Sanjay for Nungambakkam Cultural Academy, 10/Dec/2011

[sankark]

Sanjay Subrahmanyan - Vocal
S Varadarajan - Violin
Mannargudi Easwaran - Mridangam
KV Gopalakrishnan - Kanjira

Venue: Karnataka Sangha, Habibulla Road.

For those that fate didn't ordain to get to attend this concert, please go ahead and weep right now and get it over. It was just a superlative performance that didn't sag a moment from the get go, Sanjay did a Sehwag's 219 (but in Sanjay's case Not Out) in T Nagar today. The entire team deserves kudos for a outstanding 2.5 hours of superb music.

Karunimpa (Varnam) - Sahana - Adi - Thiruvottiyur Thyagaiyer

Thirukkural - Hamsadhwani - Adi - Thiruvalluvar (#1 agara mudhala, #5 irulser iruvinaiyum & #3 malarmisai eginan) - S@bhagavan mudhatre ulagu

Ika naina - Pushpalatika - Adi - Thirupathi Narayanaswamy (RNS@karuninchi vega)
Imagine a beautiful teen girl clad in a parrot green and dark navy blue pavadai thavani preen and smile and enjoying herself or a teen clad in a capri and t-shirt singing "I am da bomb" (Is it for Elle?). That's how beautiful this was.

Muruga muzhumadhi - Saveri - Adi - ?? (RNS@un perumai pughazhum tharamo)
Now imagine the same girl has grown to be a 25 year old and is clad in samudrika pattu in her nichayathartham or madisar sitting on her fathers lap as about to enter wedlock, thats how classically beautiful this was. A grand affair all of 45 mins, the swaras sparkled and the entire team gelled together to create a unforgettable experience.

Cetah Sri Balakrishnam - Dwijavanti - Rupakam - Dikshitar
Guess only Dikshitar could have composed this one, and Sanjay lifted it to fantastic heights (still a distant 3rd to MMI and then by SSI, IMO). Percussion added much more beauty.

RTP - Rasikapriya - 4 kalai Adi - TV Gopalakrishnan (he announced the raga and composer of the RTP)
mA mayil vAgananai anudhinam ninai manamE mAl maruganai arumuganai muruganai guhanai, ragamalika swaras in anandabhairavi, atana, hindolam, tani. All together this one took 1 hour out of which 15 mins was for tani. The tani was fantastic and had a lot of patterns. Very less # of people walked out. Most of the crowd stayed put till mangalam.

Kalilo Hari Charana - Kapi - Adi - Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavathar

Slokam (jAnAthi rAma thava nAma ruci) - Kapi, Behag?, ?

Mannu pugazh kosalai - Neelambari / Ragamalika? - Adi - Kulasekara Azhwar


Lyrics for Saveri Song

muruga muzhumadhi pazhikkum arumuga mukundhan maruga

orukal saravana bhava endrodhum mei anbarai aala ????

un perumai pugazhum tharamo
aranumai bala parama dhayala
karunai kadal kumara guha
dheena saranya subramanya thiru

[kunthalavarali]

The sAvEri song is by Papanasam Sivan

[CRama]

Yes. It was an excellent concert. Though I attended the concert accidentally. I planned to go to TMK concert at Vani Mahal. I reached Vani Mahal at 5 PM and I was told that only Rs 400 tickets were available. I thought it is too much and I then went to NCA at Habibullah Road. Vow, there, for Sanjay, the another superstar of today, Rs 50 tickets were available. I purchased a RS.100 ticket and attended the concert. It was excellent really. Kunthalavarali has given a very good review. I add my two cents.

Thirukkural- he started with Bhagavan muthatre ulaku in Hamsadhwani. Agara muthala ezhuthellam was the anupallavi. All the three alapanas were brimming with raga bhavam and elaborate. No confusion as to the identity in respect of Pushpalathika and Rasikapriya. The muruga song was in atheetha eduppu and the charanam line in samam. He did neraval for the charanam. RTP he started in 4 kalai then shifted to 2 kalai. The ragamalika swarams were in Anandabhairavi, Athana and Hindolam. The ragamalika slokam Janathinama - started in one Hindusthani ragam - the name I am not able to remember, then Sindubhairavi and Durga. Mannupugazh is a ragamalika in Durga, Lalitha, Saranga, Hindolam and Neelambari.

But I have one regret. There was not even one Thyagaraja kriti in the two and a half hour concert. I feel one Thyagaraja kriti adds to the weight of the concert however, good it is otherwise. One may expand his reportire enormously, but it should not be at the cost of the compositions of trinity.

[CRama]

Thanks to sankark for the good review.By mistake I have written as Kunthalavarali.

[sureshvv]

I thought it is too much and I then went to NCA at Habibullah Road. Vow, there, for Sanjay, the another superstar of today, Rs 50 tickets were available.

Good choice! No one like Sanjay to sate a value conscious rasika!

[mahesh3]

Super Subrahmanyan. Rasikapriya in 4 kalai must have been ecstasy. Well, let me look up Shek's swarams to make my envy chill.

[sridrect]

1. What a concert it was and never there was any dull moment.
2. Once the MASTER started Saveri, I was sure it would be Muruga krithi of Papanasam Sivan, since I spotted Papanasam Ashok Ramani entering the venue. Maybe the MASTER thought it would be nice gesture. Last year at NGS for Karthik Fine Arts, I was hoping it would be Muruga krithi and was granted my wish. Saveri as a ragam is so moving and soulful and it was delivered in such a manner that the lyrics of Sivan which is nothing but the crying of a tired soul to Lord Muruga was brought out. Tears of ecstacy. Anyone missing out on this, can still download the Saveri from last year Kartik Fine Arts concert on Charsur site and understand the bliss.
3. Pushpalathika - never heard of this before. The same situation with respect to MASTERs Shulini at NGS (2007) and Vakulabaranam at Kalarasna (2008). By now have heard Shulini and V-baranam so many times and enjoyed them. The rendering of the krithi with neraval was so delightful that one could ease into the new ragam territory. This Pushpalathika falls into that category.
4. I am one such fan of the MASTER who needs a full blown RTP NOT LESS THAN 45 minutes. My wish was granted and the alapana and tanam was very good.
5. And finally the Kulasekara Alwar pasuram. Excellent lyrics brought out by some good choice ragamalika.

BRILLIANT CONCERT and BLESSED TO HAVE BEEN THERE!!!

[sankark]

CRama - what you regret, I thought was a good change. While Trinity have bestowed a wealth to us, I somehow don't think it is obligatory to have one of them in every concert. Indeed, I didn't notice that T was missing till I was typing down the list in this forum.

I sure believe this will come out as a concert by Charsur.

[annamalai]

sankark,

what adjectives - capri, ... bale, bale, certainly a new dimension ! The Ariyakudi buffs would immediately mention that it is customary that there should be one Thyagarja krithi in a concert, other than Mangalam Ikanaina - Pushpalalathika was a masterpiece rendering of MS Subbulakshmi and Musiri Subramania Iyer ...

I have not heard the version of Mannu pugazh kosalai by Sanjay, but it used to be sung by BV Raman and BV Lakshmanan.

[arasi]

A few years ago, the 'no Tyagaraja kruti ' complaint about a Music Academy concert surfaced.
It reminded me of "You didn't send me an invitation to your daughter's/son's wedding," complaint!

crama, yours was only a regret

I am glad the sAvEri question has been settled (after the AIR program whimperings).
His sAvEri part of the viruttam snippet I heard on youtube was super but I missed this elaborate one

[Ponbhairavi]

This is another proof which establishes that a Thyagaraja Krithi is not a sine qua non for a good classical and fully satisfying carnatic music concert.

[sureshvv]

Carnatic music is much much bigger than any one composer. Or even three!

[Ponbhairavi]

I would add:
carnatic music is much bigger than any one language or even three.

[arasi]

Annamalai,
To let the AriyakkuDi buffs off the hook--I am sure they savor every one of the thirty tiruppAvais they hear during mArgazhi mAdam and the rAma nADaga kIrtanai-s!

[carnatricks]

i was not here for this concert but caught a glimpse of it on sri.sanjay's blog where he has posted the dwijawanthi song. like sankark mentioned, the percussion has definitely added more beauty.

[CommonMan]

I allude to most of the comments - an excellent, scholarly, and a matured concert...what intrigues me is that when Sanjay was an upcoming artist, there was a good mix of talent (and thus a variety) from artists such as Unni, Ashok Ramani, Balaji Shankar, Nithyasree, but there is huge gap since then with the exception of TMK....was very hopeful of good talents like Palghat Ramprasad and Sriram Parthasarathy, who could fill in the gap before Abhishek, Balamuralikrishna, etc took off; but the two just evaporated....still a huge gap between Sanjay and the rest unfilled.....kudos to Sanjay for maintaining the classical value of music - we need more artists like him to carry forward the traditional way and style of singing.....

[rajumds]

3. Pushpalathika - never heard of this before. The same situation with respect to MASTERs Shulini at NGS (2007) and Vakulabaranam at Kalarasna (2008). By now have heard Shulini and V-baranam so many times and enjoyed them. The rendering of the krithi with neraval was so delightful that one could ease into the new ragam territory. This Pushpalathika falls into that category.

Probably you should start listening to more masters .. likes of MS, DKP, DKJ, Musiri

[kunthalavarali]

...Musiri and MLV

[sankark]

MLV definitely - just after this concert I was listening to MLV's Ika Naina recording - one of my favs now. Guess Sanjay chanelled MLV very much

[annamalai]

oh yes, there is an 1960s? Music Academy concert of MLV - a vibrant nadaswara bani filled alapana and neraval by MLV for this krithi.
MSS approach for this krithi is more bhava oriented.

There is a humorous remark Sanjay made perhaps in MMU - "folks go listen to GNB's version, after I sing a krithi ... " or something to that effect. Chinataye Mahalinga Murthim (Paras) - GNB used to sing.

[sureshvv]

I would add:
carnatic music is much bigger than any one language or even three.

I really want to agree. But after attending TMK's concert for Margazhi Mahotsavam, I am just not too sure about this.

[kunthalavarali]

TMK's singing for Jaya TV was a bit strange for me. Strange because the brilliant and young vocalist was referring to notes even for well known songs like Hey Govinda. I wonder if he would ever sing that song again in Kambodhi. IMHO it sounded like an one time affair (for the sake of novelty, may I add?)