Sanjay Subramaniam - 4-Aug-2014 - Unnati, Bangalore

[ranjanimalavi]

Sanjay Subramaniam - Vocal
Varadarajan - Violin
Arjun Ganesh - mridangam
Gopalakrishnan - Kanjira

1. Varnam - Chalamela - Nattaikurinji - SRN
2. dEva pAlaya murArE - asAvEri - ST (S)
3. pUmEl vaLarum annaiyE - Ananda Bhairavi - MCB (R)
4. Sri Kamalambikaya - Sankarabharanam - MD
5. Kadambari Priyayai - Mohanam - MD (RN)
6. Nagumomu - Abheri - T (RS)
7. Thani
8. manE yolagado govindha - Abhogi - PD
9. RTP Panthuvarali
Pallavi: ShivakAmavardhini bhavakamamardhani chitparavathakiyE Ohm parAshakthi,
10. Javali - Samayamide - Behag - PS
11. Virutham: Pasuram - Viperu vizhavum - Bhairavi, Salaga Bhairavi, Sindhu Bhairavi
12. Pasuram - Ipperum vizhavum kanjanu - Sindhu Bhairavi
13. thiruvaLar mayilaiyin iraivaninadi - Khamas
14. Mangalam

What a concert by Sanjay and Team for 3 1/2 hours.

Raman

[kunthalavarali]

Thanks Raman for the list of songs.

Did Sanjay sing
(8) manE yolagado govindha
(9) ShivakAmavardhini bhavakamamardhani chitparavathakiyE Ohm parAshakthi, and (13) thiruvaLar mayilaiyin iraivaninadi _Khamas

Did he sing Ipperum vizhavum kanjanu_Sindhubhairavi (item: 12)?

[badari]

Ye.. indeed he sang that song.

[badari]

Amazing 3.5 hrs of concert.. Full of energy by all the artists..

105% efforts from all of them.. made it a memorable one..

It was worth the 60 km drive for the concert !

[Rsachi]

I stayed till the Thani.
I was hearing Sanjay live after perhaps 16 years.

To me he hit the peak with the Shankarabharana and Mohana.

Somehow I had a feeling he got carried away with the nadaswaram bani and overdid it a bit in Abheri. Of course the faithful Varadarajan extrapolated it in his own way. And Nagumommu, I am sorry to say this, has been somewhat pedestrianized by constant popular rendering. Leading the pack is Dr BMK. This is perhaps one example of how even great art can be reduced to kitsch by overdoing a theme.

I also want to say that Sanjay exuded a positive creative energy from the time the curtains opened. He didn't pause for more than five seconds between songs. He thoroughly enjoyed singing. He sang a plethora of rare (to my mind) songs with absolute familiarity with the lyrics. All this shows a great mind and a great musical force in him.

[ranjanimalavi]

Thanks Raman for the list of songs.

Did Sanjay sing
(8) manE yolagado govindha
(9) ShivakAmavardhini bhavakamamardhani chitparavathakiyE Ohm parAshakthi, and (13) thiruvaLar mayilaiyin iraivaninadi _Khamas

Did he sing Ipperum vizhavum kanjanu_Sindhubhairavi (item: 12)?

Exactly the items you have mentioned.

Raman

[Rsachi]

mane+olage =maneyolage
Sandhi rules. One word.

[arvenky]

Somehow I had a feeling he got carried away with the nadaswaram bani and overdid it a bit in Abheri. Of course the faithful Varadarajan extrapolated it in his own way. And Nagumommu, I am sorry to say this, has been somewhat pedestrianized by constant popular rendering. Leading the pack is Dr BMK. This is perhaps one example of how even great art can be reduced to kitsch by overdoing a theme.

I also want to say that Sanjay exuded a positive creative energy from the time the curtains opened. He didn't pause for more than five seconds between songs. He thoroughly enjoyed singing. He sang a plethora of rare (to my mind) songs with absolute familiarity with the lyrics. All this shows a great mind and a great musical force in him.

On the nAdaswara bAni might be because of his pAdAnthram with SGR and to my limited knowledge you can see that 'nAdaswara pidis' in many other renderings of his also.

On his not wasting /pausing between songs and starting concert right earnest, he always do that if you notice. I keep saying 'He takes guard in the pavilion and not after reaching the crease" in cricketing parlance

[Ramam]

I stay very far for NGEF and had to leave after Nagomomu swaras ended. The song list is OK yet the raga alapana expected from SS confined to Mohana and Abheri was a bit of a disappointment. May be a Manirangu, Dhanyasi ,Begada we are used to from him.

In fact AB raga alapana was signature SS with a good connectivity to the song phrases.

Nagaswaram paani is OK but had surprises with certain new squeaks in the alapana (all heard it), has SS lost a bit of his lakshaya. He was one in the front instilling among his peers, a tradition to continue, a Tanjore Kalyanaraman and Seshagopalan kind of image.

"Nagumommu, I am sorry to say this, has been somewhat pedestrianized by constant popular rendering. Leading the pack is Dr BMK."

Dr BMK cannot be in a pack. It is a terribly annoying comment. A concert at Guruvayoorappan temple , Nagomomu from BMK goes like a nagaswaram (with a sure voice and no gas in the higher octaves) and indeed the violin too. It is a vintage story. Then down the line with many in the audience becoming more interested in popularity the twist in this presentation has become more suited for vadhya vrindha.
SS presentation for this song alone cannot redeem any excellence as probably sung by Thyagaraja himself (?)

I was expecting Rajagopalam after the Mohana Alapana.

[annamalai]

To me he hit the peak with the Shankarabharana and Mohana.

Somehow I had a feeling he got carried away with the nadaswaram bani and overdid it a bit in Abheri. Nagumommu, I am sorry to say this, has been somewhat pedestrianized by constant popular rendering. Leading the pack is Dr BMK.

Raschi,

Totally agreed. Kamalamba Navavarnam was the best piece in the concert in my view, Sanjay rendered this krithi brilliantly. Mohana Alapana had some unusual phrasings and Kadambari Priyayay was also rendered very well.

Abheri I thought had more than a liberal dose of Singara Velane Nee Vaa phrasings ; Karaikurchi Arunachalam played for this song in the movie. Nagumomu krithi has been overdone. I was hoping for Bhajare Re Manasa.

Pantuvarali alapana was also good, with some Puryadhanasree phrasings. Thukkadas were ok.

[Rsachi]

Annamalai, EXACTLY! I told someone that his Abheri reminded me very of much of the Karaikurichi and Janaki EP... Singara velane...!!!

What a FANTASTIC composer Dikshitar was, is... Both those gems were handled well by Sanjay.

Sometimes I don't know how to thank God for all the great music I get... Which I don't really deserve.

[kssr]

A Gokulashtami series, previously would include a majority of songs on Krishna. (Similar to Siva in sivarathri series and Rama in Ramanavami series) It would also give the excitement of anticipating what could be next. I think such limitations have now been broken down. Open themed concerts are good in its own way. I remember the interesting TNS own pallavi "veNNai uNNa chinna thanamaa?", when he used to be a regular in this series.

Sanjay is one artist who can hold the interest of the audience, whatever he sings. A great artist indeed.

[Rsachi]

Ramam,
I am sorry you were annoyed by my mention of Dr BMK. "leading the pack" . I meant he has rendered it several times and made it popular.

I have heard this song Nagumommu from Dr BMK since 60s. He rendered it in RSM in 1980/81 for about 75 min with a 15 minute break in the middle (he used to have mid concert intervals at that time).

I do still maintain that overworking a song denudes it of its beauty, Nagumommu, Broche varevarura and Vatapi are good examples. Heard so often that we take these songs for granted.
Just my opinion.

[Ramam]

Sanjay is one artist who can hold the interest of the audience, whatever he sings. A great artist indeed.

There can be none to disagree.
Yet, a Ramanavami concert need not start with Anandha natana prakasam and having so many krithis on Ambal as it did at Unnathi. The same artist exudes his talent within the occasion when it is held at Sri Kapaleeswara Temple or Madurai
Meenakshi !!!!!!
I do agree that the likes of Sheshagoplan, Trichur Ramachandran , TVS etc., sing to festive occasion/ function and this adjustment no way diminishes their lakshaya.
I have heard a wonderful alapana of AB ( giving a teasing start with Rithigowla feel ) and a very nice rendition of PD namely Rama nama payasakke by SS at Chowdiah Hall.
The ware house has plenty both in terms of lyrics and raagas, to display the effect of his greatness.

[kvchellappa]

Let us listen to what the artist has to offer according to his manodharma. Where is sarvadarmasamtva if we crib even amog Hindu deities? I am sure there is no requirement to sing only on Rama in Sree Rama Seva Mandali or only on Krishna in Gokulashtami series in Unnati. For that matter, even in Krishna Gana Sabha.

[arasi]

The concert started with ST's dEva pAlaya, a dEvaki nandana song. Kannada language song on gOvindA. nagumOmu and pAsurams at the end. The reason it seemed not so ''vishnu'-ish was the pallavi line,perhaps? With gOkulAshTami festival in the air (aromas too), veNNai thinna chinnak kaNNA vA, would have been missed by some, I don't blame them

Chellappa,
You say it well. 'sarva dEva namaskAram kESavam prati gacchati'?
(note: I don't call you 'sir'. Please do drop the 'madam'. Arasi will do )

[kedharam]

Why stir up sibling rivalry in a perfectly congenial relationship?:) That said, my vote is for the sister:) Nothing to do with my horizontal leanings:)

Going back to the concert, I would like to know the neraval phrase for ‘kAdambari priyAyai’

[Rsachi]

I remember it as the first line i.e. kAdambarIpriyAyai... A little swarakshara effect was well employed.

[kedharam]

Thank you. Sort of guessed:)