleasing in that most of the items were non-popular and very classical in nature. Not very often do we get to hear a composition in tanaroopi! The ragam and thanam for Rageshri showed why Sanjay is known for his creativity and innovation. It was definitely a very satisfying and fulfilling concert. Also, if you observe the pallavi lines closely, you can notice the names of the 3 accompanists!!

HR · Post by HR » 07 Sep 2009, 23:28

Guess I'm entering the thread rather late

Was delayed because of the Saturday evening traffic and could listen to the concert only from Nilambari. Taanarupi , not often heard in concerts was great to listen to and the exchange of Kalpana Swarams in Manasuloni were interesting. And true to all of Sri Sanjay's concerts, the concert had quite a few rare songs, making it a good learning experience

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 08 Sep 2009, 05:32

sureshvv wrote:I don't think anybody mentioned this but the pallavi line was a play on the names of the accompanists of the day. As Sanjay began and meandered his way thru the pallavi, he pointed to the accompanists one by one and this elicited a hearty chuckle from the audience.

He could as well have added part 0f his name 'subrahmanya' to the pallavi line; this would have given more inputs to a debate going on in another thread whether Tirupati is an abode of Lord Venkatesha or Lord Subrahmanya.
Just joking.

saianamika · Post by **saianamika** » 08 Sep 2009, 17:13

When did Sanjay sing bhairavi in 3 concerts in a week???

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 08 Sep 2009, 19:51

Punarvasu,

How about Krishna too, who played the tambura? Then again, would these extra words fit into the tALam pattern? You are better in that department than me!

saianamika,
I don't think suresh said 'three bhairavis in a row' about Sanjay. As for me, I am slowly cultivating a taste for that rAgam, and will find it to be an overload!
Yes, it would be nice to meet you during the season.

cksubra · Post by **cksubra** » 08 Sep 2009, 22:05

HR joins late, me later. have to mention it was a typical Sanjay concert. Rageshree was exciting. This was interspersed with Sri Krishna sweets eats being passed around. Maybe thats adds to the flavour of the raga.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 09 Sep 2009, 14:23

saianamika wrote:When did Sanjay sing bhairavi in 3 concerts in a week???

He did not. He is quite atypical.